ALMS at Long Beach

With Champ Car going the way of the dodo bird after this year's Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, it looks like the American Le Mans Series is poised to take over top billing at America's Monte Carlo. The street course around downtown Long Beach, California is quite a track, with a long tradition of motorsport excitement. Everything from Formula 1 to CART to Trans-Am have run here, but very few series can match the thrill of four different classes running into the dusk like the ALMS presents. This year's sophomore running of the Tequila Patron American Le Mans Series at Long Beach showed exactly why the series deserves more support and coverage than it gets. Not only was the on-track action enthralling, but the huge crowds that Long Beach always attracts seemed to go ga-ga over the prototypes and GT cars wearing names like Porsche, Aston Martin, Corvette and Ferrari. In case you haven't seen the race yet, the results are after the jump. Don't let that stop you from clicking through the massive high-res gallery however.
[Via: Autoblog (Mazda) ]
[Tag: alms,american le mans ser...,AmericanLeMansSer...,lbgp,long beach,long beach grand prix,LongBeach,LongBeachGrandPrix ]

Never enough: Gemballa Avalanche 600 GT2 EVO

We've already sampled the mind-blowing power of the 997 Porsche GT2, but for Gemballa, it's never enough. The German tuning firm is offering a new kit for both the GT2 and its all-wheel-drive sibling, the Porsche Turbo, in the form of the Avalanche 600 EVO. As it's name would imply, Gemballa has coaxed 600 hp (not to mention 619 lb.-ft. of torque) from Porsche's turbocharged flat-six through the use of a new intercooler, race exhaust and a retuned ECU. The dash to 62 mph is dispatched in 3.5 seconds and the top speed has been increased to 199 mph.
To compliment the 911's newfound power, Gemball has fitted its Avalanche body kit, which includes a new hood, front spoiler and bumper, EVO wing and a host of air inlets and outlets. The stock suspension has been pulled in favor of a coilover setup hidden behind 405 mm front and 380 mm rear discs and Gemballa "Racing Black Edition" wheels sized 20x9-inches in front and 20x11.5-inches out back. Aluminum pedals and door plates are available to spruce up the interior, along with leather, carbon and alacantara trim, new carpet and a 340 mm steering wheel with optional "F1" paddle shifters.

 

[Via: WCF ]
[Tag: 997,avalanche,gemballa,Gemballa Avalanche 600 GT2 EVO,GemballaAvalanche600Gt2Evo,gt2,porsche,turbo ]

True targa-top Porsche 911 available from aftermarket

If you've been in the market for a vintage, or just affordable, Porsche 911 in the last ten years, you've undoubtedly noticed the number of Targa-topped 911s for sale. The reason for the glut of Targas is two fold: Porsche sold a slew of them in the 70s and 80s and they remain less desirable than their fixed-roof counterparts. However, the allure of the Targa hasn't been lost.
Porsche's introduction of the 911 Targa was largely a response to stringent safety regulations in the 1960s, but the appeal of both an open-air experience (without the aesthetic and noise issues of a traditional cloth convertible) and some manner of additional safety made the Targa a popular choice. Porsche reintroduced its modern interpretation of the Targa last year, but instead of the removable roof and fixed rollbar/B-pillar, it opted for a duo of sliding glass panels.
Paso Robles, California-based performance shop, VeloTech, has decided to move beyond its bread and butter business – turbocharging European vehicles – and has developed its own traditional targa setup for current 911s. The roof, which is comprised mainly of carbon fiber, is still a pricey solution for a very select group of enthusiasts, but VeloTech maintains that if the price for the conversion can be reduced from its current cost ($10,000) to something more palatable ($6,000), the market could expand.

[Via: Detroit News ]
[Tag: 911,aftermarket,GTN Automotive,GtnAutomotive,porsche,porsche 911 targa,Porsche911Targa,targa,VeloTech ]

Nein! Porsche denies U.S. production of Cayenne

It didn't take long for Porsche to set the record straight about its rumored production plans for the Cayenne in North America. Speaking with Autoweek, Porsche spokesman Albrecht Bamler, refuted a report by Germany's Handelsblatt newspaper that the automaker planned to build Cayenne's at Volkswagen's new factory in the U.S. According to Bamler, there's no need to produce Stuttgart's uber-ute here in the States, since European manufacturers supply parts and Porsche is protected against the weak dollar by currency hedging through 2013. However, Handelsblatt's report said that production of the Cayenne in the U.S. wouldn't begin until after 2015, two years after Porsche's currency hedging expires. Does that mean N.A.-built Cayennes are still a possibility? Bamler says it's too early to speculate on the next Cayenne and Porsche's production plans.

[Via: Autoweek ]
[Tag: cayenne, north american plant, NorthAmericanPlant, porsche, production, u.s. plant, U.s.Plant, volkswagen ]

Poorly-translated rumormill: VW to build Porsches in U.S.

As much as we enjoy scouring through German newspapers, something inevitably gets lost in translation. However, the title of a story in Germany's Handelsblatt ePaper is clear: Volkswagen is considering building Porsche Cayennes at its new plant in the U.S.
While VW hasn't made a decision on the plant yet, it's been confirmed that the automaker is looking at locations in Alabama, Michigan and Tennessee to produce 150,000 units annually, including the Jetta and an all-new Passat-sized sedan. How the Cayenne fits into that equation remains a mystery, but the idea that VW and Audi could shift production of its Touareg and Q7 Stateside means that building the Cayenne in the U.S. is a distinct possibility.

[Via: Autoblog (Volkswagen) ]
[Tag: audi, cayenne, porsche, porsche cayenne, PorscheCayenne, u.s. plant, U.s.Plant, volkswagen ]