All posts by Francis Mitterrand

1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 owned by Paul Walker is for sale

Last month we wrote that the Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R driven by Paul Walker in “Fast and Furious” is for sale. Now another car associated with this famous actor has appeared on sale, but this time from his private collection. It is a 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7.

It all started back in 1973 when the Carrera RS 2.7 had its premiere and was named after 356 Carrera while the RS was developed to meet the homologation requirements in motorsport. Only 1,580 cars were produced. In order to meet the sporty characteristics, which meant a reduction in weight below 1000 kg, thin steel and thinner glass were used in the construction of the car. All this resulted in the many victories that Carrera RS achieved in the FIA ​​​​races of Group 4.

The car was designed with a larger body that allowed more space for a larger engine compared to the previous 911 models, which now developed 210 hp (150 kW). It is equipped with new suspension, wider rear wheels and rear fenders for 185 / 70VR15 (front) and 215 / 60VR15 (rear) Pirelli Cinturato CN36 tires. For better aerodynamics and greater downforce, the designers have designed a duck tail. All this allowed the Carrera RS 2.7 to reach 62 mph in 5.8 seconds with a top speed of 152 mph (245 km/h).

This Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 is powered by a naturally aspirated 2.7L flat 6-cylinder engine with 210 hp (150 kW). The car is in excellent condition with only 58,268 miles (93,774 km) on the odometer. It is painted in Light Yellow–code 62 color with Black accents, and it is decorated with chrome parts on the windows and headlights. Comes with Porsche Certificate of Authenticity and FIA paperwork.

The auction will take place on August 18-20.

Source: Mecum

Pagani will keep its V12 engine

At a time when almost all car manufacturers are heavily developing electric cars, there are still some who have not decided on electrification. Such is the case with Pagani, which has focused on the V12 engine, for now.

Pagani will keep its V12 engine (0)

After several years of research, the Italian car manufacturer announced that it is currently abandoning the production of electric cars. “In 2018, we formed a team to work on fully electric cars. The team’s primary responsibility was to determine how to homologate electric cars around the world, especially in the US, but for four years we found no interest in the electric supercar market,” he said. formerly the founder and director of the company Horacio Pagani.

In research, Pagani estimated that several things would be a big problem for their supercars. The first is weight. The company’s goal was to develop a car weighing up to 1,300 kg, but current technology cannot make this possible. According to their estimate, the battery required for their supercar would weigh 600 kg, which is more than half the weight of the current Huayra R.

The second reason that Pagani cites is the performance of the electric car. “I have a Tesla and I understand electric cars, but it’s not necessary to have such high performance in them. The challenge is to make an electric car that feels as good as a ‘normal’ car with an internal combustion engine. Pagani is not going to make something that just has good performance , but wants to offer something that will give emotion to the driver,” said Horacio Pagani.

Pagani’s decision to focus on the V12 engine is supported by the decision of the EU, which allowed manufacturers that deliver less than 1,000 cars with internal combustion engines per year to do so until 2035. After that, Pagani will have to produce a fully electric car.

Source: Pagani

Porsche sales results in the first six months of 2022

After the record sales results achieved last year, this year will not be so successful for Porsche. In the first quarter of 2022, Porsche sold over 68,000 vehicles worldwide. Now the Stuttgart-based company announced that it delivered almost 150,000 vehicles in the first half of this year.

Due to all the difficulties faced by the automotive industry, Porsche is nevertheless satisfied with the achieved results. The pandemic and the supply chain caused the most problems. Despite this, growth was achieved in some markets. For example, in Europe, compared to last year, sales increased by 7 percent (43,087 vehicles), and in Germany alone, 13,785 vehicles were sold.

“We and our dealers have successfully navigated a first half-year shaped by external factors and uncertainties. In addition to the difficulties posed by the resurgence of the COVID pandemic in China and other markets, ongoing supply-chain- and logistics-related challenges have accompanied us. At the same time, the desirability of our brand and the popularity of our products remain strong. We expect the second half-year to be dynamic. As in previous years, we are optimistic about the future and determined to go full steam ahead with the remaining months of the year,” says Detlev von Platen, Board Member for Sales and Marketing at Porsche AG.

Porsche sales results in the first six months of 2022 (1)

When it comes to the rest of the world, there was a decline in sales. Despite the delivery difficulties, Porsche managed to sell 62,245 vehicles in the Asia-Pacific region, Africa and the Middle East, while in the United States the number was 32,529 vehicles. In the Chinese market, sales fell by 16 percent (40,681 vehicles).

The highest demand is still for SUVs, of which the most sold are Cayenne (41,947), Macan (38,039), Taycan (18,877). Of the sports models, the most delivered were 911 models (21,616), Panamera (15,604), 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman (9,777).

Porsche hopes that the rest of the year could bring better results, but given the current situation in the world, it will be difficult to achieve.

Source: Porsche