2012 Porsche Panamera Diesel by McChip-dkr

With 250 HP, the Panamera Diesel isn’t the most powerful model in the line-up by a long shot. By comparison, the Panamera Turbo doubles this output (500 HP) and the Turbo S goes to 550 HP. Lucky for us, McChip DKR has revealed an impressive upgrade package to help the diesel engine out just a little bit.

The engine modifications prepared for the Panamera Diesel increase its 3.0 L V6 engine’s output to a total of 285 HP and 442 lbs-ft of torque. As a result, the sports sedan’s top speed can now go up to 152 mph with an undoubtedly faster 0-60 mph sprint time (no official time provided).

Next to the engine update, McChip-DKR is also offering a new set of performance springs from H&R which lowers the big Porsche by about 30 millimeters, as well as a new set of 22" wheels wrapped in Dunlop Sport Maxx GT high-performance tires.

It may not be the power and performance provided by the Turbo and Turbo S models, but this extra little boost to the Panamera Diesel may just be enough to make some Porsche customers happy.

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The VW and Porsche "Corporate Restructuring" is Officially Official

Finally! After a long and drawn out process, the corporate restructuring that brings full control of Porsche’s automotive side under Volkswagen’s control is approved and official. The deal sent 4.49 billion Euros and one voting share of VW stock from VW and Porsche SE to Porsche AG, the latter item being simply a concession to avoid paying a load of taxes and was left out of VW’s press release.

This officially gives Volkswagen AG 100 percent holdings in Porsche and effectively gives VW the ability to do whatever it wants with the famed sports car builder. We have already alluded to the possibility of VW overriding Porsche’s CEO and continuing on with the “Baby Boxster” project that gained notoriety lately. That possibility was given more solid ground with a statement released by VW CEO, Martin Winterkorn.

Winterkorn was quoted saying “The path is now finally clear for a bright future together. Even closer cooperation will enable us to significantly strengthen Volkswagen and Porsche, and further expand the group‘s product portfolio with fascinating new vehicles.”

You see, it is that last section about bringing new models that really drives home the possibility that VW may be about to force Porsche to build a lesser-priced version of the Boxster. We see that as making perfect business sense because if Porsche buyers can accept a sedan and a pair of SUVs, why can’t they accept a lower-priced Boxster?

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1998 Porsche 911 GT1 Strassenversion

In the mid-1990s, Porsche unveiled the 911 GT1 - a race car specially developed for the GT1 class of sportscar racing. Despite being called a "911," the GT1 had very little in common with the 911: only the frontal chassis was shared with the 993 911, while almost every other element was borrowed from the Porsche 962, including the flat-six engine.

During its first appearance at the 1996 Le Mans, the GT1 walked away with a second and third overall finish, as well as first and second in class. Despite these finishes, Porsche still wanted more, so in 1997, they came up with the GT1 Evo - a model that featured aerodynamic tweaks to the bodywork and a revision of the suspension. These changes helped the GT1 score more victories, including a one-two finish at Le Mans in 1998, where it beat out teams from McLaren, Toyota, and Panoz.

Not willing to let the fun rest solely on the track, Porsche set out to make a street-legal version of the award-winning GT1, which is then dubbed the Porsche 911 GT1 Strassenversion. The model was limited to only 25 units and cost a cool $912,000.

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