All posts by Francis Mitterrand

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2023 Toyota Prius 24h Le Mans Centennial GR Edition

In 1923, the oldest automobile endurance race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, was held for the first time. Now, a century later one of the most successful teams Toyota Gazoo Racing has presented a new concept, the Toyota Prius 24h Le Mans Centennial GR Edition.

The Prius 24h Le Mans Centennial GR Edition features a redesigned front bumper with headlights, prominent splitter, two sets of wings and a lighter carbon hood, extended fenders, side skirts and Racing Hybrid decals. At the back, there’s a fixed rear wing, a wide diffuser and rear fender flares inspired by endurance racing cars.

The car is equipped with a new aerodynamic kit and improved suspension, which raised the performance of the car to a higher level. It sits on a set of 18-inch lightweight wheels wrapped in 235/50R18 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires.

It should be noted that Toyota Gazoo Racing has achieved five victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (2018-2022) and are now hoping for a sixth consecutive victory.

When it comes to the powertrain, Toyota Gazoo Racing did not announce any changes to the hybrid engine. They just said that the car has excellent driving performance due to the exclusive wheels and aerodynamic components inspired by the GR010 HYBRID model from the WEC.

Gallery:

2023 Toyota Prius 24h Le Mans Centennial GR Edition

Source: Toyota Gazoo Racing

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Tesla Model S Plaid is the king of Nurburgring Nordschleife

Last year the Porsche Taycan Turbo S set the fastest lap time at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, but now we have a new king of the track. It’s about the fastest electric production car, the Tesla Model S Plaid.

In 2019, the Porsche Taycan Turbo S set the fastest lap time among production cars with 7 minutes and 42 seconds on the famous Nürburgring Nordschleife. Many have tried to drive faster than the Taycan Turbo S but without success, until 2021 when a new record was set by the Tesla Model S Plaid. In 2022, the Porsche Taycan Turbo S returned to the throne with a time of 7 minutes and 33.350 seconds, but it wasn’t long before the return of the Tesla Model S Plaid.

Model S Plaid is equipped with a new Track Pack package that includes forged aluminum Zero-G wheels, Goodyear Supercar 3R track tires and brake fluid, new carbon-silicon carbide discs, and one-piece brake calipers with high-performance pads. The package costs between $15,000 and $20,000, depending on the list of components the customer chooses, and is available from June 2023. That was apparently enough to cover the 20.8 kilometer long circuit in 7 minutes and 25.231 seconds.

The basic Porsche Taycan Turbo S is powered by two electric motors with a total power of 750 hp (560 kW) and 774 lb-ft (1,050 Nm) of torque. It reaches 62 mph in 2.8 seconds with a top speed of 161 mph (260 km/h). However, this was not enough, so the Stuttgart-based company equipped the car with a new performance package and PDCC (Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control) system, which is available for the new 2023 model at a price of 13,377 EUR.

Tesla Model S Plaid is powered by three electric motors with a total power of 1,020 hp (750 kW) and 1,050 lb-ft (1,424 Nm) of torque, with a range of 396 miles. It reaches 60 mph in 1.99 seconds with a top speed of 200 mph (322 km / h).

Source: Tesla via YouTube

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Porsche is celebrating its 75th anniversary

In 1948, one of the best known and best car manufacturers in the world, Porsche AG, was founded. This month, Porsche celebrates its 75th birthday, and on that occasion the company decided to celebrate the anniversary with a spectacular event on June 8 at 9:40 pm (CEST).

Porsche will look back on the development of the company and its cars, but also on the vision of the sports car of the future. The festivities will include lots of music, lights and choreography. All Porsche enthusiasts will be able to watch the event live via official Porsche social media profiles and YouTube channels. The following day, the exhibition “Driven by Dreams. 75 years of Porsche Sports Cars”.

At the beginning of the year, Porsche announced the arrival of the powerful 911 (992) GT2 RS in 2026, as the most powerful and fastest version of the current generation of its most popular car. Although there is not much information, it is known that the new Porsche 911 (992) GT2 RS will be powered by a 3.8-liter 6-cylinder biturbo engine, from the current generation 911 Turbo, in combination with an electric motor. This means that the total power will be more than 700 hp, and more power means more torque compared to its predecessor (991 Series). The engine is paired with a 7-speed dual-clutch (PDK) transmission.

Source: Porsche