Another month has come and gone which means it is time for yet again another Cars & Café.  Unfortunately this month the Saturday happened to fall on the holiday weekend known as Labor Day.  Most people in Minnesota that have a cabin know Labor Day weekend as a work weekend and I fall into that category.  As I was cleaning up boats, many auto enthusiasts in Minneapolis were gathering for coffee and doughnuts.  Oh and there were cars as well.

The weather was gorgeous (where as last month is was *ahem* crappy) and the cars flowed in.  Luckily for us my friends Ross and Alex Bellus both were in attendance reporting back.

The good is a long list this month.  The Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Super Snake made an appearance again as did the Aston Martin DB7 Vantage.  The Bentley Continental SuperSport made an appearance along with three Porsche GT3 RS’s.  These are all super but the Mazda Miata with a LS3 V8 shoved in it, well that really takes a special place in my heart.  The amount of awesomeness that oozes from that is off the charts.

I’m told little to no head scratching vehicles made an appearance, so I will just have to take the word that there were few.  I did hear about a VW Golf that had digital camouflage (what!?).  Also, the above VW something or another that was chopped and had a small bed welded on on the back made an appearance.  Oh and that VW something or another had full hydraulics in the front which the owner lowered down once parking.  Also a BMW had a very unique sound system in the trunk that payed homage to BMW’s M division.

From the Super Seven to the Yenko Camaro, the cars were all there and the weather cooperated.  Many thank’s to Ross and Alex Bellus for providing the photo’s.  Until next month when the enthusiasts gather again for a cup of coffee and doughnuts, oh and the cars.

Photography- Alex Bellus and Ross

Hey remember Jack Baruth’s Porsche lime green Audi S5?  No?!  Here’s a reminder.  Well that was a unique whip and he sold it *insert sad face here*.  Regardless Nick Salvatore from SpeedSportLife just purchased this Audi S5 in Glut Orange.  This vehicle was part of the Audi Exclusive program, the same program that Jack’s car was ordered through.  This car is Glut Orange with a black interior.  The car is located in Texas (quick someone alert the troopers).  Nick already has plenty of upgrades both on the way and some arrived before the car even arrived.  The bottom line?  There are two very bright citrus colored Audi S5′s in this country.

pPhotography- Zerin Dube

Remember when you were a kid and your parents told you money doesn’t buy happiness?  They lied!  They didn’t mean to lie but they did.  You see Porsche is building a mere 250 911 Sport Classic’s priced at an eye watering $255,600!  You see this car is a emotional purchase not a reasonably thought out purchase.  You can buy a lot of car for that kind of cash but this, this is the Sport Classic.  An extra 23 horsepower over a stock 911 and that amazing duck tail spoiler.  They also throw in carbon ceramic brakes but that color….that color with the two tone racing stripes just finishes it off with the black wheels and the duck tail.  Watch the video and listen to that exhaust note and the engine wind up.  Just heavenly.  Yes folks money may not actually buy happiness but it can buy things that make you happy and isn’t that darn close?

Any person that is interested in cars in the great state of Minnesota has heard of BIR.  BIR is Brainerd International Raceway and home of the BIR Performance Driving School.  Now some that are involved in social media have heard of Groupon.  This is essentially a social media (in a form) group coupon service.  Today’s deal? A 50% discount on a professional racing package in your own car!  You will get instruction from an expert driver and a full day of racing your own car around the track.  No restrictions on vehicles, though you must own your own vehicle.  BIR would not want to have to foot the bill if you wreck Uncle Billy’s Porsche.  If you are under 18 you must have parental consent.  Oh and you must wear closed toed shoes (sorry kids no Birkenstocks).  Don’t have the necessary racing gear?  No worries they have you covered with race suites, helmets and anything else you need (included in this price).  I know you are waiting for the price.  This smokin deal will cost you $142.  By the way, if you want to upgrade into one of their Ford race cars you can for $295 for a 25 minute session (you will get 15% off that price).  Alright you have a little over 2 days left to snag this deal so go here to purchase.  Go go go!

Source- Groupon

Episode 32 starts with introducing this weeks guest Tony Pimpo from GM Inside News.  Moving into the garage we talk about the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze press launch I attended last week. We then move along to the major news of the week segment.  This week included-

• New Ford Explorer Debut (Link)
• Leaked Jeep Wrangler Interior (Link)
• 200C drawings out and 900 new workers and second shift at Chrysler plant (Link) (Link)
• 2011 Porsche Hybrid (Link)
• Chevrolet Captiva Photos with no cammo (Link)

Download this episode (right click and save)

The Trailer

Early this morning while we were all sleeping at approximately 3 am EST the Evolution Motorsports team had an accident in New York.  Thankfully no one was injured though the trailer is a total loss.  The three cars inside of the trailer were the Porsche 997.1 EVT1200, 997.2 EVT650 and the Gumpert Apollo.  The 997.1 EVT1200 took the brunt of the damage while the Gumpert Apollo left the trailer without a scratch.  The summer tour has been put on hold after July 18 and will hopefully resume after August 10.

Cars Still Inside the Trailer

Todd Zuccone - Founder of EVOMS and the State Troopers

The press release is below.

URGENT – IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Evolution MotorSports & Gumpert Racing
Summer Tour Suffers Set Back
Traffic Accident in New York Destroys EVOMS Trailer

Facts:
• Evolution MotorSports & Gumpert Racing 3 car hauler accident in New York
• Everyone OK
• Occupants: Todd Zuccone- Founder of EVOMS, Matthew R. Carrick- subcontractor
• Cars on Board: 997.1 EVT1200, 997.2 EVT650, Gumpert apollo
• Summer Tour Dates after 18 July on hold.

- – -

12 July 2010 / Tempe, AZ – The Evolution MotorSports & Gumpert Racing Summer Tour suffered a set back this morning after an accident in New York at approximately 3 am EST. All occupants were uninjured, and there were no peripheral accidents for passing traffic.

On board the 3 car EVOMS hauler were Evolution MotorSports founder and president, Todd Zuccone, along with Matthew Carrick, subcontractor for Evolution MotorSports. Mr. Carrick was driving at the time of the incident.

While everyone is okay, the trailer is a complete loss. Of the three cars on the trailer, the 997.1 EVT1200 took the most damage to the hood, front fenders and windshield. There were a few scratches to the 997.2 EVT650 and the Gumpert apollo came out unscathed. These three high performance machines were only 5 miles from their next stop at Legend Porsche on Long Island, NY for events scheduled for the 12 / 13 July.

The Evolution MotorSports & Gumpert Racing Tour, based in Tempe, AZ departed for the East Coast of the USA June 15. The tour has made dozens of stops at Porsche and Performance dealers as well as race track events in Florida, South Carolina, and several stops in the New York/New Jersey area.

The most recent stop was at the Monticello Motor Club in Monticello, New York on Sunday 11 July for a private viewing to club members. The two Porsches and the Gumpert apollo will continue to be on display at Legend Porsche in Massapequa, NY on Long Island as scheduled for 12/13 July.

At the end of this week, the cars will be on display at New Jersey Motorsports Park on Friday for the “Hooked on Driving” event, on Saturday with Fabspeed for a reservations required tuning event and on Sunday at Fabspeed’s facility near Philadelphia.

The company intends to have the two Porsches back in Arizona for repairs in the week of 18 July along with the Gumpert apollo. Tour dates between 18 July and 10 August must be cancelled. With the success of the tour thus far, the company plans to complete the scheduled tour dates which now has appearances scheduled through the first week of October.

For further information, contact H. Christopher Parvin, Vice President and Managing Partner of Evolution MotorSports at the number listed above.

About Evolution MotorSports, Inc.

Founded in 1997, Evolution Motorsports has been the leader in aftermarket tuning of high performance automobiles. From casual street to aggressive track, Evolution Motorsports research and product development has become the standard by which all high performance automobiles are judged. View the company website at www.EVOMS.com

Back in the days of yore if someone suggested there would be a Porsche SUV you would be laughed out of the room but not before getting slapped in the face.  Flash forward to the current year and the best selling model in the Porsche line up is a SUV!  Whoa how did that happen?  It is simple really; a small 2 door car coupe/convertible/etc is not practical for everyone.  To build on that success Porsche figured why not build a four door “sports” car.  People seem to want to purchase a Porsche and some people care about practicality.  The two combined equals a need for more then just two door sports cars.  Now we have a new four door (it is really a five door but more on that later) Porsche sedan.  The real question I had was whether the sedan was a true Porsche or does it just wear the crest?

The exterior of the Panamera is recognizable as a Porsche without question.  The front end has styling elements that make it look like an enormous redone 911.  The two round headlights have LED strips hanging below them on the bumper.  The LED strips are day time running lights and at night the same housing has another set of lights that come on.  These act as fog lights or driving lights in a sense.  The side profile has nice sculpting from right behind the front fenders down the side.  The rear is what is truly controversial.  Let’s just get something out of the way quickly.  I like this car.  I like the way it looks.  I am apparently weird and I am ok with that.  Ok now moving on, the rear is what some call hunch backed or carrying too much baggage.  Some are saying it is droopy.  Call it what you want but I see Porsche design in it.  This car is nothing short of huge.  It is right around the size of a BMW 7 Series, Mercedes S-Class and Audi A8 to mention a few.  Technically speaking the Panamera is a five door since the rear does not have a trunk lid rather a rear hatch.  The quad exhaust peak out from the rear to remind you of the power that lurks in the engine bay both on the naturally aspirated V8 and the Twin Turbo V8.

The interior is not quite as controversial as the exterior.  It is pure sporting luxury.  The seats are comfortable and supportive.  They hug you in all the right places.  These are not barcaloungers and no they will not massage you.  They are meant to hold you in place firmly.  The center console between the driver and passenger runs the length of the car.  In the front it rises up and meets the PCM (Porsche Communication Management System).  This design cue is somewhat similar to the center stack in the Carrera GT.  That center stack houses a dizzying array of buttons though they are all clearly marked and clumped together by function.  The PCM is a touch screen along with plenty of buttons to choose from to help operate it.  This was definitely a complex system but I was able to use it without the owners manual though others in this segment have easier systems to operate.  The interior fit and finish is definitely without question up to Porsche standards if not raising the bar within the company.

The engine in this car was a 4.8 liter direct injected V8 pumping out 400 hp and 369 lb-ft to all four wheels.  Since this was a Panamera 4S all wheel drive was standard.  The one choice transmission was Porsches newer PDK (Porsche Doppelkupplung) dual clutch transmission.  Launch control is activated by pushing the sport plus button then hitting the brake and then the gas.  You get a visual confirmation launch control is activated and let go of the brake.  You will hear a noise and then suddenly all four wheels grab the pavement and launch the car.  You are thrown back into your seat as the car launches hard and fast.  (PSA – Do this on an empty road two lane road).  You can use the transmission in full automatic mode or shift yourself using the buttons (hate those things) or by moving the gear shift to the manual gate.  The 911 Turbo is getting true paddles this year so hopefully they will trickle down and replace those buttons.  The car without question handles like a true Porsche.  Yes I have driven a different Porsche recently and yes, this does handle differently.  It is a big car, but with that said, the faster you go the smaller the car seems.  It shrinks as you go around corners and off ramps.  It shrugs off speed.  Handling is very impressive.

The particular Panamera 4S I was in had quite a few option packages.  I will skip going through them all though the options rang up to a total of $17,550.  That was on top of the base price of a Panamera 4S which starts at $93,800.  When all is said and done the total sticker price out the door would be $112,325.  That is a lot of coin, but the reality of it is that the Panamera is in the thick of it with the rest of the high priced luxury cars.

The original question was whether the sedan was a true Porsche or does it just wear the crest?  This car is a true Porsche.  Sure many Porschephile’s will say this is not a true Porsche because it weighs nearly 4,300 lbs and has four doors (by the way, that is light for a car this big).  My only question to them is: have you driven one? While it will not be for everyone the reality of it is simple, higher volume selling vehicles like the Cayenne and possibly the Panamera help keep the lights on for future development of lower volume cars like the 911 and whatever the next halo car might be.

Full Disclosure- The review vehicle was provided by a local Porsche dealership

I personally can not decide on how bad the body kit or other modifications are because I can not see past the ugly.  They really could have chosen a better color scheme to go with here….but they didn’t.

Source- SpeedSportLife

Recently I had the pleasure of meeting the great folks of Evolution Motorsports.  The crew, led by fearless founder and owner Todd Zuccone, came into town to tune a monster Porsche GT2 for a customer.  They got to work quickly and set up shop at Imola Motorsports with Kevin and his crew for the week.

You know the saying all work and no play makes a something something something?  Well, to avoid that scenario Todd and the crew brought along their latest creation, which they call the “PDK Car.”  This is a 2010 Porsche 997.2 Twin Turbo equipped with the new PDK (Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe, good luck saying that if you aren’t German) dual clutch transmission, which since this is a 201o model, has the proper paddle shifters, not those dumb buttons on the steering wheel.

After spending some time talking with Todd, it became very clear why they are one of the leaders in this industry.  When I asked about his company versus the competition, he was very professional.  His responses consisted of statements like “the work speaks for itself” and “really it is about experience”.  After a nice chat, he tossed me the keys to the PDK car.  Of course I had a big stupid grin on my face – because someone just tossed me keys to a 650 hp Porsche.

Below was the set up on the 997.2 TT I drove-

Evolution MotorSports EVT.2 650 HP Performance System
EVOMSit SDI3 ECU Calibration (www.evomsit.com)
EVOMS 65mm Billet VTG Turbochargers
EVOMS ClubSport Headers
EVOMS / Fabspeed 70mm Sport Exhaust w/ GT2 Style Tips
HJS Motorsport 200 Cell Catalysts
EVOMS Billet Boost Diverter Valves

Alright, so I know the real question is what was it like?  Well two things, one I was in the middle of the city and did not have a long time with the car.  Thus I did not have track access.  Secondly, it was rush hour (note to self, plan better for these things).  Regardless the car takes off like a you are being shot out of a rocket.  Keep in mind the turbo 911′s have all wheel drive.  Thus this car was clawing at the pavement from all four corners.  This really made a huge impression with me when launching or even just hitting the gas.  Todd had warned me that the tuning in the software for the PDK downshifts was not 100%.  He was right, it is a little slow on the downshift.  If you pull the left paddle (for a downshift) it has a slight delay and then drops down a gear.  Upshifts are lightning fast and you can feel the shift under hard acceleration.  When I say feel, it feels like a hard fast thud.  Not a sound that makes you cringe however, because it does not sound like it is breaking.  The sound is more of a clean quick shift made at lightning fast speed.  The steering was terrific just like any other Porsche 997.2 TT.  The exhaust sounded great with a strong braaap braaap noise coming with each shift.

The interior was mostly stock, though the seats were not stock – rather they were thin and covered in leather with center inserts to keep you from moving.  They were very tight and you were not going to be moving during an aggressive track session.  The seats also had a harnesses for track days and a fire extinguisher was bolted to the floor directly in front of the passenger seat.  The particular car I was in had a factory navigation and sound system, along with automatic climate control.  That was all fine and dandy, but I turned off the radio and the air conditioning, rolled down the windows and listened to the sweet sound of the tuned 3.8 liter pumping out 650 hp to all four wheels.

They took the car to this past months local Cars & Café , and after that headed over to the track to run some quarter mile figures.  It ran consistent mid 10′s pushing 130 mph.  This was achieved by someone that had never even been in the car.  That in itself is a testament to the ease in which someone who has never gotten into the car can drive it consistently and pull great numbers.

Overall the “PDK car” was a beast.  It was not twitchy or hard to drive, yet it had terrific power delivery.  This is a car that could be tracked on Saturday and still drive to work on Monday.  I already know they are working on a R8 Twin Turbo among other things.  I can only expect to see greater things to come from EVOMS in the near future, and I for one look forward to that.

Full Disclosure- The review vehicle was provided by Evolution Motorsports