Tag Archives: vehicles

NEW CARS

Porsche 911 GT3 90 F. A. Porsche — A Birthday Present Worth 510 Horsepower

If Porsche ever needed an excuse to build another special 911, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche’s 90th birthday is a pretty good one. The man who penned the original 911—and later founded Porsche Design—would have turned 90 on December 11, 2025. Stuttgart’s tribute? Not a cake, not a sculpture, but something much more appropriate: a limited-run 911 GT3 90 F. A. Porsche, a 510-hp, detail-obsessed homage to the brand’s most influential designer.

Only 90 units will exist, each hand-finished by the Sonderwunsch (“special wish”) division. One goes to F. A.’s son, Mark Porsche. The remaining 89 are for customers who will get a bespoke commissioning experience before production begins in late 2026. Orders open April 2026—so start sweet-talking your dealer now.

A GT3 With Touring Manners and Museum-Grade Details

Underneath the heritage polish sits the 911 GT3 Touring Package, meaning you get the same naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six pumping out 510 PS (375 kW), but without the shouty fixed rear wing. Instead, there’s a subtle extendable spoiler, keeping the car in low-key sleeper mode—assuming anyone mistakes a GT3 for “low key.”

But this edition is all about craftsmanship and storytelling.

The paint alone, F. A. Greenmetallic, was brewed specifically for this model. It’s a modern reinterpretation of the Oakgreenmetallic hue on F. A. Porsche’s personal G-Series 911. It also debuts a new exclusive Paint to Sample label on the A-pillar—a detail collectors will pore over at auctions decades from now.

Then there are the wheels: Sport Classic rims in satin-gloss black with center locks and the historic 1963 Porsche crest. They’re not typically available on the Touring Package GT3, but exceptions are the whole point of Sonderwunsch. A gold-plated “90 F. A. Porsche” badge on the rear grille seals the exterior with commemorative flair.

Inside: Where Memory Meets Material Science

As with many Porsche special editions, the interior goes deep into storytelling. The key motif is the F. A. Grid-Weave fabric—an intricate five-color pattern using black, green, truffle brown, cream, and Bordeaux red threads. The design comes from F. A.’s favorite jackets, the ones Mark Porsche recalls from childhood visits to his father’s studio.

This fabric appears on the seat centers, glove box, briefcase, and even the reversible luggage compartment mat, all surrounded by Truffle Brown Club Leather with Chalk Beige stitching.

Two more nods to the man himself elevate the cabin:

  • A walnut plywood gear knob with F. A. Porsche’s engraved signature
  • A gold-plated dashboard plaque reading “One of 90,” featuring a silhouette of the original 911

Even the Sport Chrono clock is a tribute, modeled on the one-off Chronograph I F. A. made for himself.

A Watch to Match the Car

No Porsche tribute would be complete without a timepiece. Buyers receive an exclusive Porsche Design Chronograph 1 – 911 GT3 90 F. A. Porsche, built by hand in Grenchen.

It features:

  • A patina-inspired luminous treatment mimicking aged radium/tritium
  • The historic Porsche Design logo
  • F. A.’s initials in place of the standard day/date logo
  • A rotor modeled after the GT3’s wheels
  • A titanium case coated in black, echoing the original 1972 design

A matching leather strap—using the same materials as the GT3’s interior—comes with a quick-change system.

It’s vintage in spirit, modern in function, COSC-certified, and limited to—you guessed it—90.

The Weekender and the Wildcard Return of the Porsche Junior

The commemorative package also includes a Truffle Brown leather weekender bag, lined with the same Grid-Weave fabric, and wearing the same 90th-anniversary badge as the car’s rear grille.

And then there’s the curveball:
Porsche is resurrecting the Porsche Junior, a bowl-shaped sled from the 1960s beloved by the Porsche family. This new version is carbon fiber with a Kevlar core and—naturally—painted F. A. Greenmetallic. Production? Also limited to 90 units.

A Tribute F. A. Would Probably Approve Of

F. A. Porsche famously said, “When you consider the function of an object, the form usually emerges by itself.” The 911 GT3 90 F. A. Porsche follows this credo religiously. It’s functional, fast, and focused, yet full of warm, personal details that turn an already iconic sports car into a rolling design retrospective.

Whether you see it as a museum piece or a track car with a grandfather clock’s worth of history, this GT3 is more than a birthday present—it’s a love letter to the man who drew the first line of Porsche’s most enduring silhouette.

Source: Porsche

CONCEPT CARS

Genesis Marks 10 Years With the G90 Wingback Concept—A Velvet-Gloved Warning Shot

For a brand that didn’t exist before 2015, Genesis is moving with the swagger of a company that’s been building luxury cars for generations. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the Korean marque didn’t just throw a party—it rolled out a manifesto. Alongside the production-ready GV60 Magma, Genesis pulled the sheet off the G90 Wingback Concept, a low-slung, long-roof grand tourer that signals where the brand’s Magma performance subline is headed next.

And if you ask Genesis Chief Creative Officer Luc Donckerwolke, the G90 Wingback is much more than a design study. It’s the connective tissue between the company’s emerging Magma lineup and its ultra-bespoke One of One program. That alone should make legacy brands sweat; Genesis is doing in a decade what took others half a century.

A Familiar Flagship, Reimagined for Performance

Built on the unmodified G90 platform—with its 3.2-meter wheelbase and stately 5.1-meter overall length—the Wingback Concept stretches the familiar into something far more provocative. Genesis retains the Crest Grille, Parabolic Line, and unmistakable Two-Line lighting signature, but the volume knob is turned way up.

The front end wears a more sculpted bumper stamped with the Magma insignia, flanked by canards and gaping lower intakes that look ready to inhale entire weather systems. Flared arches push the stance outward, housing bespoke 22-inch wheels wrapped in low-profile rubber.

In profile, that Parabolic Line flows into a stretched roofline that trades the G90 sedan’s conservative decklid for a long, sloping grand tourer wagon silhouette. Out back, the tailgate is framed by two spoilers and anchored by a motorsport-style diffuser—Genesis signaling that performance and luxury need not be mutually exclusive.

This one doesn’t rely on the brand’s signature Magma Orange, either. Instead, the deep green finish offers a quieter but more confident presence, underscoring Donckerwolke’s repeated refrain: “Magma is much more than a color.” For Genesis, Magma is a philosophy—a blend of Korean restraint, balance, and ambition. “Magma does not shout; it invites,” he says. That’s not something you often hear in a segment obsessed with shock value.

A Cabin Where Performance and Luxury Share the Same Air

Inside, the Wingback Concept stays firmly rooted in Genesis’ comfort-first ethos while threading in Magma’s performance DNA. The quilted Chamude upholstery (a suede-like synthetic) gets subtle green Magma stitching along the seats, doors, dash, and steering wheel. Embroidered Magma logos on the aggressively bolstered seats quietly hint at power waiting beneath the surface—an appropriate metaphor given the name.

Even without powertrain details, the message is clear: Magma is Genesis’ answer to the AMG/M Division/Black Series world, but reframed through a lens of elegance rather than aggression.

The Future: No Typology Monoculture

Donckerwolke used the concept reveal to take a swipe at the SUV arms race currently consuming the industry. With SUVs everywhere, he argues, the pendulum will swing back. “This is when other typologies of cars are going to become attractive again,” he says, warning against a “monoculture” of sameness.

Genesis seems determined to lead that shift. The Wingback Concept won’t live alone—it previews a Magma expansion spanning sports cars, coupes, convertibles, and more. All are intended to embody what Donckerwolke describes as an “iron fist in a velvet glove.” Power and control cloaked in elegance.

More Than a Showpiece

The G90 Wingback Concept isn’t just a tenth-anniversary celebration. It’s a thesis. Ten years in, Genesis is no longer content to prove it belongs in the luxury space. Now it wants to redefine what luxury performance looks like—emotionally resonant, globally ambitious, and unmistakably Korean.

If this is the next chapter of Genesis’ story, the rest of the industry should pay attention. The Wingback isn’t shouting. But it’s definitely not whispering, either.

Source: Genesis

News

Škoda’s Three-Gearbox Strategy Proves the Combustion Era Isn’t Done Yet

Škoda may be leaning into electrification like the rest of the Volkswagen Group, but when it comes to combustion-engine cars, the Czech brand isn’t putting all its gears in one basket. Literally. According to its internal nomenclature, Škoda fields three distinct transmission families—manual MQ units, dual-clutch DQ automatics, and torque-converter AQ automatics—each tailored to specific markets, models, and real-world abuse scenarios. And all three, the company insists, are sticking around.

DQ200 automatic transmissions

The gearboxes roll off assembly lines not only in Škoda’s hometown of Mladá Boleslav but also at its global production hubs. It’s a wide-ranging strategy, and one born from the bitter truth that no single transmission—no matter how clever—can survive every climate, every driver, and every road on the planet.

“It’s practically impossible to design a transmission that performs equally well in every part of the world,” says Milan Litoborský, Škoda Auto’s Head of Transmission Development. And despite the rise of automatics and the slow creep of electrified powertrains, he believes the old-school solutions remain indispensable. “All transmission types for combustion-engine vehicles still have a long future ahead of them, both in the EU and globally.”

MQ: The Manual Gearbox Lives On

Manual transmissions—Škoda’s MQ units—are the brand’s mechanical backbone. The company has decades of experience developing and refining them for high-volume VW Group applications. Their appeal is familiar: simplicity, low cost, and an undeniable sense of involvement.

Litoborský puts it succinctly: “The ‘brain’ of a manual transmission is the driver.” You decide when to shift, how to shift, and how close to the mechanical limits you’re willing to play. A skilled driver can coax a manual-equipped car up a steep hill or haul a loaded trailer—but they can also scorch a clutch doing it. That’s the tradeoff.

Manuals, however, are running out of evolutionary headroom. They’re nearly as refined as they’re ever going to get. Future improvements won’t come from new mechanical wizardry but from better materials, tighter manufacturing tolerances, and more advanced lubricants. The essence remains: three pedals, one human brain, infinite ways to mess it up—or nail it perfectly.

DQ: Dual-Clutch Automatics for the Modern Age

If manuals are analog watches, Škoda’s DQ dual-clutch transmissions are smartwatches with titanium bracelets. In Europe, they’re the preferred automatic solution, and for good reason.

With two input shafts split between odd and even gears and electronic control that pre-selects the next ratio, DQ boxes offer lightning-quick shifts that feel like something out of a performance car, even in mainstream models. Litoborský says Škoda can tune these transmissions so finely that “the driver barely notices the shift—only the change in revs.”

Dual-clutch automatics DQ200

The benefits stack up quickly:

  • High efficiency
  • Smooth power delivery
  • Sporty responses when asked
  • Full compatibility with modern driver-assistance systems
  • Lower fuel consumption and CO₂ output

If there’s an Achilles’ heel, it’s the clutches themselves. In extreme heat, high humidity, or endless stop-and-go traffic, dual-clutch systems can suffer. They’re brilliant, but they’re not invincible.

AQ: The Torque-Converter Automatic—Old School, Built for Hell

That’s where the AQ torque-converter automatics come in. These are the workhorses—less glamorous, less efficient, but nearly unstoppable. And while you won’t find them in European Škodas, they’re commonly installed at the Czech plant before heading to markets like India or Southeast Asia, where the environment can chew through lesser gearboxes.

Torque-converter transmissions ditch friction clutches entirely. Instead, they rely on oil dynamics inside the converter to transfer torque and use planetary gearsets to manage shifts. The result is a drivetrain that tolerates what Litoborský describes—half jokingly—as “traffic jams Europe doesn’t even know exist.”

Think:

  • 40°C+ heat
  • Humidity that soaks everything, including electronics
  • Hours-long gridlock
  • Drivers who never give a clutch a moment of rest

DQ and MQ systems can struggle in those conditions. AQ doesn’t flinch. The tradeoff? Slightly slower shifts, more drivetrain losses, and higher fuel consumption. Functionally, though, they match dual-clutch units when it comes to compatibility with ADAS and modern software integration.

Three Transmissions, One Global Mission

Škoda’s strategy isn’t about hedging bets—it’s about acknowledging reality. Drivers, climates, traffic patterns, and road conditions vary drastically around the world, and no single transmission can master every scenario.

Manuals deliver simplicity and connection.
Dual-clutches deliver efficiency and speed.
Torque-converters deliver durability under punishment.

And as long as combustion engines remain relevant in any part of the world, Škoda plans to keep all three in rotation.

In an automotive landscape obsessed with convergence, Škoda’s gearbox lineup is a refreshing reminder: sometimes specialization beats standardization. After all, the world doesn’t drive the same road—so why should it shift the same gears?

Source: Škoda