Racing legend Walter Röhrl warms
to the new 911 as he takes us along
on the key stage of the Monte Carlo Rally.

Th e Col de Turini gives driver and car
a chance to shine.

By David Staretz
Photos by Bernd Kammerer

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD AND ENJOY THIS EXCITING PDF - WONDERFUL IMAGES AND A GREAT WRITE UP.

2012 Audi R8 and the 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S

Greatness Ain’t Cheap, but It’s Worth It
By John Pearley Huffman, Ancient Correspondent | Published Dec 19, 2011 |

We already knew the 2012 Audi R8 and the 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S were great cars. Everyone knows they’re great. Now comes the bizarre job of determining their relative greatness. And that can’t be done by pumping the performance test results into a spreadsheet, applying some spiffy algorithms to the performance test results and then dividing by the as-tested prices. The objective tests are only a start.

These are the two best everyday sports cars available today. They’re not fragile like a Lamborghini or overly ostentatious like a Ferrari. You can get in and out of them without a crane; they have enough storage to hold a weekend’s worth of luggage; you’re not going to crack a vertebrae if you hit a bump in either; they won’t skitter out of control at the first hint of rain; and they’ll get up a steep driveway without knocking off body parts.

Taken together, these two brothers under the VW corporate patio awning are the best argument possible for hoping Germany comes out of the Euro crisis strong. These are both real cars, and at the same time, dream cars. So they need to be evaluated as both.

READ ENTIRE ARTICLE >>

…. Article wrap-up….

Choosing Between Brilliance and Brilliance
Anyone rich enough to buy one of these cars can likely buy both. So buy both, and enjoy the variety.

But of course that would be wasteful, so do yourself a favor and get the Porsche. The 911′s interior is more flexible than the R8′s, it’s somewhat easier to get in and out of, and it rides a squishy bit better when chasing the horizon on long cruises. Plus, while it’s initially fun to attract attention in the 2012 Audi R8, it grows tiresome about the fifth time a stranger comes up expecting a guided tour.

Then, after all that, there’s the simple fact that the 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S tested here runs about $125,000 as-tested while the R8 comes in at $128,715. Greatness is rarely cheap, but relatively speaking — and even well into six figures — the new 911 Carrera S is a great bargain.

The manufacturer and a private owner provided Edmunds these vehicles for the purposes of evaluation.

READ ENTIRE ARTICLE >>
http://www.insideline.com/porsche/911/2012/2012-audi-r8-vs-2012-porsche-911-carrera.html

PorscheArchive.com - a timeline of every Porsche model from the 50's to the 21st Century! -- specification, driving, variations, photographs, option, colour and country codes and more...

PorscheArchive.com - a timeline of every Porsche model from the 50′s to the 21st Century! — specification, driving, variations, photographs, option, colour and country codes and more…

Porsche Archive provides a unique source of everything you need to know about every Porsche road car – from the first 356 right through to the exciting 21st Century models and includes front-engined vehicles and SUVs. Hundreds of stunning pictures of stunning Porsches in High Definition!

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December PCA Article on Treffen by Jim Millick

Excerpt from recent article by Jim Millick…2011 Treffen Black Forest

Back in the 1950s, Porsche Club of America members began making treks to Germany to visit the factory and see Porsches in their native habitat, calling it a “Tref- fen,” or get-together, in German…

…Starting in 1976, native Austrian and PORSCHE fan Peter Sontag restarted the tradition… It was a rousing success, operating under his company Fast Lane Travel, and has been going ever since.

…It’s my contention that every PORSCHE lover must go on a Treffen once, with a few of us kooky enough to make multiple trips… Peter has said about 40% of Treffen-goers are repeat customers, so it’s quite obvious people are really pleased…

…So what does a Treffen entail? It’s pretty simple… The package is inclusive — Once you buy the airline ticket, Fast Lane Travel takes care of the rest, lodging, food, drink, hotels, Porsches to drive, insurance, fuel, et al.

READ ALL ABOUT A TREFFEN EXPERIENCE IN THE FULL PUBLISHED ARTICLE HERE… 2011 Treffen Black Forest by Jim Millick
Courtesy of December Issue, Regional PCA Publication

View all the great Fast Lane Travel Itineraries…then stop dreaming, make it a reality and book today!

Andreas Cremer/ Bloomberg News
December 01. 2011

Porsche AG said it has received “overwhelming” orders in Germany for the revamped 911 sports car two days before the 88,000-euro ($119,000) model goes on sale in Europe.

Porsche will have a “particularly strong rush” for the seventh-generation 911 at showrooms in Europe’s biggest economy, the Stuttgart, Germany-based manufacturer said Thursday in a statement, without giving order numbers. Advance sales of the reworked 911 are in the four-digits, spokesman Dirk Erat said.

“The new 911 will sustain the growth momentum for Porsche,” said Stefan Bratzel, director of the Center of Automotive Management at the University of Applied Sciences in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany. “It’s one of their most relevant product overhauls in a long time.”
Porsche, seeking to merge with Volkswagen AG, aims to double deliveries to at least 200,000 cars and sport-utility vehicles by 2018 as it adds models and expands in emerging markets. The carmaker plans to increase sales to a record 140,000 autos next year, after selling 120,000 in 2011, a person with knowledge of the matter said Oct. 13.

The revamped 911, the first overhaul of Porsche’s iconic model since 2004, was unveiled at the Frankfurt auto show in September. The 350-horsepower model, which has a top speed of 289 kilometers per hour (179 miles per hour) and surges to 100 kilometers in 4.6 seconds, will be more powerful and lighter than its predecessor due to bodywork chiefly made from aluminum.

“The fact that we have an overwhelming number of orders for the new 911 even before its official presentation at our dealerships shows the degree of faith our customers place in the new generation” of the model, Klaus Zellmer, head of Porsche’s German operations, said in the statement.

See entire article online here:

http://www.detnews.com/article/20111201/AUTO01/112010439/1361/Porsche-has–overwhelming–orders-for-$119-000-revamped-911

Nov. 15 (Bloomberg) – Excerpt:   Volkswagen AG’s two-year effort to merge with Porsche SE is on the brink of being scrapped as legal tangles and taxes confound ambitions to unite Ferdinand Porsche’s legacy.

…Porsche and VW agreed to combine in 2009 after Porsche racked up more than 10 billion euros of debt in an unsuccessful attempt to gain control of VW, which makes more vehicles in a week than the luxury carmaker does in a year….

“We’re looking at a disorderly process toward bringing about the integrated carmaker,” said Marc-Rene Tonn, an analyst at M.M. Warburg in Hamburg, who recommends buying VW stock and selling Porsche shares. “There’s not the slightest bit of doubt on behalf of VW and Porsche that they will and should combine. But more than two years after making that pledge, they still haven’t achieved their goal.”

READ ENTIRE BLOOMBERG ARTICLE HERE:
http://news.businessweek.com/article.asp?documentKey=1376-LUNFQO1A1I4I01-5C7R25JVVMMGLH5ELQIMFSE8TA

Porsche 911 GT3 RS

TOP GEAR Review: This must be the easiest sports car in the world to drive.

…it’s clear that the new 911 Carrera S is no slow-burn, hard-to-fathom, funny handshake machine…it fits the driver perfectly…and within seconds you feel like you’ve just pulled on a second skin…

…All things considered – its price, its performance, its economy and emissions – it’s pretty clear we’re talking about the world’s best sports car here. The 911 used to be as much defined by its quirks and foibles as it was by its genius. Well, the foibles have gone. The genius is now more ingenious than ever…

By Jason Barlow – excerpt from Top Gear - Read the entire review, along with some great images…