World Cars Motor Show

Just when you thought it wasn??™t possible for Porsche to proliferate the 911 any more, here comes another: the GT3 Cup S. Then again, it??™s been a few months since the last 911 variant was introduced.

The GT3 Cup S is based on the GT3 RS, which we??™ve already characterized as an ???Escaped Race Car??? that ???was developed for the track, which is where it belongs.??? Alas, the track is where the GT3 Cup S is bound to stay, as it has been intensified a few steps beyond the RS and even the GT3 Cup, another turn-key Porsche race car.

All we can say is that we wouldn??™t want to see one of these in the pit lane unless it belonged to our team. The 3.6-liter boxer engine is more or less identical to the power unit used in the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup and the international Carrera Cup championships, with power output increased to an eye-watering 440 hp at 8000 rpm, and torque up to 317 lb-ft at 7250 revs.

Do the math: those are some pretty spectacular numbers for a naturally aspirated engine of that size. Evidently, the power increase results from optimized engine electronics and a modified exhaust system (gosh, if we knew it was that easy??¦). With a curb weight of just 2579 pounds, we expect the stripped, steel-bodied GT3 Cup S to be pretty fast.

Maybe that??™s a slight understatement. We??™re trying to be subtle, unlike the body on this thing. Based on the wide body of the GT3 RS and not the (relatively) narrow-bodied GT3 Cup, the Cup S is a little bit wider still up front with fatter fenders with air extractors just before the doors.

Other distinctions include simple mono-element round headlamps that remind us a little of the old Ford RS2000, and a scaffold-like, adjustable rear spoiler that is taller than many fireplace mantles??”an even more apt descriptor, given the firepower beneath it.

Also adjustable is pretty much every part of the suspension and the brakes are even larger than those on the GT3 Cup. Charged with the unenviable task of introducing the power to the pavement are some 10.5-inch wide front wheels and foot-wide rear wheels mounted with race rubber.

The carved-out interior is pretty much identical to the Cup, from the safety cage to the digital readouts to the long shift lever for the sequential gearbox.

At 250,000 Euros ($362,000), the price of the GT3 Cup S is about 2.5 times as steep as that of the regular GT3 Cup. But for many racing teams, that would be money well spent to give their drivers an edge when the difference between winning and losing can be hundredths of a second.

For those that already bought a GT3 Cup, a kit to upgrade your slug to Cup S specs will be available in April, at the same time as the Cup S itself will be delivered to its first customers.

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Two years ago at the Frankfurt auto show, Porsche announced it had begun work on a hybrid Cayenne program, but the company has remained quiet since then, except to tell us it has remained partnered with VW on the SUV??™s development. However, Porsche recently broke its silence and gave us a few more details about what we can expect from its new hybrid SUV, which is on track for a 2009 launch.

What we know is that a compact, 34-kW electric motor in the Cayenne hybrid will slot between its 3.6-liter V-6 and the six-speed automatic transmission, a series configuration that Porsche claims is more compatible with the Cayenne??™s platform. The company also says the setup is more fuel efficient and flexible in terms of the hybrid system management, which Porsche claims will allow the vehicle??™s performance to remain, well, Porsche-like. By adding electric power to the 290-hp, direct-injection V-6, maximum torque rises from 273 lb-ft to over 400 at 1800 rpm for the hybrid. That part sounds good, but all the hybrid components will add significant weight to the already bloated Cayenne, so we’ll have to wait to see what affect this has on not only acceleration but Porsche hallmarks such as handling and braking as well.

Porsche??™s fuel-economy target for the Cayenne hybrid is 24 to 26 mpg??”some 25 percent better than the current V-6 Cayenne’s mpg. Porsche did not make any mention of reduced emissions, but we expect at least commensurate improvements along those lines.

Other unique features of the Cayenne hybrid that have been designed to decrease fuel consumption include the vacuum pump for the brakes and the air conditioning, which will operate on electric power. Components such as the oil pump in the Cayenne??™s automatic transmission, have also been replaced by electrically powered units. Further efficiencies were gained by the fitting of an electrohydraulic steering system??”a move that may not be welcomed by purists.

Porsche also plans to introduce a hybrid version of its Panamera four-door sometime after its 2009 debut.

This is all great news, we suppose, but we??™re still scratching our heads trying to figure out exactly what the point is of a hybrid Cayenne or Panamera. After all, few people buy luxury SUVs or four-door GTs because they??™re ???green.??? Nor, for that matter, do they stay away from them because they??™re not.

To the contrary, however, Porsche has claimed in the past that more and more rich people are interested in environmentally sound vehicles. But is the demand really that high? The only thing we can surmise is that Porsche is bending under major regulatory pressures, because considering what low volumes the Cayenne hybrid is expected to pull in, there can??™t be much money in it, even at the prices we expect Porsche to charge for its mighty new green machines.

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Of all the variations of the current 911??”Carrera, Carrera S, Carrera 4, Carrera 4S, Cabriolet, Targa, GT3, and Turbo??”nothing quickens the pulse and spins the tires so readily as the GT2, the upcoming version of which is seen here. To create the GT2, Porsche starts with a 911 Turbo, adds power, reduces weight, and removes the all-wheel drive, creating a much more demanding vehicle to quiet all those complaints that the 911 Turbo is just a soulless high-speed appliance.

The previous-generation GT2 boosted engine output 51 horsepower and 52 lb-ft over the Turbo, so expect this new car to boast around 525 horsepower and 540 lb-ft of torque. Without the traction benefit of all-wheel drive, the GT2 will probably have a difficult time besting the Turbo??™s 3.4 second 0-to-60-mph blast, but with the extra power and a weight reduction of about 220 pounds from shedding the all-wheel drive, all of the 911 Turbo??™s higher acceleration benchmarks??”including the 185-mph top speed??”will be packing their bags and heading for second place.

The GT2 is differentiated from the tamer Turbo by its slightly tweaked rear fascia, different wheels, massive fixed spoiler, and the awkwardly grinning cooling vent at the leading edge of the hood.

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So, there I am, ripping down a Spanish autovia, twin-turbo V-8 wailing away, wind whistling past the roof rails. There I am, downshifting through a roundabout, flat-footing that direct-injected lump and using errant Peugeots as apexes (”Si, policia! Un Porsche grande!”). There I am, doing 150 mph. And not having very much fun.

How did we get here? Ten years ago, sport-utility vehicles didn’t walk all over sports cars, and it was impossible not to have a good time in a Porsche. Since then, we’ve watched a host of manufacturers build apex-inhaling, racetrack-lapping trucks, and we’ve seen most of those trucks prove an important maxim: capability and sheer speed aren’t always everything.

In spite of its impressive performance and record-setting sales, the first-generation Porsche Cayenne was a little lacking in character.Unfortunately, the 2008 Cayenne continues that theme. It has a new face, mildly reworked interiors, and revised engines, but little else feels or looks different. The Cayenne S and Turbo are even more muscle-bound than before, with power increasing from 340 and 450 hp to 385 and 500 hp, respectively. Porsche says that highway fuel economy for is up 15 percent for the Cayenne S and 11 percent for the Turbo, thanks to new direct injection. The base Cayenne is no longer a gutless wonder, since its Volkswagen-supplied V-6 has been enlarged from 3.2 to 3.6 liters for an additional 43 hp and 44 lb-ft of torque. Finally, active antiroll bars are now available on air-suspended models.

All of these changes should add up to a truck that’s better to drive, and they do. Trouble is, while Porsche’s SUV is amazing, it still isn’t particularly entertaining. Yes, it’s fast as stink, and, yes, it does things no 4800-pound vehicle should be able to do. (Wheel control and chassis composure on undulating pavement will blow your mind.) But once the novelty wears off, boredom sets in. The Cayenne is so good, so capably idiotproof, that the driver is all but left out in the cold. Oddly, the V-6-powered, manual-transmission Cayenne is now the most involving driver’s car of the bunch. The engine doesn’t outshine the chassis, the steering is light and responsive, and you find yourself giggling as you heel-and-toe around every bend.

Absurdly potent? Yes. Hard-core enthusiast’s dream? Not so much. But then, if it were, it probably wouldn’t sell as well. What a shame.

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