German Car Scene

Month: April 2012

  • Ferdinand Alexander Porsche passes away


    Porsche owners and fans alike are mourning the loss of Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, designer of the iconic 911, who died today in Salzburg, aged 76.

    Nicknamed “Butzi”, the son of Ferry and Dorothea Porsche was born on December 11th 1935 in Stuttgart; he attended the city’s private Waldorf School, then studied industrial design at the prestigious Ulm School of Design before moving on to the family company in 1957. He was later given the task of creating a more comfortable and practical successor to the 356, and so the 901 (or 911) was born, making its début at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show. F.A. was also responsible for penning the Type 804 Formula One racing car and beautiful Porsche 904 Carrera GTS. Officially known as the Porsche Carrera GTS (because Peugeot had exclusive rights on three-number names with a central ‘0’), the fibreglass-bodied 904 was Ferdinand Alexander’s favorite work for Porsche.

    He later went on to found the Porsche Design Studio in 1972, which spawned everything from highly desirable timepieces and sunglasses, to model cars and cufflinks.

    “We mourn the death of our partner, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche. As the creator of the Porsche 911, he established a design culture in our company that has shaped our sports cars to this very day. His philosophy of good design is a legacy to us that we will honour for all time,” said Porsche’s Matthias Müller.

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  • e-sound by Audi


    If you’ve ever wondered how the electric cars of the future will be able to emit more than a hum from their electric motors, Audi has the answer.

    Rudolf Halbmeir’s workstation holds the key. The acoustic engineer has a keyboard, computer and loud speakers – working in conjunction with a foot pedal – to create a synthetic sound from the car that varies depending on speed and acceleration.

    Ultimately, a speaker mounted to the R8’s undercarriage produces between five and eight watts of sound to the outside world, most importantly – pedestrians. Parameters such as the motor’s rotational speed, vehicle speed and loads are continuously monitored, resulting in sound being generated by the millisecond

    Each car in Audi’s e-tron range will be given its own exclusive tone, although an A1 that sounds like an R8 might be fun.

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  • China getting long wheelbase BMW 3 Series


    BMW will be revealing a long wheelbase version of its new 3 Series saloon at this year’s Auto China Show in Beijing later this month.

    Built for the Chinese market at its Shenyang production plant, this extended version’s wheelbase has been stretched by 11 cm, to offer the best rear seat travel comfort among the competition. Whereas drivers in the rest of the world would simply buy a larger model, Chinese owners have always had a fetish for elongated vehicles. And with LWB variants of cars such as the BMW 5 Series, Audi’s A4 and A6 and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class all selling well in the East, we’ve no doubt that this 3 Series will succeed there too.

    At its launch, buyers will have the choice of a 225 kW (302 hp) 335Li, 180 kW (242 hp) 328Li, or 135 kW (181 hp) 320Li model.

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  • Porsche 911 rally car fun with Chris Harris


    This brand new episode of DRIVE sees Chris Harris spending some time behind the wheel of a retro Porsche 911 rally car. Prepared by the renowned motorsport specialist Francis Tuthill, this lightweight (1000 kg) example is powered by a 272 kW (365 hp) 3.5-litre engine – and is geared for a 194 km/h (120 mph) top speed. Do you think he enjoyed himself?

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  • Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG ’45th Anniversary’ edition


    To celebrate AMG’s birthday, which takes place in June 2012, Mercedes-Benz is building a limited edition SL 65 AMG ’45th Anniversary’ model.

    Based on the recently released 463 kW (630 hp) SL 65 AMG, just 45 vehicles will be available when it goes on sale this September, but its price has yet to be confirmed. Exclusive to this special version is the satin grey designo magno graphite paintwork and matt finish exterior carbon fibre package for the mirrors, lower spoiler and cross strut in the front apron. Under the hood, an engine cover constructed from matt carbon fibre and aluminium sits over the 6.0-litre V12 biturbo unit. The AMG multi-spoke forged wheels, which are painted matt titanium grey with a high sheen flange, are wrapped in 255/35 R 19 and 285/30 R 20 tyres.

    Moving inside, titanium grey pearl leather has been used for the majority of the cabin, with the seat centres and door panels finished with diamond pattern stitching. The roof lining is trimmed in ginger beige leather, while matt carbon fibre elements on the dashboard and centre console continue the exterior’s theme.

    Standard equipment includes the AMG ceramic brake kit, Bang & Olufsen BeoSound AMG surround sound system, Distronic Plus, Active Lane Keeping Assist, Active Blind Spot Assist, Airscarf, Active Parking Assist and Panoramic vario roof with Magic Sky control.

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  • evo drives the 2013 Porsche Boxster S


    evo magazine’s road test editor Henry Catchpole heads over to Saint-Tropez for the launch of Porsche’s new Boxster S model. The meatier S version is powered by a 232 kW (315 hp) 3.4-litre flat-six, allowing a five second sprint to 100 km/h (62 mph) when specified with PDK (Sport Chrono Package: 4,8 s), while top speed is a pleasant PDK 277 km/h (172 mph). Pricing starts at € 59,120.

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