440BHP MEGA MACAN REVEALED
Most powerful variant yet of Porsche's mid-sized SUV
Give it up for the new Macan Turbo Exclusive Performance Edition, all 440bhp and 169mph of it. The quickest and most powerful Macan to date, it's also the most expensive, rocking the price lists at a hefty £86,267.
For that you get 40hp more than the standard Macan Turbo from the twin-turbo 3.6-litre V6 motor, plus another 50Nm of torque. All told, the Performance Edition is good for 62mph in a piffling 4.4 seconds, in part thanks to the nifty Porsche Traction Management (PTM) all-wheel drive system. Average fuel consumption on the Combined cycle is 29.7 mpg, with emissions pegged at 219 g/km of CO2.
A high-performance brake system is standard, distinguished by 390mm grooved brake discs. The Performance Edition also rides on a computer-controlled Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) sports chassis, which is tuned to match the 15mm lower ride height. Further performance-oriented features include the Sport Chrono Package and a sports exhaust system.
Of course, since this is a model brought to you by the Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur department at the Leipzig production site, there are plenty of hand-finished and unique extras. 21-inch 911 Turbo Design wheels with lateral spokes painted in high-gloss black, LED headlights and tinted LED rear lights are just the beginning. Elements on the front spoiler, rear apron and side blades painted in Carmine Red are also particular to Performance Edition. The “Macan Turbo” model designation on the tailgate is likewise painted in Carmine Red underneath the gloss black “PORSCHE” lettering. What's more, Porsche's ‘colour to sample’ paint finishes are also available at extra cost.
Inside, the cabin features a black leather interior with several Alcantara elements. The Garnet Red bolsters for the front seats were designed exclusively for this car. That colour is used also for other elements including the contrasting stitching, the embroidered “Turbo” lettering on the headrests, the seat belts, the bezel of the Sport Chrono stopwatch and the vehicle key wallet.
The aluminium PDK gear selector has further been intricately finished with leather in Garnet Red and a “Macan Turbo Exclusive Performance Edition” logo has been added to the customised door entry trim strips and the dashboard trim. The front seats, rear seating and steering wheel are heated as standard. The Macan Turbo Exclusive Performance Edition has limited availability and is available to order now from your local official Porsche centre. First deliveries begin in January 2018.
It's a truth not universally acknowledged that old Boxsters are bonkers cheap. Which is probably one reason why Arizona-based Stärke has started chopping them up and turning them into 356 recreations. May we present the Stärke Revolution Speedster.
Stärke says any 986 or 987 Boxster from 1997 onwards can be used as a basis for the conversion. The idea is pretty simple. Take modern Porsche engineering and performance, add classic '50s style and you might just have the ultimate weekend toy.
Multiple options are available, starting with the Speedster CS for $59,950, plus the cost of the Boxster donor car. That buys you a full rebody made from custom laminated glassfibre panels, with a handwelded body subframe underneath. The paint job, meanwhile, is said to be a show quality two-stage finish buffed to a mirror shine.
Inside, the images show a cabin clearly based on the 987 Boxster. It's not clear if 986-based conversions will take their interior cues from the earlier model. Either way, the wheels are bespoke 18-inch Stärke items and the headlights modern Xenon units for maximum performance. The list of custom cosmetic and functional options is virtually infinite, but examples include full leather interior cladding, LED headlights and a full carbon-fibre body. As for performance, well, that depends on your choice of Boxster. But with models up to 320hp easily available, sufficient power can certainly be on tap.
Of course, this isn't the first time Porsche's modern mid-engined models have been respun to look like a 356. As we covered in a previous issue of 911&PW, Californian shop West Coast Customs did the very same thing in reportedly converting a 987 Cayman into a 356 for none other than teen sensation Justin Bieber.
If the Stärke Revolution grabs your fancy, head on over to www.starkespeedster.com to find out more. Deposits for build slots start at $2500 and, when you consider how cheaply early Boxsters can be acquired, the end result would be an awful lot of visual and driving bang for your buck.