Corvette vs Porsche 911, it’s been a rivalry for decades, even though the two price points often don’t overlap. This is all for bragging rights on the streets, and now the difference is bigger than ever. Can the new turbocharged 911 Carrera S beat out the new Corvette Gran Sport? And even if it can win, can the Porsche justify its $50,000 premium over the Vette?
-Nick
Being a successful car journalist, Matt Farah has been able to get the hookup on modding his Ford Focus RS. It seems like he’s basically maxed out the stock turbo at this point, but just look at the huge gains his car made in the mid range. That’s a ton of usable performance!
Now, he quotes ~350whp, but remember RS’s need to be dynoed in front wheel drive, with the rear diff unplugged. Figure around 10% drivetrain loss for FWD and that shows around 380-390hp at the crank. Now figure around 20-25% drivetrain loss for AWD, and the peak power on the stock turbo (likely on 91 octane) is +/- 300awhp. Not too different from an STI, but please believe a bigger turbo will be a popular mod on the Focus RS for those wanting serious horsepower.
Enjoy!
-Nick
I absolutely loved the F-Pace when I drove it a few weeks ago. Turns out the folks at Motor Trend agree with me.
-Nick
The Porsche Macan is basically a luxury rally car for the financially well-endowed, and the Turbo is the Mac-daddy of the lineup. It’s remarkable just how good Porsche has been able to make this car considering it shares its underpinnings with the very vanilla VW Tiguan. It took a while for fun to find its way into the crossover segment, but after driving this Macan Turbo, I can vouch that it definitely has.
It was one of those things I had to experience to believe. I figured the Macan might just be nothing more than a faster Tiguan with a Porsche body and a nice interior; that would’ve been just fine for most Macan buyers, and a mediocre Macan would’ve still been a solid revenue car for Porsche. Thankfully, they went over and above to preserve the integrity of their speed-synonymous brand. The Macan Turbo is a real Porsche, a new type of Porsche to be sure, but a real Porsche within its mold.
Continue reading Porsche Macan Turbo Review: Like a Fancy WRX for Rich People!
Happy Halloween everyone!
Yes, this is a real Porsche 993 GT2. It’s here in America, and its registered in Montana, the land of the supercars… or at least it would seem that way with all the Montana plates on all sorts of crazy cars. #Loophole
This 993 GT2 came here from Japan and now resides in New England, I believe. The owner said he had driven it to the show that day.
This is really the first 993 GT2 I’ve seen up close in person. I say “really” because I did catch a glimpse of the stunning blue 993 GT2 that recently sold at auction for $2.4M in the garage at the Porsche museum in Stuttgart. However, it was under a cover, and I wasn’t going to try and pull it off.
Obviously the 993 GT2 is one of those holy grail 911s fit for only the wettest of dreams. One of only 57 road-going 993 GT2’s made, it comes from a time when cars were lighter and much simpler, when 430 turbocharged horsepower in a rear engine / rear wheel drive package meant daddy might not be home for supper.
I’m happy to be able to check another one off my list! Now if I can finally manage to track down a Bugatti EB-110…
What a spectacular color!
Never underestimate how much of an effect a car’s hue can have on its appeal. The Jaguar F-Type Coupe is one of the prettiest cars on sale today, but it could still be quite forgettable in gray or beige. You won’t for get seeing one in this Ultra Blue, though, especially not this decked-out F-Type SVR.
This blue Jag stood in brilliant contrast to the bright orange Porsche 918 that stole the show at the Scarsdale Concours d’Elegance this year. People were drawn to it almost as much, despite it costing nearly 1/10th of the price of the hyper Porsche.
The F-Type SVR is the king of the Jags right now, though, the pinnacle of performance in their model range. Its 575hp supercharged V8 delivers a thunderous experience for sure, but a lot of me still wishes it came in RWD instead.
It was a real treat to see this Jag, and to get some quality shots of it. It was quite a sight. Enjoy!
Continue reading Jaguar F-Type SVR in the most Ultra of Blues
I’m a big fan of the Lexus RC F, and this one turned its appearance up to eleven.
Damn, everyone is jumping on the crossover bandwagon. Clearly following Porsche’s success, Maserati, Bentley, and now Jaguar have now all made high-riding vehicles for people who want a station wagon that isn’t a “station wagon.” I haven’t been much of a fan of crossovers until pretty recently, when some of them have stepped into the ring of high performance. Yes, there is now a full segment of fast crossovers that handle pretty darn well, and they’re sort of like big, comfy rally cars.
I’d heard a lot of praise being thrown at the Jaguar F-Pace, so when I was able to try on out for myself, I jumped on the opportunity. The car I drove was the top-of-the-line F-Pace S, so if this one didn’t impress me, none of them would. And you know what? In many respects, it may be the best fast crossover I’ve driven to date.
Sit back and enjoy!
There’s a reason Toyota doesn’t offer the Camry in “Bright F*cking Purple.” That’s because it takes a certain kind of person to pull it off, and most of them aren’t interested in a forgettable family sedan. They are, however, interested speed, style, and badassary in general.
As it turns out, the 707hp Dodge Challenger Hellcat is quite appealing to purple-car-driving people. The audacity of the color suits the personality of this apex muscle car so well. I’d even say it’s my favorite color on the Hellcat, bar none.
Red cars are for people who think their hot-shit. Black cars are for people who think their a badass. Purple cars are for people who just want to start shit with the world. I mean, it’s a “girly color,” right? Go ahead and tell the guy driving this that, and you’ll probably be staring at a set of taillights before you even know what happened.
This purple Hellcat reminds me of Johnny Cash’s song, “A Boy Named Sue,” because it seems to inherently provoke the world. Its a 200mph muscle car in a world where the highest posted speed limit is 85. It’s entirely unacceptable, if you go by the rules of society. Luckily, we still live in a world with a decent bit of social wiggle room. Cars like the Hellcat can still be driven on public roads, you can exploit its massive performance freely in between speed traps.
Oh, and on top of its insane color, this Hellcat also had a manual gearbox. No excuses needed. It always breaks my heart when I see one of these beasts with only two pedals.
This is pretty much how I’d spec-out my own Hellcat. It’s always awesome to see one of my exact dream cars in person, in the parking lot at the Lime Rock Historics. I hope you enjoy seeing this car as much as I did.
The guys at Everyday Driver put together the comparison shootout we’ve all been waiting for: Golf R vs Evo vs STI vs Focus RS.
See which emerges as the ultimate daily weapon!
-Nick
Mind Over Motor 