Which Will Win Standing-Mile Drag Race? Porsche Cayman vs Subaru Impreza WRX STI

The Subaru Impreza WRX STI and Porsche Cayman are two very different cars, yet both have the basic characteristic of going fast intrinsically linked to their character. They achieve and maintain speed quite differently and both can be thought of as weapons in certain road conditions.

However, what happens when you pit the heavier and less aerodynamic 305hp Subaru against the rear-wheel drive Porsche with 275hp in a one-mile drag race? Well, since the Porsche has a derestricted top speed and the Subaru is limited by gearing to around 240 km/h, it could go either way, due to the length of the proposed race.

Obviously, the Subaru gets off the line much quicker and cleaner than the Porsche, but it’s what happens next that could be called insightful, when the Porsche’s aero, weight and gearing advantage begin to come into play.

SUVs Ahoy! Mitsubishi Pajero Stuck in Sea Needs a Helping Hand

Fortunately, an automobile stuck in sea is a very uncommon scenario. When it happens, though, it calls for a special solution. From what we understand, this incident appears to have taken place at St Ives Bay on the Atlantic coast of north-west Cornwall in the United Kingdom (we could be wrong about that; if we are, tell us in the comments) when a Mitsubishi Pajero owned by a rental boat company got stuck in the sea.

 

Pushing with your hands won't do any good in this situation, so the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) was called in to aid the driver with a special crawler that pulled out the SUV.

See how it went down in the video below, which is best viewed in full screen mode.

Lamborghini Huracán LP610-4 in Verde Mantis in Pictures and on Video at the Ascari Track

Some of us are quite pleased that Lamborghini has brought back some of the bolder exterior colors of the 1970s (but less thrilled about the green interior) to its new Huracán LP610-4, like the "Verde Mantis" that translates to "Green (Praying) Mantis" seen on this example that was photographed in Marbella, Spain.

If you're wondering how the Huracán ended up in southern Spain, the guys over at Pistonheads have the answer, as the same car was featured in their test drive that included a few laps around the nearby Ascari racetrack (about an hour's drive from Marbella). Evidently, Lamborghini hosted the press event in the region.

The new Huracán that replaces the 10-year old Gallardo will try to steal the thunder from supercars like the McLaren 650S (see Chris Harris' Ascari track drive here) and Ferrari 458. Behind the passenger compartment, you'll find a naturally aspirated 602hp (610PS) 5.2-liter V10 engine driving all four wheels through a newly designed seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Lamborghini 5-95 by Zagato Revs its Engine at Villa d’Este

Zagato's one-off Lamborghini Gallardo-based 5-95 may feature a controversial design, but I have to admit it is impossible to ignore. For those attending the 2014 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este at Lake Como in Italy over the weekend, the Lamborghini 5-95 Zagato was a curious sight, made even more intriguing by the brutal sound of the 562hp (570PS) 5.2-liter Lamborghini V10 engine.

Based on the Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera, the 5-95 Zagato was commissioned by Albert Spiess, one of the most significant Lamborghini collectors in the world, to mark the Italian design firm’s 95th birthday (1919 – 2014).

As you can see, Zagato managed to hide the Gallardo completely with its design – it’s up to you to decide if that is a good or bad thing.

Scroll down to watch the 5-95 Zagato come to life and parade on the Villa d’Este domain – you may also notice a well-known Lamborghini man on the passenger seat, former factory test driver Valentino Balboni.

Man Gives Homeless People a Ride in a Lamborghini – Good Deed or Selfish Tease?

YouTube deed- and prank- (see second clip with the Mercedes McLaren) master Dennis Roady took a white Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder to Santa Monica in California and picked up a number of homeless people giving them a quick ride in the Italian supercar.

"I got a 2014 Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder today, so I went to OPCC SAMOSHEL in Santa Monica, CA and took a few Homeless people for a wild ride. They loved it so much, it made their week! Spread the Deeds!" wrote Dennis.

Other than providing a teaser sample of what rich people enjoy on a daily basis (and a clickable story for Roady's YouTube channel), I'm not sure what good this does to people who are far less fortunate in life.

Your thoughts?

Lamborghini Donates Huracán LP 610-4 Polizia to the Italian State Police

Remember the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 Polizia that the Italian sports car manufacturer donated to the Italian police? Well, since the Gallardo has recently been replaced with a new model, the Huracán LP 610-4, Lamborghini thought to keep the Italian State Police updated with the latest hardware and built a police version of its newest sports car.

The new police car will replace the Gallardos used by the Italian police force since 2004 and 2008.

The special vehicle was handed over by Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini, to the head of the Italian State Police, Prefect Alessandro Pansa, in a ceremony in Rome at the “Museo delle Auto Storiche della Polizia di Stato” (Museum of Historic Vehicles of the Italian State Police).

The Lamborghini Huracán LP 610-4 Polizia will be the pride and joy of Italian police officers and will begin patrolling the country’s roads towards the end of the year to help prevent accidents and crime.

The lucky police officers who will get to call the Huracán their office will no doubt appreciate the increased power of the 5.2-liter naturally aspirated V10 engine compared to the Gallardo. In the Huracán LP 610-4, the powerplant produces 610PS (602hp) – 50PS (50hp) more than in the Gallardo.

In theory, the breathtaking acceleration of the car (0-100 km/h in 3.2 seconds) and its 202 mph (325 km/h) top speed should discourage most attempts to run away from the police.

Lamborghini Drops New Photo Gallery of the Huracán

If you recognize the setting in these new official Lamborghini Huracán photos that’s because there were taken during the test drive event at the Ascari Circuit in Spain and on the mountain roads around Marbella.

The event lasted two weeks, with media and dealers from all over the world invited to get acquainted with Lamborghini’s newest and most important model, the Huracán LP 610-4. There aren’t new things to say about the Gallardo’s successor that haven't been mentioned before, so I’ll only remind you the technical specs of the Huracán before you head to photo gallery.

The car is powered by a mid-mounted 5.2-liter V10 engine that produces 602hp (610PS) at 8,250 rpm and 560 Nm (413 lb-ft) of torque at 6,500 rpm. The engine is linked to a 7-speed dual clutch transmission “Lamborghini Doppia Frizione” (LDF) and sends power to all four wheels via a fully electronically controlled four-wheel drive system.

The Huracán sprints from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.2 seconds and to 200 km/h (124 mph) in 9.9 seconds. Top speed is over 325 km/h (202 mph).

EVO Thinks the Porsche Cayman GTS Has the Best Exhaust Sound in the World

We have seen enough reviews of the Porsche Cayman GTS and Boxster GTS, so EVO magazine thought about spicing up its review of the Cayman GTS with a reference to its exhaust note.

Henry Catchpole believes the Cayman GTS has the best sounding exhaust note that £55,397 can buy. The 3.4-liter six-cylinder boxer engine, which delivers 335hp (340PS) in the Porsche Cayman GTS, gets a sports exhaust that makes it sound better than lesser Caymans and better than its rivals – according to the Brits.

Of course, the Cayman GTS is more than its exhaust note, but when one buys a sports car, the last thing he or she wants is to have a restrained sound. In this respect, the Cayman GTS certainly doesn’t disappoint, as you can see (and hear) in the video posted below.

This is The First Purpose-Built Porsche 911 Rally Car

With a motorsport history that arguably shames any other car manufacturer on the planet when it comes to the number of overall race wins, Porsche has been present over the years in just about any type of racing there is, including some fields which normally wouldn't be exactly appropriate for a sports car manufacturer.

One such racing scene is rallying, where cars like the funky-looking Porsche 911 SC below had its fair share of success. After a previous involvement with a works team back in 1968, which lasted only until the early 1970s, the Stuttgart sports car manufacturer made a brief return to this motorsport category in 1978, with the so-called 911 SC “Safari”, a car that came close to actually win the 1978 East African Safari Rally.

Had it not hit a rock while crossing a small river, which damaged its rear suspension, the car in the footage below could have won the aforementioned rally after leading it for quite a few hours into the race. Despite having been beaten by a much slower Peugeot 504 – a car by the same manufacturer which didn't leave Porsche name their car the 901 back in the 1960s – it proved that the 911 could also evolve into a off-road rally car that can win races and ride with the big boys outside the tarmac.

Apart from the raised suspension, off-road tires, extra headlights and a roll-cage, the 911 SC “Safari” was mostly stock, with the car that actually participated in the East African Safari Rally now sitting in the Porsche Museum, with the exact same specification as it did in the 1978 event.

Custom Porsche 993 by Rauh-Welt is Pure Widebody Perfection

Founded in 1997 as a small countryside body shop, RWB or Rauh-Welt Begriff is a Japanese Porsche tuner specializing in creating stunning(ly good) widebody kits for various models of 911. They don’t only do cars for Japanese customers, though, as they have offices in many major cities around the world, including one in the US, located in San Mateo, California.

One of their most notable recent creations is this expertly widened 993. It has some of the widest flares you could ever put on a 911 without making it look ridiculous and all the rest of the package is comes to compliment the extra girth, featuring special bumpers, skirts, spoilers and wheels.

This particular car is even more special because it’s the culmination of a father and son’s collective dream of what one of these cars could be, if done by the book, a book that could be written by RWB founder Akiar Nakai, who personally worked on the project

Drag Race Between Porsche Cayenne Turbo S and Mercedes S63 AMG

We wonder what EVO was trying to prove when they staged a drag race between a Porsche Cayenne Turbo S and a Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG – by what margin the latter would sail ahead?

Obviously, the Mercedes was ahead by some margin when it crossed the one-kilometer marker, helped by more power, roughly the same weight as the Porsche and the massive aero advantage it had over it. However, it did show that for the first few yards after starting off, the all-wheel drive of the Porsche means it sprints off the line 0.3 seconds faster than the Merc, reaching sixty in 4.1 seconds. However, thanks in part to its long wheelbase, the S63 doesn’t lose too much traction off the line and immediately pulls ahead.

Porsche Cayenne Turbo Pitted Against ML 63 AMG by Fifth Gear

Two all-wheel drive leviathans were recently pitted against each other by the chaps over at Fifth Gear, and as with just about any other comparison test out there, only one of them emerged as the victor. First, we should see whom exactly we are dealing with: in one corner, we have a performance SUV from Stuttgart, while in the other one, we have...a performance SUV from Stuttgart.

Actually, the resemblances between the two rivals are more than meets the eye, as both cars have 500+ hp, offer a naught to 100 km/h (62mph) acceleration time of less than five seconds and have all-wheel drive. On top of that - and very few people know this - they were almost blood brothers, since way before the first generation of the Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg/Audi Q7 were developed, Porsche had approached Mercedes-Benz for a co-produced premium SUV in the mid 1990s.

Getting back to the heavyweight boxing match that Fifth Gear's Tiff Needell and rally driver Mark Higgins put together, it's bound to stir some heated discussions. We have a 525 hp and slightly heavier Mercedes-Benz ML 63 AMG driven by Tiff, while Mark tries to show him who's the boss in a 500 hp and slightly lighter Porsche Cayenne Turbo, with both cars being driven on a mildly fast section of a rain-drenched British circuit.

With the tests first consisting of a 0-100-0 mph (0-162-0 km/h) sprint and then of a full lap at high speed, we had a hunch about the winner right from the beginning, but we won't spoil the surprise.

Porsche Customizer Magnus Walker Creates First Unique Wheel Set

If you’re a fan of custom classic Porsche 911, then you’ve probably heard of Magnus Walker. He’s a huge fan of the brand and so far has channeled his passion into creating bespoke looking 911s, like the blue first-gen Turbo he’s seen driving in the video below.

That car is special not only because it hears his unique signature, but also because it’s the first one to ever ride on a custom set of wheel designed by Walker. He set out to create them with the mindset of not wanting to copy any existing classic-looking 911 rims, and he definitely succeeded.

The gold wheels that resulted perfectly compliment the trademark Porsche shape and they don’t look like a modern afterthought. I think they look like rims that could have been made back when the car was new – they look period but are modern and unique at the same time.

Latest Transformers 4 Trailer Has Lamborghini Getting In On The Action

f any modern movie franchise defines spectacle, it has to be Transformers. All instantiations are about inviting audiences to sit down, fill up popcorn and turn off their brains because the next 90 minutes are nothing but shiny robots, explosions and loud noises. Oh, and cars... lots of cars. The latest trailer for Transformers: Age of Extinction, the fourth film in the series, has just hit the web, and it checks all the boxes of what makes the films stand out.

The last trailer showed off a plethora of the movie's cars. This new one aims for action and focuses mostly on robots beating each other up in various international locales. Although, there is a great look at the movie's Lamborghini Aventador (pictured above) transforming and even briefly fighting Optimus Prime.

From the previous trailer and other releases, we know that the latest movie features a ton of vehicles, including a new look for Bumblebee, the Chevrolet Camaro, plus a Bugatti Veyron, C7 Corvette, Freightliner truck, Pagani Huayra and many more. Transformers: Age of Extinction is scheduled to hit theaters on June 27, 2014. Scroll down to watch this extravaganza of special effects.

2015 Volkswagen Passat for Europe

VW's best way of describing the new 2015 Passat for Europe and other places around the world is a "premium class car without premium costs". In other words, the Germans want to extend their reach over to more premium offerings like the BMW 3-Series, Mercedes C-Class and even sister company Audi's A4, all while continuing to challenge mainstream rivals such as the Ford Mondeo and Peugeot 508.

Unveiled earlier today at the VW Design Center in Potsdam, Germany, the eighth generation Passat, codenamed B8, is a clean sheet design that differs from the American Passat that will continue on its own path unchanged.

"The new Passat gives the right answers to the major automotive trends of its time," commented VW Group chief Martin Winterkorn. "For me this Passat is a premium class car without premium costs. This fits perfectly to Europe's most successful business car – lining up with 20 percent better fuel economy, up to 85kg [188 lbs] less weight and a range of efficient petrol and diesel engines – there is even a plug-in hybrid available."

Most of those weight savings can be attributed to the new MQB flexible platform architecture shared with the latest Golf. Compared to the outgoing B7 that is based on the previous B6, the new Passat B8 in sedan trim is 2mm shorter at 4,767mm long and sits 14mm lower, but has an 80mm longer wheelbase at 2,791mm, and is also 12mm wider at 1,832mm.

VW makes promises of improved space for both passengers and their luggage, with the sedan's cargo space boosted by 21-liters to 586-liters, and the station wagon model's by 47-liters to 650-liters or up to 1,780-liters with the rear seats folded.

The styling of the new Passat both inside and out is on the elegant (albeit unadventurous) side with more premium details compared to the outgoing model – you could say that VW tried to bring a touch of Phaethon to the mid-size segment with the B8.

This is even more evident on the technology front with the Passat gaining a multitude of new features highlighted by the available fully configurable 12.3-inch TFT display (buyers of base models will have to do with a 6.5-inch color display in the center console) marketed as the Active Info Display.

Other notable features include the extendible head-up display, an app-based Rear Seat Entertainment for tablet computers, Front Assist plus City Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Monitoring, and what VW says are three world firsts for a vehicle in this class: Emergency Assist (vehicle stops in emergency), Trailer Assist (assisted maneuvering with a trailer) and Traffic Jam Assist.

Overall, European buyers will have a choice of 10 direct injection turbocharged petrol and diesel engines covering a power range from 120PS to 280PS (118hp to 276hp), all of which are fitted with stop-start system and a regenerative braking mode, and meet Euro 6 emission standards.

Among these powerplants is a new 1.4 TSI Plug-in Hybrid with a combined system output of 211PS (208hp) that has an all-electric range of 50 km (31 miles). There's also the 240PS (237hp) 2.0-liter TDI diesel that comes exclusively with a DSG gearbox and 4MOTION all-wheel drive offering a 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint time of 6.1 seconds and a top speed of 240km/h (239mph) with a combined fuel economy of 5.3l/100km (44.1mpg US or 53 mpg UK).

VW said that advance sales for the new Passat in Germany begin next week, with prices starting from €25,875 for the saloon and €25,950 for the estate. The new Passat will enjoy its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show in October.

Caterham Roadsport 140 Drag Races Porsche Cayman S

This is another episode in the endless debate about what’s more important between power and weight, with the actors being the lightweight Caterham Roadsport 140 and the powerful Porsche Cayman S.

UK magazine EVO arranged for a 1 km (0.62-mile) drag race between the two rear-wheel drive sports cars, which have roughly the same power-to-weight ratio.

With 140 horsepower from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and 550 kg (1,212 lbs), the Caterham has a power-to-weight ratio of 255 hp per ton. The Porsche Cayman S has 325 hp from a 3.4-liter six-cylinder boxer engine and tips the scales at 1,320 kg (2,910 lbs), hence a power-to-weight ratio of 246 hp per ton.

If power-to-weight ratio were the decisive factor in drag racing, on paper the Caterham should marginally win the drag race with the Porsche. To find out whether that was the case, scroll down to watch the video.

Zagato Lamborghini 5-95 Successfully Aims To Be An Instant Collectible

1965 was the first time Zagato and Lamborghini hooked up, when the Milanese coachbuilder created the Lamborghini 3500 GTZ for Marquis Gerino Gerini. There have been several more collaborations since then, the one you see above being the latest: the Lamborghini 5-95, created for collector Albert Spiess and designed to be "a modern collectible" in honor of Zagato's 95th anniversary.

Underneath its Speed Racer curves is a Gallardo LP570-4, its visual mass pushed forward thanks to the striving front fascia and a wind deflector at the bottom of the windshield that lengthens the hood, and a shortened trunk that "reveals the brutality of the mechanical components" in back. Between them are Zagato trademarks like wraparound glass and the double-bubble roof, and the size of the obvious air intakes has been reduced by hiding others in the greenhouse and fixing a center intake above the roof.

The Lamborghini 5-95 is on show at this year's Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este at Lake Como in Switzerland. As for being a collectible, since it's headed straight for Spiess' garage afterward, we'd say they've got that part sealed up. For you non-collectors, there's a short video where you can hear the car fire up and a press release below with a lot more info.

Internet Runs out of Ideas; Porsche 911 Turbo S Takes on Formula 4 Racecar

In the spirit of answering questions that nobody asked, Autocar put together a head-to-head comparison between the latest Porsche 911 Turbo S and a much simpler but more focused Forumla 4 racing car. The Porsche has the advantage of power and grip, whereas the single-seater is a featherweight, running on slicks, propelled by 185 hp from its Ford four-pot.

While this isn’t a foregone conclusion like some other unusual tests put together by the UK-based publication (like that Dacia Duster vs Ginetta video), the result it produces in the end does seem justified and, in hindsight, quite predictable. Both cars’ laps are timed over the short circuit chosen for the test, and the final result highly eloquent. Good thing they’re making single-seaters like this for legal road use now…

A Parade Of Five Lamborghinis Make Their Way Through A Shopping Mall

It's easy to forget that high-performance cars are not limited in size to something like a Lotus Elise or Mazda MX-5. They can get big. Take Lamborghini, for example. It might focus on combining low curb weights and high-output engines, but an Aventador very nearly occupies the same amount of space on the road as a fullsize Range Rover (the Lambo is only about eight inches shorter, although it is an inch wider, excluding the mirrors on both vehicles).

Considering this, getting one of the Italian exotics inside the cramped confines of a mall is a rather tall order. After all, the thoroughfares there are designed for people, and are often bisected by either smaller shopping stands, pillars or some sort of flora. Getting five Lamborghinis in, though, is an exercise in patience in precision.

Lamborghini of Miami did just that, stuffing five of the exotics inside a local mall. On the way out, one of the workers used GoPros to chronicle the entire process. It's an entertaining bit, if not a bit cringe-inducing on some of the tighter bits.

New 2015 Mazda2 Officially Breaks Cover

After catching a glimpse of the all-new Mazda2 earlier today, the Japanese carmaker went ahead and officially revealed its new supermini that keeps the Demio nametag for the domestic market. The new Mazda2 will begin to roll out in global markets (including North America) in the final quarter of the year.

Seen here in Japanese specification, the new generation Mazda2 is strongly influenced by the Hazumi concept exhibited at the Geneva show in March, displaying same edgy ‘Kodo’ design language as the latest Mazda3 compact and Mazda6 mid-size models.

The same holds true for the clean looking interior that can be had in different colors and trims, with highlights including a tablet-style touchscreen on top of the dash, controlled via a rotary dial located next to the handbrake lever, and a heads-up display option.

Mazda was pretty stingy with the details, but it did say that the new sub-compact hatch benefits from a full suite of lightweight and efficient SkyActiv technologies including engines, transmissions, body, and chassis.

Depending on the market, the new 2 will be offered with up to three engines at launch, including the SKYACTIV-G 1.3-liter and 100PS (99hp) 1.5-liter gasoline units, and the 105PS (104hp) SKYACTIV-D 1.5-liter diesel, matched to 6-speed manual and automatic transmissions.

Expect the new Mazda2 to have similar dimensions to the Hazumi Concept that measured 4,070mm long, 1,730mm wide and 1,450mm tall.

Mazda said it will hand out more details on the new 2 later in the year.