Porsche 911 (2011)

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Porsche 911 (2011) first official pictures of new 991

By Ben Pulman

First Official Pictures

23 August 2011 08:00

At last, the new Porsche 911 is here. This all-new, 991-spec Porsche 911 will be unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show next month, and although you may feel like you've seen it already, that's only because a few pictures leaked out last week.

What can you tell me about the new Porsche 911?

The 911 has been around since 1963, but even the most long-sighted, harshest critic will notice the new styling. (N.B. that’s new styling, rather than a new style direction). The architecture underpinning this latest 911 is all new, and the wheelbase is 100mm longer than the current 997-gen cars'.

Add in shorter overhangs (both front and rear), a lower roofline, a wider front track (and a new rear axle), and the new rear-engined icon looks much more curvaceous than before.

Hiding beneath the sleeker LED taillights and wider pop-up rear spoiler are two direct-injection iterations of Porsche’s famed flat-six engine. The Carrera now features a smaller but more powerful 3.4-litre engine (down from 3.6) while the S runs an upgraded version of the existing 3.8. The S is identifiable by its red brake calipers and quad exhausts, anoraks note.

How much more power do the 991's new flat-six engines boast? And how green are they?

Porsche has thus far only released details for the PDK-equipped 911s, as the double-clutch transmission ensures not only the quickest acceleration but also the cleanest emissions. Equip the basic Carrera with said gearbox and you’ll have a 911 that emits just 194g/km and manages 34mpg – today’s cleanest Porsche sports cars, the PDK-equipped Cayman and Boxster, achieve 214g/km and 31mpg.

Thank the aluminium and steel construction of the new lightweight body, which helps trim up to 45kg off the kerbweight. Plus the standard-fit stop/start system, clever electrical system recuperation, a ‘coasting’ function for the PDK transmission that decouples the engine, and (this could make or break the latest 911) new electro-mechanical power steering.

Another first for the 911 is Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC), a system to reduce body roll when cornering and thus increase your speeds through the curves. 

	911 Carrera (the new 991)	911 Carrera S (the new 991)	911 Carrera (997)	911 Carrera S (997)
Price	£71,449	£81,242	£67,270	£76,172
Engine	3.4	3.8	3.6	3.8
Power	345bhp	395bhp	340bhp	380bhp
Fuel consumption	34mpg (PDK)	32mpg (PDK)	29.4mpg (PDK)	27.7mpg (PDK)
CO2 emissions	194g/km (PDK)	205g/km (PDK)	225g/km (PDK)	240g/km (PDK)
0-62mph	4.6 (4.4*)	4.3 (4.1*)	4.7 (4.5*)	4.5 (4.3*)

Ferrari 458 Spider (2012)

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Ferrari 458 Spider (2012) first official pictures

By Tim Pollard

First Official Pictures

23 August 2011 11:00

The new Ferrari 458 Spider is an obvious, and inevitable, extension of the 458 Italia sports car range. Ferrari has always offered a fresh-air alternative to the junior V8 and we all knew it was coming.

But the lack of surprise didn't stop the tongues drooling and eyes goggling when we clapped eyes on the new 458 Spider ahead of its debut at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show.

The Italia remains our favourite junior supercar, having swept the board at the 2010 Performance Car of the Year test and fought off a challenge from the McLaren MP4-12C. And we fancy now it'll sound even better, with less sound deadening between your ears and the 4499cc flat-plan crank V8 and its angry 562bhp at nine thousand rpm.

Ferrari 458 Spider: the details

Interestingly, the 458 roadster is the first mid-engined supercar in the world to offer a folding hard top. Sadly, no photographs are available of the flop-atop roof yet - they're saving that for the Frankfurt show.

The all-aluminium roof will roll out from below the flying buttresses; we presume there will be a pop-up rear glass window too. The metal hood is 25kg lighter than a canvas roof, says Ferrari, and it'll take 14 seconds to flick between coupe and convertible.

It's said to be compact, too: Ferrari says there is a small luggage bench behind the front seats to carry a few bags.

Audi Urban Concept cars

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Audi Urban Concept cars (2011): the first photos

By Tim Pollard

First Official Pictures

27 August 2011 23:00

Audi has only teased us so far with sketches of its new city car duo, the Urban Concept and its open-top sister, the Urban Spider Concept. Now it's lifted the lid and issued these first photos of its 2011 Frankfurt motor show debutants.

They're tiny electric runabouts, with two seats and an electric powertrain. Kind of gives us an idea of what a sub-Audi A1 city car could be in future.

So the Urban Concept is Audi's Megacity Vehicle?

Sort of, although there is no production intent as yet.

Tellingly, though, parent company Volkswagen is set to show a single-seat electric project at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show, as we reported this week.

They look tiny - how big are they?

They're bijou, stretching to 3200mm long, 1700mm wide and just 1200mm tall. These cars are a showcase for Audi's lightweight knowhow, and they make use of carbonfibre reinforced plastic for a sub-500kg kerbweight, although the exact mass has not yet been disclosed.

Seating is in a staggered 1+1 layout, not unlike the Caparo T1 sports car.

Could Audi build such a thing? Until recently, we might have dismissed such an idea as idle dreaming. But in an age when Renault is launching a Twizy and other manufacturers are scrabbling into new urban solutions, we wouldn't bet against such a prospect in the long run.

Powering the Audi Urban Concepts

A pair of electric motors is driven by lithium ion batteries and Audi claims a 40-mile range for their city car pair.

The Audi Urban Concepts will be revealed in full at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show on 13 September.

Bentley Continental GTC (2011)

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Bentley Continental GTC (2011) first official pictures

By Tim Pollard

First Official Pictures

24 August 2011 00:01

Bentley has shown the convertible sister to the new Continental GT coupe: it's the new Conti GTC, due to be unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show.

The Continental GTC Mk2 is entirely in line with the latest coupe - a sophisticated, subtle update to the 2005 original. There's the same smoother front end styling, the more squinty headlamps and a more exaggerated 'power line' with incredibly sharp creases.

Bentley Continental GTC: first official pictures

Styling chief Dirk van Braeckel gave CAR a guided tour around the new Continental convertible. 'The front end is like the GT coupe's, the large headlamps set into the single piece superformed front wing,' he said. 'The radii of the surfaces along the sides are reduced by half compared with the previous model. It makes a real tension in the surfaces. The stance is wider, the tracks front and rear are stretched and we now offer 20in and 21in wheels.'

The rear deck - now fashioned from SMC composite and incorporating the aerial antenna - is longer, too, an there are new oval LED rear lamps.

And inside the new Conti GTC (2011)?

'The character is completely different inside,' van Braeckel told us. 'It's far more complex as a design. We did a lot of work on the design of the seats - the seatbelts are no longer incorporated into the seats - and there is now 36mm more rear legroom.'

The same new front seats now have 10-bag massage function to wobble your bits every which way, and they're ventilated and boast neck warmers too.

Yet despite a plethora of new gizmos, the Bentley Conti GTC is actually 70kg lighter than before, boosting performance and economy.

Mercedes B-class (2012)

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Mercedes B-class (2012) first official pictures

By Tim Pollard

First Official Pictures

25 August 2011 08:00

This is the new 2012 Mercedes B-class, the first in a new family of small Mercs. It presages the new A-class – due later in 2012 – and a suite of new compact models, including a coupe and an off-roader.

So take note of the new B-class. The hardware you see here will pop up across future small Mercedes.

Merc B-class: what’s new for 2012

The styling is in line with today’s B-class, but they’ve made it less wantonly sensible. It’s a couple of inches lower to the ground and there are hints of it being a baby R-class tourer rather than a boxy babywagon van. That’s a good thing, as its sleek 0.26 drag coefficient attests.

Underneath is Merc’s new architecture, the so-called MFA or Mercedes Front-wheel drive Architecture that will power the whole compact family.

For the B-class it remains front-wheel drive (4wd will be offered on sportier and off-road variants).

New engines for the new B-class

If you want a petrol engine in your new B-class, you’ll have to settle for a 1.6-litre direct injection turbo. The B180 musters 120bhp, or pick a B200 for 154bhp. These engines – dubbed M270 - are significant, as they’ll power many future small Mercedes, up to and including the C-class.

Diesel engines come from the OM651 family, the dervs already seeing action in everything from the C-class to the S-class. This is the first time these diesels have been used in a transverse application. At launch, there’s just a 1.8-litre CDI, badged B180 (108bhp) or B200 (134bhp).

New for the 2012 B-class is a seven-speed twin-clutch transmission. All engines come with stop-start, and a six-speed manual will be standard on most models.

Can I still move house in my B-class?

Yep. At 4359mm long/1786mm wide/1557mm tall, the B-class is still a packaging marvel. Merc claims legroom is actually better than in an E- or S-class, yet the driver sits 86mm lower than before to remove that sit-up-and-beg van posture of before.

The rear bench slides back and forth to swap space for bodies and bags – the boot stretching between a large 488 to an evil sounding 666 litres’ capacity. Sounds like it’ll be a massive load lugger still.

CAR has already sat in the new Mercedes B-class and can confirm it’s a pleasant environment in there. Some of those details – lovely round chromed air vents, for instance – are snaffled from elsewhere in the Mercedes’  oeuvre (the SLK in that instance).

And there are distinct overtones of large car gadgets too. A radar-based collision warning system is standard, and options include adaptive headlamps, drowsiness detectors, active parking and radar cruise control.

See the new B-class for real at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show.