Not for the faint hearted: Frankfurt supercars
Porsche 911 Turbo/911 GT3 RS Porsche’s Frankfurt stand is the busiest in years with three new 911s and the first official showing of the ungainly Panamera saloon. Two of those 911s in particular get our attention here: the Turbo and GT3 RS both going about the business of going extremely fast but taking completely different […]
Porsche 911 Turbo/911 GT3 RS
Porsche’s Frankfurt stand is the busiest in years with three new 911s and the first official showing of the ungainly Panamera saloon. Two of those 911s in particular get our attention here: the Turbo and GT3 RS both going about the business of going extremely fast but taking completely different routes. The letters RS added to any 911 are certain to get Porsche fans a bit excited and the GT3 RS is no different to its predecessors. It’s fast because it’s light, meaning it can make the most of its 450bhp. Built to allow Porsche to take its 911 racing, the GT3 RS is about as close to a racecar for the road as you can get. It’s not about 0-62mph times here, or top speeds; the RS is all about lap times, so expect it to set a standard-setting Nurburgring time soon.
The 911 Turbo is a completely different proposition. With its new 3.8-litre capacity flat-six featuring turbocharging and its power delivered to the road via a clever four-wheel drive system, the 911 Turbo is ridiculously quick. It’s a good deal more civilised than the hardcore GT3 RS and doesn’t look so lairy either thanks to the lack of red wheels, stickers and a preposterous rear wing. No, the Turbo is a bit quieter about going fast, but it can reach 62mph in 3.4 seconds and hit a top speed of 194mph. Expect those figures to be a touch on the conservative side, too.
But which 911 to choose? Why not have both, with the RS costing around £80,000 and the Turbo £100,000 they’re relatively inexpensive in this company.
Audi e-tron
Frankfurt was all about electric cars so a battery-powered supercar has to be included here. Among the Teslas and the promise of an all-electric Mercedes-Benz SLS, the real plug-in star of the Frankfurt show is Audi’s e-tron. The shape suggests R8, but underneath those familiar lines is a completely electric drivetrain. It’s the slowest car to 62mph in this company, but with a time of 4.8 seconds it’s certainly no slouch off the line. Top speed too is pegged back to 124mph to conserve battery power, but that’s no issue in the UK with its 70mph limit.
The pleasure from the e-tron will be in the way it accelerates, the electric motor giving instantaneous response. Each wheel has a motor, the combined output of them being 313bhp. What’s most impressive though is the e-tron’s quoted range, Audi claiming it’ll manage around 153 miles on a single charge. It’s not just a concept either as Audi is contemplating making a few for people to buy. They’re unlikely to have some of the concept’s more futuristic features, but the e-tron might reach the showroom sooner than you’d think.
uk.cars.yahoo.com