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Part Two – 2017 Porsche 908 RSR Vision GT Hommage Meets 919 and 917K

Part Two: The RSR!   The crew behind the gorgeous longtail 908 VGT design have a new beast for 2017’s fantasy-cars daydream. A skilled group of professional car designers has been working on a side project after work hours for the last few years.  When not designing vehicles for a Chinese car brand, this group led by Alan Derosier has created magic in the form of not one — but two Vision Gran Turismo fantasy concepts.  They took the VGT idea to heart and applied it to one of the most storied brands in racing history: Porsche.  For licensing and …

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900HP, ~1.7s 2016 Porsche 919 Hybrid – Upgraded Aero, Revised 400HP eBoost Detailed

Porsche is keeping its cards close to their chest entering the 2016 FIA WEC race series, with numerous tweaks to the car all shrouded in a bit of mystery. Per usual, then, for the 2015 LeMans winners! The rules have changed for the top LMP1 race class in 2016, allowing even less gasoline in the overall mix, but upping the amount of electric power teams can use. As such, the 2.0-liter V4 turbo engine in the 919 Hybrid makes less power than last year in most circumstances: from “well above” 500HP to “below 500HP.” Opaque enough for you?  =] Total power …

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2016 Faraday Future FFZERO1 Concept Throws Down Gauntlet – Now or Never, Laggards

Well, this is it!  Nearly 24 hours after the leaks began, and a full 12 since the press conference in Vegas last night, the Faraday Future concept car for CES is now in clear focus. Before you get too excited about a full reveal — with the normal specs, pricing and a production roadmap —it is best to temper expectations. This fantasy concept from Faraday Future is not headed for the road. Nor is it really headed for any race series. But racetracks? That is another story.  The quad-motor, AWD EV promises 1000+ horsepower and a 200-mph-plus top speed.  The electric motors are …

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LeMans Legends from Porsche – Sweet 16 Becomes Magnificent 17 With New 919 Win

        Porsche just swept LeMans, crowning its 17th racecar with the most-coveted trophy on the auto racing circuit. What cars came before? Porsche has competed and succeeded at Le Mans since the early 1950s, but only entered the highest echelons of competition in the mid-1960s. Shut out of victory by the Ford GT40 Mark II’s winning streak from 1966-1969, Porsche did the impossible with its massive 1970 victory. Let’s take a walk back through Porsche LeMans Winners, starting from the most recent in 1998. But first, the all-star group and the people behind these wins. Porsche LeMans …

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LeMans 2015 Video: Porsche 919 Hybrid Takes One-Two Victory!

  Ladies and gentleman, the day has come! Porsche reclaimed overall LeMans victory 45 years since its first in 1970 and last in 1998. The 919 Hybrid was so fast it passed even LMP2 cars (and more than a few LMP1 cars) like they were standing still on the track. A stunning feat of brilliant engineering, driving and motorsports — together pushing the 919 to a decisive victory in first and second place.   2015 Porsche 919 Hybrid   One-two for the Porsche 919 Hybrids in Le Mans Stuttgart. Mission accomplished: Porsche has achieved its 17th overall Le Mans victory …

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2015 Porsche 919 Hybrid Adds Black and Red LeMans Liveries in 917K Salute

Porsche is extremely eager to show how fast and reliable its 2015 919 Hybrid is in the marquee endurance race of the year: LeMans. Just 18 days from now, a trio of Porsche 919s will battle a mad pack of Audi R19 racecars, the secretive 2015 Toyota LMP1 update, and an all-new contender: the Nissan GT-R LM Nismo. This front-drive Nissan is a real wildcard in the tech blueprint adopted by the other big three: rear-mid-engine with electric front-axle AWD. The Porsche 919 Hybrid looks extremely similar to last year’s car, but features dramatic updates under the skin. The core …

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2015 vs 2014 Porsche 919 Hybrid – LMP1 Racers Compared

Porsche just rolled out its 2015 model-year LeMans P1 car for initial track testing at Yas Marina today, and we see a continuation on most aspects of the 2014 racer. Porsche is characteristically tight-lipped about what has changed since last year, but has confirmed that the turbo V4 powertrain will continue, along with three electric boosters. But while the 2015 car looks very similar to the 2014 contender, you can be sure that there have been extensive studies and engineering under the skin. It takes more than a quick look to find any clear changes outside, but we have identified …

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2014 Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1 Racecar in 100-Plus Real-Life Photos + Tech Specs

Full disclosure: this is the 919 design and aero prototype on loan from the Porsche Museum in Germany, and not one of the team’s actual Le Mans 2014 competitors. Even so, being touchably close to any racecar is enought to get the heart beating faster. In fact, even cropping these photos has made a big thump-thump in my neck! The closer my eye comes to the quad-beam lighting setup, the more exciting the car seems — even a static model.   Despite much respect for the Audi Motorsport team, the Porsche 919 Hybrid was the favorite on this sofa during …

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Update1 – The Porsche Story in 99 Rare Photos – A Legacy of Victory

Porsche is ambitious to a fault. It is a core brand trait to excel in almost every single way – To the point where many thought a win at LeMans this year was almost an inevitability. Preparation, research, expertise and brilliance…. Equals: Porsche Racing. So when the 919 suffered out on the track, it was partial global surprise and partial relief. I mean, if Porsche could come in and snatch the title from Audi after 12 near-consecutive wins for Audi Motorsport — what does that really “say” about Audi? Nothing too flattering. So a bit of a relief, a bit …

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The Porsche Story in 37 Rare Photos – A Winners Racing Legacy

Porsche is ambitious to a fault. It is a core brand trait to excel in almost every single way – To the point where many thought a win at LeMans this year was almost an inevitability. Preparation, research, expertise and brilliance…. Equals: Porsche Racing. So when the 919 suffered out on the track, it was partial global surprise and partial relief. I mean, if Porsche could come in and snatch the title from Audi after 12 near-consecutive wins for Audi Motorsport — what does that really “say” about Audi? Nothing too flattering. So a bit of a relief, a bit …

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Update1 – 2014 Nissan ZEOD RC LeMans In Detail + 80 Photos

Ask and ye shall receive? Only last week, we lamented the lack of angles of the ZEOD RC versus the flawless 29 angles of the car’s potent 1.5-liter, 400HP turbo triple, which both propels the car and charges the batteries (we think.) 2014 Nissan ZEOD RC LeMans Well, the strip-tease continues for the ZEOD RC. The latest batch of info from Nissan’s UK-based Le Mans operation shows the real-life racer in much more detail. (Just kidding — looks like we just did not look hard enough for images. This release is tagged October 21st, 2013.) Nissan’s hybrid-electric Garage56 experimental entry …

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Porsche Brand Showcase — 1000-Photo Gallery of 918 Spyder, 919, Macan, Panamera, 911, 718, Boxster and Cayman

Ever wanted just a huge lump of images? Well, your wish is my command! Something is wrong with the lightbox function, so please simple control+click to open these gallery photos to full-size in a new window.   918 Spyder 919 LeMans Macan Panamera 911 Cayman/Boxster 907 718 RSK      

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2014 LeMans LMP1 – Toyota TS040 Hybrid – A Dark Horse in Audi vs. Porsche Battle

The TS040 Hybrid is looking mighty rapid this year, with a huge increase in stamina and budget for the Toyota Motorsports Group based in Cologne, Germany. Training with past winners and local talent can only be considered a huge new asset in the Toyota WEC racing ambition for its LMP1 cars. TS040 Hybrid running from ToyotaGB on Vimeo. So, is the TS040 fast and powerful enough to outwit the Porsche 919 Hybrid and Audi R18 trio? Fast enough remains to be seen, but the Toyota effort in LMP1 has garnered five race victories since 2012, which is certainly nothing to …

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Porsche LMP1 Car Snags 919 Nameplate for Geneva Reveal — A Huge Vote of Confidence from Past Heroes in Future Glory

The Porsche Motorsport story for 2014 is moving ahead at the usual blisteringly-rapid Porsche pace. No one knows what it under most of the 919’s racecar livery – but expect these photos of the 919 at Geneva to be some of the best. Once racing, the 919 this car will be moving fast enough to seem blurry – even when in focus.   Past Glories Porsche 2014 Drivers & Key Personnel 2014 Porsche 911 RSR It was the news that motorsport fans around the world had been waiting for: Porsche returns to contest the Le Mans 24 Hours and the …

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2014 Nissan ZEOD RC LeMans Mt. Fuji Track Demo

2014 Nissan ZEOD RC LeMans Ask and ye shall receive? Only last week, we lamented the lack of angles of the ZEOD RC versus the flawless 29 angles of the car’s potent 1.5-liter, 400HP turbo triple, which both propels the car and charges the batteries (we think.) Well, the strip-tease continues for the ZEOD RC. The latest batch of info from Nissan’s UK-based Le Mans operation shows the real-life racer in much more detail. (Just kidding — looks like we just did not look hard enough for images. This release is tagged October 21st, 2013.) Nissan’s hybrid-electric Garage56 experimental entry …

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2014 LeMans Engine Showcase Series — Nissan ZEOD RC a hybrid… with a 400HP 1.5-liter Turbo Triple!

It is no coincidence that the Nissan ZEOD RC’s engine is a 1.5-liter turbo triple. This is for at least three reasons:   — The 1.5-liter Turbo V6 is Formula One’s new engine size — Halve that engine at the crankshaft, and you have this tall drink of 88-pound engine, making 400 horsepower to supplement the electrics on-board the ZEOD RC. Nissan Motorsport’s guys explain it a bit better here.  The exciting thing about the LeMans experimental Garage56 program is that there… are almost no constricting rules. In theory, the Porsche 911 GTR R Hybrid from a few years ago …

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How Would 2012 Corvette Daytona Longtail Fare in Vmax Challenge with LMP1 Cars?

The 2012 Corvette Daytona is part of my Chevy Racing learning process, and it is a bit confusing with numerous Corvette-branded racecars in very different series. For example, the previous Grand Am sports car classes are almost a dead ringer for the Porsche 962 era of Le Mans. Grand Am merged with the American Le Mans Series, and the classes for sportscars will be covered in a future article. For now – a bit of blue-sky thinking to go with the 2012 Corvette Daytona’s namesake track. What if all the fastest racecars in the world… got together on a huge, …

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