All posts by Francis Mitterrand

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Porsche 911 Hybrid is ready

For a long time, Porsche resisted the idea of producing its now legendary 911 model as fully electric or partially electric. However, under market pressure, the Stuttgart-based company gave up and began development of the first hybrid 911, which after testing in various conditions is officially ready for production.

“For the first time in our icon’s 61-year history, we’re putting a hybrid powertrain into a road-legal 911. This innovative high-performance hybrid makes the 911 even more dynamic. During development, we left nothing to chance and tested the new 911 in all kinds of conditions around the world. From extreme cold to extreme heat, as was the case during the final stages of testing in Dubai. Whether it’s putting a heavy load on the powertrain in the demanding conditions of mountain passes or in stop-and-go traffic in city conditions, the new 911 has mastered even the toughest challenges with ease. All in all, our engineers and test drivers have covered more than five million kilometers of development driving,” said Frank Moser, vice president of the 911 and 718 model line.

The car has so far been tested on snowy roads, but also on one of the most famous racing tracks, the Nürburgring. Spy photos showed that the test prototype has a similar design to previous models. The front end with large air intakes and vertical slats, additional lights on the sides that should not be part of the final design, narrower arches, a smaller spoiler and centrally placed exhaust pipes are just some of the features of this prototype.

On the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the Porsche 911 Hybrid achieved a lap time of 7:16.934, which is 8.7 seconds faster than the model with an internal combustion engine. “The new 911 has become significantly faster on the track. We have stronger grip, significantly more power, and the spontaneous response of the high-performance hybrid is a big advantage,” said Porsche brand ambassador Jörg Bergmeister.

Porsche is still hiding information about performance and powertrain. However, it has long been speculated that the 911 Hybrid could be powered by a naturally aspirated 4.0L engine, like the one in the Cayman GT4, with more than 650 hp (478 kW). Anyway, we will have to wait for the official presentation which should take place soon.

Source: Porsche

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Porsche 911 Hybrid is ready
Auctions

1981 Lamborghini Countach LP 400 S is for sale

At the beginning of the 70s, Lamborghini started the production of the sports car Countach, and the first model was the LP400. Four years later, it was replaced by the LP400 S model, which is the rarest variant of the Countach. 237 LP 400 S were produced, of which 105 belong to the second production series, and one of them is for sale. It is a 1981 Lamborghini Countach LP 400 S with chassis number 1121296, estimated at $650,000 USD.

This car is finished in attractive Tahiti Blue and is in excellent condition. It is powered by a 3.9-L V12 engine with 350 hp (261 kW) @ 7000 rpm and 302 lb-ft (409 Nm) of torque @ 4500 rpm. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a 5-speed manual transmission.

Compared to the LP400 model, the LP400 S has wider fenders for the widest tires available on a production car at the time, 345/35R15 Pirelli P7. A boomerang rear wing was an option, and tests showed it reduced the top speed by at least 16 km/h (10 mph). Despite that, most owners ordered the car with the wing.

The car was delivered as new to Switzerland, and was finished in red over a beige leather interior. After that, the owner painted it in an attractive Tahiti Blue. In 2005, the car changed owners, and it should be noted that the first owner overhauled the engine. The rest of the vehicle remained unrestored and had only 5,000 km on the odometer. After that, it changed several owners, and in 2021 it was bought by the current owner who, in preparation for the sale, had the car serviced and cosmetically refurbished, which cost 71,000 euros.

Source: RM Sotheby’s

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1981 Lamborghini Countach LP 400 S is for sale
News

Xiaomi SUV is coming soon

After revealing its first car (SU7) a few months ago, the Chinese giant Xiaomi announces the arrival of a new electric car (SUV) that should hit the market in the next year or two. With this car, Xiaomi intends to throw down the gauntlet to the world’s largest electric car manufacturer and its Tesla Model Y.

Back in 2021, Xiaomi started its story about electric cars, and a year later the company announced that it would invest 10 billion dollars in the automotive industry in the next 10 years. The first part of that long-term plan was fulfilled with the SU7 model, which achieved surprising sales results in a very short period of time. Now Xiaomi is looking to enter the SUV market as well, which coincides with the completion of the second phase of construction of Xiaomi’s new production facility in Beijing.

For now, there is no official information from the company about this car, and its position on the market will be determined by the price. As a reminder, the SU7 costs $29,900, while rumors say the SUV could be even cheaper with a price tag of around $20,000. It could definitely attract more customers but also be a big challenge for the competition.

The Xiaomi SUV is supposed to be produced at a plant in Beijing that has a capacity of 300,000 cars per year.

Source: Reuters; Photo: Sugardesign_1 via Instagram