Auto Blitz: Porsche Panamera

Showing posts with label Porsche Panamera. Show all posts

GrandGT: TechArt Tunes Porsche's Panamera Turbo to 571HP

Joining the world premiere of the 2011 Cayenne-based Magnum at next month's Auto Zurich Car Show in Switzerland, will be yet another new tuning proposal from Porsche specialist TechArt, this time based on the Panamera sports saloon. Dubbed the GrandGT, the tuning firm's new customization program revamps the Panamera Turbo's exterior and interior styling, and performance.

Say what you want about the new Panamera, but the premium sports saloon is selling like beer at Oktoberfest. Within the first year of production, Porsche sold 22, 518 copies of the Panamera sports saloon globally, with 2,530 vehicles in Germany alone. While the Stuttgart-based automaker did not break down country-specific sales numbers, oddly enough, it released some data on city-specific sales.

With some 23,000 sales in the first year of production, the new Panamera is proving to be a major asset for Porsche in difficult times. Now, Stuttgart is looking to further enhance the appeal of its sports sedan with the introduction of new optional packages for the individualization programme including a Powerkit for the Turbo model, a Sport Design Package and new alloy wheels.

Available on the Panamera Turbo, the Powerkit package adds a recalibrated ECU and two new turbochargers with titanium-alloy turbine wheels. As a result, the V8 engine's output is lifted from 500HP to 540HP and torque from 700Nm to 750Nm (533 lb-ft). When combined with the Sport Chrono package, torque increases in the over-boost mode to 800Nm (590 lb-ft).

Few would call the new Porsche Panamera Turbo a slouch in the horsepower department, but if you happen to be one them, you may want to take a look at the new performance enhancement program from APS, the UK importer of the Swiss tuning firm Sportec.

Buyers can start off with the Stage One conversion that uses a reprogrammed ECU with optimized settings for fueling, ignition and turbo boost parameters to bump the V8's output from a quoted 493bhp and 516 lb-ft, to a dyno proven 560bhp at 6,150 rpm and 576 lb-ft (790 Nm) of torque at 3,340 rpm.

For those looking to add an extra punch in performance under the engine bay of the Panamera Turbo, Porsche tuner extraordinaire Techart has released a new power kit for the German sports saloon. The TA 070/T1 kit provides the 4.8-liter turbocharged V8 with an additional 80-horsepower and 70Nm of torque for a total output of 580HP and 830Nm whenever the driver needs it at a touch of a button located on the center console.

The new Porsche Panamera sports saloon continues to attract the attention of numerous tuners, the most recent being Hofele Design that has presented a new styling package called RIVAGE GT 970.

The body kit starts off with a new front bumper complete with LED-daytime running lights, a fixed rear spoiler, side skirts and a redesigned rear bumper with additional air vents that bring to mind the Audi R8 and a diffuser.

In April, Porsche's new four-door Panamera recorded its best-ever one-month with sales of 678 units becoming Porsche's best-selling model in the US for the very first time since its introduction in the market in October 2009. To date, Porsche has sold 3,410 Panamera saloons in the U.S.

Overall, Porsche sold 1,747 units from its current model lines to US customers in April, recording a six-percent fall on the same month last year.

Porsche announced today that it will be recalling all of the Panameras it has sold to date due to a seatbelt issue. That's 11,324 cars.

The problem is that the front belts' mounts "could fail when the front seats are adjusted in an extreme forward position."

Here's an interesting take on the German high speed taxi war - that's right, it DOES exist. According to the video, Auto Bild editor Jörg Maltzan is more than willing to play a role in taking the battle to the streets -if only for a short period- with a Porsche Panamera Turbo. If anyone can clarify with a proper translation, send it over to us in the comments section after the jump.

Either way, it looks like the 500-horsepower "Taxamera" Turbo has a message for BMW's M5 'Ring taxi: Bring it on. Now if it would only head over and pull some weekend duty for tourists at the Nürburgring, we'd have a real competition on our hands. Follow the jump for the video.

In a lighter-than-usual take on the Porsche Panamera, German tuning house Techart has unveiled a surprisingly tasty cosmetic-only package for Stuttgart's new four-door sports saloon

Aptly named "Black Edition", Techart's Panamera proposal is wrapped in a matte black vinyl film.

It also comes with the company's Aerodynamic Kit I that includes side skirts, aprons, spoilers and daytime running lights, as well as with 22-inch alloy wheels in a black shade, new brake calipers and a sport exhaust system with four tail pipes.

Russia's newly formed high society will soon be able to turn to one of its own tuners to make their Porsche Panamera stand out from the crowd as TopCar has officially revealed its Stingray program for Stuttgart's four-door sports saloon.

Developed in cooperation with domestic tuner Cardi (bodykit design) and Germany's 9ff (performance upgrades and build), TopCar's Panamera Stingray comes with a full bodykit made from carboxylic fiber that includes newly designed front and rear bumpers, side skirts, rear diffuser, new bonnet and a twin rear spoiler.

The sport saloon's exterior looks are rounded off with a new set of 21-inch multispoke alloy wheels.

Bad news for people with eyes or small children: Porsche is apparently looking to make a drop-top of its humpback Panamera saloon. Usually that wouldn't be terrible, except for the fact that Stuttgart seems intent on retaining the car's four doors.

Before anyone starts screaming structural bloody murder, technically it IS possible.

According to Autocar, "Advances in high-strength steel and tailored blanks (sections of steel in varying thicknesses) have reduced costs to a point where they are now being considered as part of new-model plans by many car makers."

By now, you already know what the new Porsche Panamera looks like. Even if you haven't had the chance to see Stuttgart's sports saloon in person, you've seen hundreds of photos and plenty of videos of the V8-powered "S" and "Turbo" variants.

So, what's the first thing you'd be interested in a video showing the new entry-level model (details and pictures here) with the VW Group-sourced 300HP 3.0-liter V6 gasoline engine? Apparently, the answer to that question is what the V6 sounds like. Well, guess what's missing from Porsche's promo film after the jump?

Design Study for a Porsche 928 Coupe Concept based on the Panamera

Even before the official presentation of the new Panamera, there had been plenty of talk about a coupe model based on the sports saloon that could serve as a spiritual successor to the much-missed 928 and more importantly, give Porsche a new range-topping GT model to compete head-to-head with the likes of Ferrari's 599 GTB and Aston Martin's DB9.

And while we're still in the dark about Porsche's future plans especially after the VW Group's takeover, a member of the Teamspeed forums decided to use his photoshop skills to make a grand touring coupe model out of the Panamera with styling cues that hark back to the original 928.

Feel free to leave your thoughts on the 'chop as well as on the Panamera Coupe subject in general in the comment section below.

Source: Teamspeed (by forum member Wild-Speed)

New Entry-Level Porsche Panamera with 300HP 3.6-liter V6

Porsche is expanding its sports saloon line-up with the introduction of the entry-level Panamera (RWD) and Panamera 4 (AWD) models that are both powered by a 3.6-liter V6 gasoline engine with direct fuel injection of VW Group origin that is about 30kg or 66 lb lighter than the V8 on the Panamera S/4S models.

The V6 churns out a maximum output of 300 horsepower and 400Nm or 295 lb-ft of peak torque, and is linked to a PDK double-clutch gearbox, which like the Start & Stop system, comes as standard on the Panamera.

We don't know if this tells you something about the entry-level Panamera, but Porsche's release omits performance figures mentioning only fuel consumption and CO2 emissions numbers.

According to the Germans, the rear-wheel drive Panamera makes do with 9.3 lt/100km (equal to 30.4mpg UK or 25.3mpg US), while the all-wheel drive model averages 9.6 lt/100km (29.4mpg UK or 24.5mpg US).

As an option, Porsche offers 19-inch alloy wheels with optimized roll resistance tires that reduce these consumption figures by another 0.2 lt/100 km (+0.5mpg US), giving the Panamera a CO2 rating of 213 g/km and the Panamera 4, 220 g/km.

The Panamera V6 models will have their world premiere at the 2010 Beijing Motor Show in April and go on sale in Europe in May, and other markets including the UK and the U.SA. in June.

In Germany, the Panamera V6 starts at €75,899 (about US$103,275) rising to €84,110 (around US$114,500) for the Panamera 4 V6. UK pricing has been set at £61,461 for the Panamera, and £66,929 for the Panamera 4, while in the US. $74,400 will get you in a RWD model and $78,900 in the AWD version.

Wald International Preparing Kits for New Porsche Panamera, BMW 7-Series, Rolls Royce Ghost, Infiniti M / Fuga and Jaguar XJ

Looks like 2010 will be a busy year for Wald International, the Japanese tuner known for its huge collection of aggressive body kits. Among other projects, Wald International is working on the development of exterior packages for five brand-new luxury sedan models, the 2011 BMW 7-Series, 2011 Infiniti M / Nissan Fuga (JDM), 2011 Jaguar XJ, Porsche Panamera and the new 'baby' Rolls Royce, the Ghost.

Despite the fact that the Japanese tuning firm has only released one teaser shot of each saloon, we can tell that the packages include new bumpers, spoilers, rocker panels, larger alloy wheels and suspension kits.

We'll bring you all the details on Wald International's new tuning proposals as soon the company launches the products.

TechArt Releases New Photos of Spiffed Up Porsche Panamera

Having completed its individualization program for the Porsche Panamera model range, TechArt came out with a new gallery of photos of the German sports saloon. Revealed for the first time at last year's Frankfurt show, TechArt's program bundles an aero kit and a choice of 21- or 22-inch alloys with a bevy of interior upgrades that include several customization options such as two-tone leathers in various shades and decorative trim in numerous colors and materials.

SpeedART's Porsche Panamera PS9 with up to 650HP Revealed in the Flesh

A couple of weeks ago we told you about SpeedART's new Porsche Panamera PS9 that will be unveiled at the Essen Motor Show at the end of November. Now, the German tuning house has released the first live photos of a Porsche Panamera fitted with its PS9 sport package that bundles aerodynamic add-ons and interior mods with performance upgrades and four different power kits for the Turbo model.

Available on all Panamera models, SpeedART's PS9 aero kit includes a front spoiler with an integrated brake cooling system, beefier side skirts, engine hood air vents, a rear diffuser that houses a pair of twin-tailpipes, air outlets on the rear bumper and a fixed rear spoiler.

A set of 22-inch, three-piece alloy wheels fitted with 265/35 and 305/25 ZR22 high-performance tires is also part of the package.

For the Panamera's cabin, SpeedART offers a new three-spoke leather steering with F1-shift paddles that's available in two sizes (340 and 365mm) with the option of aluminium, wood or carbon fiber inlays, colored stiches on the door panels and seats, instrument backgrounds in various colors, specific floor mats and real carbon fiber decorative trim in numerous shads.

For the time being, the German firm's engine kit is limited to the Panamera Turbo. Upgrades include larger tubochargers, sport air filter, a sport exhaust system and a reprogrammed ECU that help bump output to 520, 550, 600 or 650 horsepower and up to 890 Nm (656.5 lb-ft) of torque.

The 650HP version is said to accelerate from standstill to 100km/h (62mph) in 3.5 seconds an top over 320km/h (200 mph).

To ensure that the Panamera comes to a halt, SpeedART offers an upgraded brake system with modular 380 mm discs and 6 piston brake calipers.