November-19-10

Porsche Boxter

Posted by admin under New Porsche News

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. Thats 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 Porsches 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 theres 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 whats under the hood once in while, wellyou cant 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 thats what makes the car handle so well.

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August-30-10

Porsche 977 bodyshell

Posted by admin under New Porsche News

A new Porsche 911 is always fascinating because its interesting
to see how after more than 40 years of development the Porsche
team still manages to bring changes and improvements to this
icon model.

The new 997 bodyshell combines the sleek modern looks of
the 996 series with the popular retro styling cues from older 911s.
The front end is completed with round lights and separate
parking/fog/indicator lights. This change, combined with wider
hips echoes the last of the air-cooled 911s, the 993. Other changes
in the bodyshell are the new door handles, wing mirrors and the
stylish cut of the rear wings into the bumper/lights.

Even if the 997 looks a lot like the previous model, the 996, the new
car is actually 38mm wider which creates a more aggressive
appearance. With each new model introduced, Porsche has aimed
to reduce the drag co-efficient helping the 911 slide through the air
more effectively, and so aiding performance. The same thing has been
done with the new car, and if we compare the 993 Cd of 0.34 to the
997`s 0.28 we can see how far the aerodynamic game has moved on.
The latest body shell and rear wing combine with new underbody
paneling to also offer increased levels of down force for this latest
evolution of Porsche’s finest.

The latest Porsche model is the best handling 911 ever. Improving a
car’s rigidity helps ensure the suspension can work more effectively
and while not making such a quantum leap as the team did with the
996. Porsche improved torsional rigidity by 8% and added as much
as 40% more flexural strength.

For the new car, Porsche wanted to improve crash safety so they
added two new air bags located in the side of each front seat back-rest,
designed to protect the thorax. They kept the previous two front and two
side airbags, which means that now there are six in total. For the same
reason, crash safety, the reinforced body shell features further protection
such as a more extensive use of super high strength steel.

The latest model is also 50 kg heavier than the 996. The reason is that
modern crash safety regulations kind of force the new cars to come with
increased weight, despite the usage of a large range of weight saving
measures, including an aluminum bonnet.

Aside from the crash safety improvements, much of the additional weight
can be attributed to the higher standard specification of the new cars.
Power to weight is similar with the latest car offering 233 bhp per tone
against its predecessors 238 and the new models improved aerodynamics
must help it post Porsches claimed performance figures, which are
identical to the 996.

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