porsche

The Porsche Boxster and Boxster S are fast, powerful cars and most

of all the best-handling production roadsters on the planet.

Introduced in 1996, it remained essentially unchanged, other than

moderate horsepower and interior-options tweaks. That’s what

Porsche usually does with the successful models: it retains car

look and configuration for ages.

A more powerful second-generation Boxster was introduced in 2005

and it keeps Porsche’s conservative evolutionary path. Like its

precedent, it is a mid-engine, six-cylinder two-seater that looks like

Porsche Spyder. Still, over half of Boxster`s structure and electronics

are borrowed from the 911 Carrera.

The 2005 Boxster looks sprightlier than its 2004 equivalent, thanks

to the revision of the torque and the 15 added hp and the extra power

coming on strongly between 2000rpm and 4000 rpm. The 2005

Boxster S virtually equals the acceleration and top-speed performance

of Porsche's expensive 911 Carrera. The Boxster exhaust has been

tuned to play a distinctive tromboning wail like no other car. This is a

amazing thing thinking that both engines are smaller versions of the

six-cylinder in the Carrera.

The transmission for base Boxters is five-speed manual but the optional

variant offers a six-speed. Both models can also be fitted with a

five-speed Tiptronic, the superb Porsche-designed automatic transmission

that began the trend toward manually shifted automatics.

The bodywork and the interior of the Boxster are of high quality, but considering

that there’s noting tricky or purely decorative, we can definitely say that

these are not opulent cars. Still, the interior has been improved since the

old car was often criticized for being to cheap-looking. The center console

has been upgraded with revised switch-gear and titanium look paneling.

The seats are more supportive and body-shaped in the new version,

making them look absolutely superb. Unlike other roadsters, the Boxster

has no problem swallowing luggage for a long trip: it has two trunks, a

small one in the rear and an amply deep one under the front hood.

One of The Boxster`s best qualities is the powered convertible top, very quick

to retract or re-erect. In the new Boxster, the top can be operated at speeds

up to 30 mph. The triple-layer padded cloth tops (with a heated-glass rear

window) is as weather-tight and quiet as most metal roofs.

The Boxster is called a mid engine-car. The reason is that the sweet six-cylinder

engine is mounted behind the seats, just fore of the rear axle. So if you wand

to see what’s under the hood once in while, well…you can’t do that with The Boxster.

The only way to see the engine is from underneath or by meticulously removing

body panels, which mechanics must do to service the engine. But, the good

news is that having the engine mounted closer to the center of the car makes

for better weight distribution. And that’s what makes the car handle so well.

Ten years ago, the idea of a Porsche sport utility vehicle would

have seemed absurd. And the reason is not that it lacks experience

with off-road cars since their engineering have developed all-wheel-drive

military vehicles. It’s more that, compared to General Motors, Toyota

or Daimler-Chrysler, the automotive giants, Porsche represents a

tiny fraction of the production volume. For 50 years, the company

has produced quick, nimble, small sports car, or in other words, the

opposite of the SUV’s. When Porsche decided to invest in an SUV

and a new factory to build it, it became clear the times, as well as our

taste, have changed.

And now, after creating the most anticipated new Porsche in decades,

the company is proud that its SUV is what many expected it would be:

technically slick and remarkably fast, with on-road handling that belies

its bulk. Also, the Cayenne delivers what most SUV buyers demand, including

decent cargo space, more than enough capability for casual off-road use,

and impressive towing capacity.

When it comes to pricing, Cayenne is a true Porsche. A very expensive

Porsche. With tax and license, a loaded Cayenne Turbo can crack the

$100,000 barrier, and that alone will knock it off most shopping lists.

But for the connoisseurs, the Porsche Cayenne will be truly appreciated for

its performance and driving satisfaction.

Porsche offers three versions of the four-door Cayenne: the Cayenne,

The Cayenne S and the Cayenne Turbo. The standard models of the Cayenne

and Cayenne S come with features such as: 18-inch alloy wheels,

stability control given by the Porsche Stability Management, leather

seating, power seats, dual-zone automatic climate control and a

350-watt, 15-speaker Bose audio system. Since it’s a true Porsche,

Cayenne’s ignition switch is on the dash’s left side. The gauge

cluster is nearly perfect but the climate and radio controls are

indecipherable cluster of buttons and knobs. The good thing is that

the satellite steering wheel controls are standard which means that

they will be easier to find. The Turbo model comes not only with

additional power but also with more technical and luxury features.

Among those we enumerate: an adaptive suspension with automatic

ride height and damping adjustment (Porsche Active Suspension

Management), bi-HID headlights, a CD-based navigation system,

heated seats front and rear, seat memory, sonar front/rear parking

assist and power adjustment for the steering wheel. But the options

the Cayenne offers are meant to increase functionality and personality.

These options are: four-zone climate control, bolstered sport seats,

various wheel/tire upgrades and trailering preparation. With a maximum

cargo capacity of 63 cubic feet, the Cayenne has slightly more capacity

than the Range Rover but less than the Infiniti FX45.

Many consider the Porsche 64 (also known as the VW Aerocoupe,

Type 64 and Type 64K10) as being the first automobile by

Porsche. It was built mainly from parts from the Model 64 VW

Beetle and there comes the model number. Its flat-four engine

produced 50 bhp and gave a top speed of 160 km/h.

Porsche Burro designed the body after wind tunnel tests made

for the Type 114, a V10 sports car that was never produced.

Dr. Porsche wanted to enter the car in the 1939 Berlin-Rome

race. The bodywork company Reutter built three cars in

shaped aluminium. Out of the three, one was crashed in the

early World War II by a Kraft durch Freude (Volkswagen)

bureaucrat. The two remaining were used by the Porsche

family. Later on, they put one of them in the storage and used

only one. In May 1945 American troops discovered the one

put in storage, cut the roof off and used it for joyriding for a few

weeks until the engine gave up and it was scrapped. Pinin

Farina restored the remaining Porsche 64 in 1947, as it was

owned and driven by Ferry Porsche. In 1949, the Austrian racer

Otto Matte bought it and won the Alpine Rally in 1950 in it.

In 2006, Dr. Ing. H.c. Porsche will extend it’s current product

line with the addition of a new 911 Turbo, the sixth generation

of the 911 series. This top-of-the-range model will have its world

premiere at the Geneva Motor Show on February 28, 2006 and

as from June 24, 2006 it will be available in German dealerships.

The 911 Turbo (type 997) has a few improvements. It has an

output of 480 bhp at 6,000 rpm, a 3.6 litre engine, a rated torque

of 620 Nm and a maximum torque available between 1,950 and

5,000 rpm. All these numbers are translated into driving

performance, as the 911 Turbo with six-speed manual transmission

only needs 3.9 seconds to get from zero to 100 km/h. The coupe

reaches 200 km/h in 12.8 seconds. Despite these performance

statistics, Porsche developers succeeded to keep the average

consumption to 12.8 liters per100 km.

For those who need even more speed, the 911 Turbo offers the

optionally Tiptronic S automatic transmission. This way, it can reach

100 km/h from a standing start in just 3.7 seconds and 200 km/h in

a mere 12.2 seconds. Both manual and automatic transmissions

have a top speed of 310 km/k. Available for the first time, the optional

“Sport Chrono Package Turbo” enhances the vehicle’s flexibility even

further.

The Porsche 911 Turbo features a redesigned all-wheel drive with

an electronically controlled multi-disc clutch. The result will be the

transfer of the available power to the road. That’s because, depending

on the driving conditions, this system will determine the optimal torque

distribution to ensure the best-possible drive. Also, Porsche Traction

Management (PTM) ensures variable power distribution to the two

driven axles. This means that on the road the 911Turbo will prove

outstanding traction in the rain or snow, high agility on narrow country

roads and optimal active safety even at high speeds.

The new 911 Turbo’s driving performance is duly tempered by its brake

system, which comprises monobloc fixed-caliper disc brakes with six

pistons at the front axle and four at the rear. The diameter of the internally

ventilated and perforated brake discs at the front and rear wheels is 350

millimeters. An optimized ceramic brake system that Porsche offers is

Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake (PCCB). This high-tech system

reduces with 17 kilograms the standard brake system and provides an

excellent fading stability.

The major bodywork change of the 911 Turbo is the modified front end with

its distinctive, tautly drawn cooling air inlets. Combined with the standard

oval bi-xenon headlights, it will define the new unmistakable image. From

the rear perspective too, the Turbo will seem more powerful. This is due

first and foremost to its tail end, 22 millimeters wider than that of the previous

model, to which the redesigned wing spoiler element has been aligned.

Secondly, the lateral air inlets behind the doors have been redrawn and now

they offer a more efficient supply of cooling air to the charge-air intercoolers.

The basic price for the 911 Turbo is 115,000 Euros. In the USA, from July

8, 2006, the vehicle will be available at $122,000 (not including taxes).

When a pre-owned Porsche meets the high quality standards set

by the brand, it will receive the name Porsche Approved. So if you

want a Porsche but you can’t afford a brand new one, a Approved

vehicle is your best choice since you can be sure that it will meet

your expectations.

But what is the difference between a Porsche Approved certified

vehicle from a conventional pre-owned vehicle?

First of all, the Porsche Approved cars are inspected by factory

trained technicians and if they find any faults, repairs are carried

out in line with the strict Porsche quality criteria.

Secondly, every Porsche Approved vehicle comes with a

comprehensive Warranty:

- If sold while under the new car warranty, Coverage is up to

6 years or 100,000m/160,000km total, whichever comes first

- If sold once the new vehicle warranty has expired, Coverage is

2 years from the date of sale or up to 100,000m/160,000km,

whichever comes first.

And last but not least, you will get membership in Porsche Road

Assistance that offers exclusive support server & security.

The result of owing a Porsche Approved is that you will enjoy

driving a safe, quality value which really cannot be described as

Ferdinand Porsche played an important role in the development

of airplanes and racing cars, and the construction of tanks for

the Wehrmacht. He is an automobile engineer with more than

a thousand patents to his name. He was appointed chief engineer

at Mercedes-Benz in Stuttgart in the 1920s. Later on, he set

up his own engineering workshop and designed among others

the Volkswagen. At the plant where Volkswagen was made,

Wolfsburg, he was chief of operations and at the end of the war

he was interned by the Allies.

He was released a few years later and started building his first car

with his son, Ferry Porsche. The car was named the Porsche 356

and it was a sports car and a reminiscent of the Volkswagen.

It had the same four-cylinder boxer engine that was rear-mounted,

just like the VW. It was far from being a powerful sports car,

developing only 40 bhp and a maximum speed of 87 mph (140 km/h).

First produced as a convertible and later as a hard top it distinguished

by the very elegant and innovative body. It was developed in the

workshop of Erwin Komenda, a master of restrained streamlining

who had been in charge of sheet metal and design techniques at

Porsche since the VW Beetle. The new style of closed coupe was

designed by Komenda and it soon became the embodiment of the

sports car, thanks to its fastback.

This tradition was continued by Komenda and Ferdinand “Butzi”

Porsche, the founder’s grandson, with the 911.

The 911 became easily recognizable: it had attractive sloping

bonnet and what later became characteristic “frog eye” headlights,

curves running from the top edge of the windscreen to the rear bumper

and a straight waistline. From a functional and technical point of

view it was more like BMW 1500, although it retained the stylistic

features of the original Porsche. The new 911 will become the

foundation stone of Porsche’s identity, even though the design

was not always appreciated. During the 1970`s and 1980`s, the

designers attempts to distance Porsche from its legendary design brought

the company to the edge of disaster. The more modern 924 model,

“a people’s Porsche”, developed with Volkswagen, as well as the

928 were far from fulfilling the expectations.

In the 1990`s, the company realized that what for over twenty years

was perceived as a straitjacket, it was in fact a market

advantage. During the 1990`s, Porsche became highly

profitable since they now knew that the typical Porsche features

were timeless. Nearly forty people now worked in the design

department on further developments of the long-running 911.

These developments included the 911 GTI, a powerful combination

of sports and racing car, put forward by the in-house designer

Anthony R. Hatter. In 1999, chief designer proudly presented the

new Boxster which enabled Porshe to establish a second

independent range of models.