Porsche 911 GTS Club Coupe 2015

The first official Porsche Club of America meeting was organized by founding member and commercial artist Bill Sholar in September of 1955 in Washington D.C. Unofficially called “the gripe group,” the club agreed to have its first official meeting at a local spot called Blackie’s House of Beef. 

Thirteen prospective members rolled into Blackie’s parking lot, but one was asked to leave because he was driving a Volkswagen. 

Fast-forward 60 years, and the PCA now has 140 local regions in the U.S and Canada and boasts well over 100,000 members, making it the largest single-make car club in the entire world. 

This hasn’t gone unnoticed by Porsche, and in recognition of the PCA’s continuing loyalty, Porsche has introduced the extremely blue 911 GTS Club Coupe at its brand new U.S. headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.

It’s the spiritual successor to the 997-based 911 Club Coupe introduced back in 2005 to honor the club’s 50th anniversary, but this time it’s based on the swifter, sportier Carrera GTS. It uses the same 430-horsepower engine as the Carrera GTS, but has several visual upgrades, some more obvious than others, which I’ll get to shortly.

Only 60 examples of this very special GTS Club Coupe will be built and all are destined for North American shores. 

PCA members will have first dibs to buy 59 of them through a lottery, while the remaining example will be given away to one lucky PCA member in a contest, the details of which are forthcoming.

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McLaren Sports Series

The upcoming 2016 McLaren Sports Series, the company’s entry-level sports car that’s set to debut this year, will eventually arrive in dealerships in four different versions. 

That’s the word from Dutch outlet De Telegraaf, which sheds a bit more light on McLaren’s new product to slot below the fantastic 650S. The report also claims the first member of the new sports car line will break cover in April 2015, at the New York Auto Show, with deliveries to commence in the third quarter of the year.

The sports car will debut on American soil as a coupe, with a Spider variant to show up next. The two will then be joined by a lighter, track-focused version — this one is likely to use the recently revived GTR badge, De Telegraaf notes — and a GT model with emphasis on comfort rather that sportiness. 

Not many details are provided, but the report says the Sports Series GTR will be aimed at the Porsche 911 GT3, which is likely to be the case given the standard coupe will be aimed at the 911 Turbo.

As for the GT version, we are told it will offer extra luggage room in the engine compartment, with access via a side opening. 

The McLaren F1 offered something similar, but it’s unclear whether the Sports Series GT will be equipped with large openings in the rear fenders or employ a different solution altogether.

There’s no unveil info for any of the aforementioned versions except the coupe, but it’s safe to assume that all four iterations of the Sports Series will be in showrooms by 2018.

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Infiniti's Electric Plans Put On Hold

Infiniti is making headlines with cars like the GT-R powered 2014 Q50 Eau Rouge and 2014 Q60 coupe, but before all the performance machines, before Johan de Nysschen and Andy Palmer jumped ship, and before the new naming scheme, the luxury division of Nissan was working on the LE concept. 

A more luxurious version of the then-new Nissan Leaf. Over the years since the debut of the LE, Infiniti has moved its focus to growing the brand with more aggressive and better selling models leaving the electric concept to gather dust.

Now almost three years since it was introduced, USA Today has published a story saying that the project is now officially off the table. 

The news came from the preview event of the Q60 concept reveal at the Detroit Auto Show. Michael Bartsch, Infiniti’s vice president for the Americas, said the company needed “to be a little pragmatic.” A luxury version of the Leaf just isn’t a volume seller like Infiniti needs.

That doesn’t mean an electric powered Inifniti is completely out of the question, but expect Nissan to wait for improved battery tech, and expect the new car to be a bit larger to better compete with the upcoming 2017 Tesla Model 3. 

For now though, just expect more exciting volume models to come from the Japanese luxury brand.

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Jaguar XF R-Sport Black 2015

With the expected arrival of the new XF at the New York International Auto Show in April 2015, Jaguar is throwing a few extra odds and ends at the current range of vehicles, creating a new derivative labeled the XF R-Sport Black in the process. 

The British automaker wants you think you’re getting excellent value for your money, stating the R-Sport Black “offers an additional £8,770 ($13,322 as of 1/22/2015) worth of value over standardR-Sport models for just a £2,100 ($3,190) increase to its On-the-Road price.” 

However, is it really worth ignoring the new XF to spend more on a soon-to-be outdated vehicle packing a bit more standard equipment?

Creating specialized, last-minute spinoffs of a model slated for the dustbin is standard operating procedure in the car world, and given the XF’s popularity over the last year, the announcement of the R-Sport Black shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.

In addition to the new variant, Jaguar is also adding new specifications to the Luxury, R-Sport, Portfolio, Diesel S Portfolio, XFR, and XFR-S models, with some even gaining slight price hikes as a result (including the R-Sport). Clearly, JLR is confident that interest in the XF line will stay strong. In fact, the XF recorded its best year of sales in 2014, which makes the new R-Sport Black a likely candidate for success.

The R-Sport Black is available in either a saloon four-door or Sportbrake body style. Upgrades include new exterior features and interior accouterments, but sadly, the drivetrain has remained unaltered. 

Still, the R-Sport Black doesn’t represent a major cost increase over the standard R-Sport model, especially when you consider the minor price adjustment seen with this most recent refresh.

But the question remains- is it worth the money?

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Nissan Z 2013

Nissan may have plenty of models to boast of, but the one car that stands out to anyone looking for a vehicle with a little pep in its step is the Nissan Z car. 

Back in 1964, Nissan began toying with the idea of building a sports car to add to their lineup, but it wasn’t until 1969 that a vehicle was actually produced. 

The Datsun 240Z was available in two versions - and proved to be the successful sports car that Nissan had anticipated. 
Six generations later and Nissan had produced many variations of the vehicle, including the ever-popular 370Z . 

Now, after only four years since the latest 370Z was created, rumors are flying suggesting that Nissan is ready to go at it again with a new generation Z. 

Not only will the world be getting one of their beloved sports cars once again, but it may also be powered by a hybrid drivetrain, a rumor we first heard back in 2010 most likely the same one used in the Infiniti M hybrid . 

Yes, the world is going hybrid, and there’s nothing we can do to stop it.

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Audi R8 LMS Ultra 2014

The competitiveness of the Audi R8 LMS ultra in GT world championships lends itself to the widely known belief that the car is as good a racer you can get. 

That competitiveness is expected to continue in the 2014 season, specifically at the Nurburgring 24 Hours where as many as eight R8 LMS ultra cars are tipped to compete.

Ahead of the actual 24-hour race this coming June, the R8 LMS ultra was put through the paces over the weekend in qualification for the endurance race. 

While it failed to upend the BMW Z4’s dominance, don’t expect for one second that the R8 LMS ultra won’t be a contender when the real race at the "Green Hell" commences this coming June.

All in all, five teams will be fielding the R8 LMS ultra at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, with some notable drivers in the mix, including Le Mans winners Frank Biela, Marcel Fässler, Stéphane Ortelli, and Marco Werner. 

These four drivers have accounted for 11 wins at the ’Ring, and will be complemented by former GT1 World Champions Marc Basseng and Markus Winkelhock, defending FIA GT Champion Laurens Vanthoo, and three-time Porsche Supercup Champion René Rast.

That’s as good a lineup to drive the R8 LMS ultra at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring. It’s going to face some stiff challenges, especially with the BMW Z4 and the defending-champion Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 in the fold. 

But don’t expect the R8 LMS ultra to just sit idle and let the rest get the spoils. The racer is tipped and ready to make some waves when the endurance race kicks off this coming June.

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Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution XI 2013

The Evo-loving world was in shambles after Mitsubishi Global Product Director, Gayu Eusegi, announced that the company would be killing off the all-wheel-drive turbocharged Lancer Evolution . 

The Evo is one of the best models Mitsubishi has ever offered and fans everywhere were shocked that the company would take such extreme measures. 

A few back pedals later and Mitsubishi President and CEO, Osamu Masuko, calmed the waters by stating that the the Evo X would not be the last of the Evolutions. 

Now, Masuko has offered even more details for the future of the Evo to Japanese magazine, Best Car, stating that "Mitsubishi is fully intent on producing a high-performance car in the future, albeit green." Yeah, join the club, Masuko.

The rumor has long been that the Evo XI would be a diesel-electric hybrid. Such a powertrain would allow the Evo XI to hustle to 0-60 MPH in under 5 seconds while still receiving better fuel economy than the current Evo. 

Now, it seems the technology that was unveiled in the PX-MiEV concept at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show is looking to fit itself into the EVO XI. 

This would mean a 1.6- liter gasoline engine combined with an electric motor that will take its power from a set of lithium-ion batteries. 

The electric motors will power the vehicle at low to middle speeds, while the engine will kick on at high speeds. 

The engine will also provide back up for the motors when their charge runs low. The hybrid system will be combined with Mitsubishi’s S-AWC all-wheel-drive system and active yaw control, technologies that have already been used in the Evo X.

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Lamborghini Huracan GT3 2015

The 2015 Lamborghini Huracan has been assigned the near-impossible mission of replacing the mighty Gallardoas the company’s entry-level supercar. 

Before the 610-horsepower machines even began rolling off the Italian assembly lines, Lamborghini was already developing new, faster versions. 

First on its list was the 2015 LP620-2 Super Trofeo, the race car that comes with a one-make series of its own to displace the Gallardo’s. 

With the 2015 racing season just around the corner, the Italians revealed yet another iteration of the Huracan: the GT3. As the moniker suggests, we’re still in racing territory, but this time in a more disputed department — the Blancpain Series — in which Lamborghini faces competition from a handful of manufacturers, Audi andMcLaren included.

The brand-new race car comes to replace the Gallardo FL2 , the company’s sole offering for privateers in both the Blancpain Endurance and Sprint Series. 

Gentlemen racers, it’s time to grab your helmets, there’s a new kid in town!

Based on the road-going Huracan that arrived in 2014, the GT3 comes with all the goodies specific to an endurance race car, including an aggressive body kit, a stripped interior and a curb weight of only 2,731 pounds.

Updated: 01/21/2015 Lamborghini released the official details on the new Huracan GT3, which was unveiled at the company’s headquarters in Sant’Agata Bolognese. Click past the jump for the new details.

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