Flagships from Porsche & Ford
This week both Ford & Porsche are announching upgraded versions of their seminal sports cars. In Ford's case the iconic Shelby Mustang gets a new aluminum heart. With 550 bhp on tap, the package is nearly ideal except for the live-axle rear suspension and lack of direct fuel injection. The 2011 upgrades benefit both the Coupe and Convertible which are expected to be seen at the New York Auto Show at the beginning of April.
Porsche made a major announcement about the return of the Turbo S. The name hasn't been applied to a 911 since the very rare 1997 Porsche 911 Turbo S 3.6. The new model has 530 bhp and almost every available performance option. Porsche will also offer a cabriolet version, but it appears production will be limited to Europe.
This new Porsche gives us a chance to feature an older 964 we fell in love with in Monterey. Called the Carrera 4 RS Lightweight, it was a stripped out version of which only 20 were built. Bonhams sold our feature car for 139,000 USD.
Jaguar @ Le Mans
Jaguar & Rocketsports Racing are proud to announce they will be taking their ALMS-prepared XKR to Le Mans. The new car is built by Rocketsports Racing at their facility in East Lansing, Michigan. It will race in the GT2 class alongside the Corvette ZR1, Ferrari F430, Aston Martin Vantage and Porsche RSR.
Jaguar first went to Le Mans in 1950 with an early version of the XK120 that used an aluminum body. In subsequent years they developed the purpose-built C-Type and D-Types which won the event outright. With their Girling disc brakes, the Jaguars had an advantage over the Ferraris.... Read More
Muscle from Kissimmee
Last weekend, Mecum held their 15th annual muscle car auction in Kissimmee, Florida. Our local photographer Alex Marks checked out the event for the first time and we can now present an impressive gallery of highlights.
Over four days, Mecum offered around 700 cars including some of the best American muscle. The cover car was Bobby Allison's 1969 test mule which fetched a high bid of $210,000. We also found a pair of rare Berger Camaros and another set of Greenwood Corvette Prototypes. In total they did 25.6 million in sales.... Read More
