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If you are a Porsche fan and have a thirst to know everything you can about the brand, then this is your lucky day. The German automaker has decided to share 36 facts you didn’t know about the company, the 919 hybrid and its achievements at Le Mans.

Some of them are really interested such as what the 919 Hybrid has in common with the power supply of a village, How many times has the company won Le Mans and how many hollywood actors participated in Le Mans with a Porsche race car.

Here are the 36 facts as described by Porsche:

1 The initial roll-out of the first 919 was done by Porsche works driver Timo Bernhard on June 12 in 2013 at the Weissach test track. A little over two years later, he became world endurance champion with the further developed Le Mans prototype.

3 Hollywood stars entered Le Mans with Porsche. Steve McQueen’s attempt made it in to the cinema in 1971, Paul Newman came overall second in 1979 while Patrick Dempsey also climbed the 2015 podium, finishing second in the GTE-AM class.

3.2 hours is the average time each of the Porsche LMP drivers spend on a massage bed during the 24-hour race.

4 Porsche LMP team members were the small delegation visiting Le Mans in 2013 for research purposes one year before the return to the top category. They witnessed the first win of a works Porsche since 1998 when the 911 RSR won the GT class.

5 people were on board at the end of 2011 when Porsche, under the guidance of Fritz Enzinger, began to prepare for the LMP return. Since 2015 the team’s head count is 260 with 160 of them being engineers.

6 Porsche LMP drivers in three bedrooms: two drivers each share a container behind the pit box to rest and sleep. A shared bathroom is included. Quietness is not an option.

8 megajoules from energy recovery systems per lap in Le Mans is the highest category from the efficiency regulations. Porsche was the first – and for a long time – only manufacturer in that category. The trendsetting challenge behind this: the more electrical power the 919 uses, the less fuel it is allowed to burn.

10 At 10pm on 10 June 2015 Neel Jani set off for the first Le Mans qualifying session. He lapped the circuit in 3:16.887 minutes – which remains a record time.

12 men were the advance guard that began on 23rd May 2017, almost four weeks before the race, to build up the two-floor steel hall behind the Porsche LMP pit box. On May 30, a convoy of eight semi-trailers arrived containing the race cars and the entire equipment. For the test day on June 4, everything has to be in place.

14 gigabyte of data is sent by each 919 to the pits during the 24 hours.

15 minutes before the 919’s maiden race, at Silverstone in 2014, Team Principal Andreas Seidl spun his tension into a funny quote: “That’s one small step for mankind, but one giant leap for Porsche – we’ve got two LMP1 cars on the grid!”

19.9 kilograms is the weight of a rim with tyre. Mechanic Rainer Mühlhäuser manages to pick up a used wheel and attach a new one by using only one hand respectively. Since he did that at the opening WEC race in Silverstone, others down the pit lane are practicing this truly impressive feat.

20 hours in to the race when car number 20 took the lead in 2014. 20 minutes after Mark Webber had begun his final stint, he brought home this number 20 car on electric drive – engine failure. 20 minutes later the number 14 sister car suffered a gearbox failure.

20:32 was the time in complete darkness on December 9 in 2013 when Mark Webber started his first ever lap at the wheel of an LMP1 car on a circuit he had never driven on. This Portimão test was a turning point: The 919 Hybrid’s initial V4 engine had caused heavy vibrations. By December, the problem was solved.

25 On October 10 in 2014, practice day in Fuji, the team congratulated Brendon Hartley for his 25th birthday – including presents. Unfortunately, it was one month early.

30 stops for refuelling and ten stops for changing tyres and drivers is anticipated for each Porsche 919 Hybrid during the Le Mans race.

54 consecutive laps Romain Dumas as well as Neel Jani were at the wheel of the winning car at night during the 2016 Le Mans. Due to safety car periods, Dumas’ stint was exaggerated to the longest stint of all the Porsche LMP drivers. It lasted from 00:13 hrs until 03:38 hrs. That’s almost the duration of two Formula 1 Grands Prix.

60/40 Around 60 per cent of the 919 Hybrid’s recovered energy comes from the front brakes, around 40 per cent is provided by the exhaust system.

65 people form the Porsche LMP Team’s operational crew at a six-hour race. At the Le Mans 24-Hours this number is 90.

90 degree is the cylinder angle of the 919 Hybrid’s V4 combustion engine. But its operating mode is one of a steep standing “boxer” engine.

100% At the 2015 final WEC round in Bahrain, both throttle barrel levers broke on the Timo Bernhard/Brendon Hartley/Mark Webber car. The fact that the three drivers still reached the chequered flag and became world champions was thanks to a mechanic’s clever idea and quick thinking engineers: mechanics had locked the barrels on full throttle – by putting two pliers into the engine, fixed with cable straps – while engineers were busy programming in real time to keep the car running.

239 On November 30 2014, Mark Webber was on lap 239 at the season’s finale in São Paulo when he suffered the worst crash of his entire career.

248 After 248 laps in São Paulo, Neel Jani in the sister car, scored the first race win of the Porsche 919 Hybrid.

395 laps were covered by Earl Bamber/Nico Hülkenberg/Nick Tandy on their way to win the 2015 Le Mans 24-Hours. The three LMP rookies agreed before the race that they each drive the speed they were comfortable while trying to avoid hitting anything. This way a podium finish should be doable. The plan resulted in the first overall victory for Porsche since 1998.

397 laps is the longest distance ever covered during the Le Mans 24-Hours. The 2010 winners all had a Porsche junior background (Timo Bernhard/Romain Dumas/Mike Rockenfeller). They shared an Audi when they covered the 5,410.713 kilometres.

> 400 HP contribute the two different energy recovery systems (front axle brakes and exhaust). On demand, an electric engine powers the front axle and turns the 919 Hybrid in to what is in effect, a temporary four-wheel drive car.

< 500 HP is the output of the 919’s turbo charged petrol engine that drives the rear axle.

919 The 919 Hybrid is the only LMP1 that regains energy not only when braking but also when accelerating, thanks to exhaust energy recovery.

1900 was the year when Ferdinand Porsche created the first car with a serial hybrid drive. Its name “Semper Vivus” translates to “always alive”. Two-wheel hub electric engines (20 ampere at 90 volt each) and a battery were constantly serving two combustion engines by a dynamo. At the 1901 Semmering hill climb race, an improved version of the Lohner Porsche prototype comfortably achieved the best time of an electric car. Afterwards a small series of two-seater electric compact cars were built.

2013 For two hours the smell would linger for if a driver broke wind in the car commented Neel Jani – unhappy with the cockpit ventilation of the first test car back in 2013.

22,984 shifts (up and down shifting) of the winning Porsche 919 Hybrid’s gearbox during the 2016 Le Mans 24-Hours.

62,000 kilowatt hours of electrical energy have been recuperated by Porsche 919 Hybrids during a total mileage of 321,000 kilometres (testing and race weekends) from their two energy recovery systems (brake energy from the front axle and exhaust energy). If the 919 was a “power station”, this energy would have been the capacity to power a village of 15 houses, each occupied by four people, for an entire year.

120,000 revs and more per minute of the turbine that sits in the exhaust and drives a generator. To recover energy also at low engine revs, the turbine has variable geometry. The turbo charger instead works without VTG.
128,000 kilometres have been completed by various variants of the Porsche 919 Hybrid from early 2014 until the end of May 2017 during race weekends (including practice and qualifying).

193,000 kilometres from testing since 2013 add to this impressive tally.

243,000 kilometers had been clocked up by the identical specification of the Porsche 919 Hybrid’s water pump with no issue when it suddenly failed at 23:13 hrs in 2016 at Le Mans. At 01:56 hrs, Bernhard/Hartley/Webber returned to the race now 39 laps be-hind the leaders.

If you’ve made it this far, congratulations! You are a die-hard Porsche fan who will stop at nothing to understand everything in order to develop encyclopedic knowledge about one of the most respected names in motoring.

The one millionth Porsche 911 has rolled off the production line in Zuffenhausen, Germany. This is an incredible milestone for the company, which has improved on the 911 with each new iteration for the past 53 years, turning it into the most practical supercar on the market today.

The car, was of the Carrera S variant painted in a special Irish Green bodycolour. It is still owned by Porsche and will be placed in the automaker’s museum, after it embarks on an epic road trip across the globe, gracing places like the Scottish Highlands, the Nurburgring, as well as certain locations in the USA, China and other parts of the globe.

Speaking of the car that has made history for the nameplate, Dr Wolfgang Porsche, Chairman of the Supervisory Board at Porsche AG said, “54 years ago, I was able to take my first trips over the Grossglockner High Alpine Road with my father. The feeling of being in a 911 is just as enjoyable now as it was then. That’s because the 911 has ensured that the core values of our brand are as visionary today as they were in the first Porsche 356/1 from 1948.”

The 911 is still an important model for the German automaker. Its signature rear engine, rear-wheel-drive platform has proven to be favoured by customers and enthusiasts all around the world. According to Porsche, more than 70% of all 911 cars built to date are still in driveable condition, which is a testament to their appeal.

On the track, over half of all 30,000 race wins that Porsche accumulated in its Motorsports history can be accredited to the 911, it is considered a favourite of racing drivers and teams of numerous racing series around the world.

In 2016 alone, Porsche produced 32,365 cars of the 911 model. And the reason Porsche has been able to cope with market demand is due to its facility in Zuffenhausen. This is where the German manufacutrer builds all of its two-door cars. It also happens to be where the new Mission E car will be built too. The assembly workers are skilled at handling 200 different tasks on the production line. Their knowledge, skills, work ethic and attention to detail are the reason why Porsche is able to produce a sizable volume of vehicles while ensuring that quality control does not suffer.

Porsche has exceeded its own expectations this year by achieving increased revenue, number of employees and vehicle deliveries compared to the same period last year. Its profit margin grew from 16.7% to 17.6%, operating results increased by 8% and revenue increased by 2% to EUR 5.5 billion (RM 26.1 billion).

This year, Porsche managed to sell more vehicles than it did during the same period last year by reporting a 7% increase which equates to 59,689 vehicles. During the same time, the German automaker’s workforce grew by 13% to a total of 28,249 employees.

Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board and Member of the Executive Board for Finance and IT at Porsche AG, Lutz Meschke, said, “This exceptionally good result is a seamless continuation of our record year in 2016, and we have once again exceeded an already high level.”

The automaker attributed much of its success this year to the attractive pricing of its vehicles, which include the Panamera. The most popular of its variants where the plug-in hybrid and the Sport Turismo. Porsche is also adamant that the addition of electric propulsion vehicles in its product portfolio has not taken anything away anything from the spirit and principles of the company. Any vehicle that bears the Porsche badge, will offer the best performance and handling characteristics that it has to offer. An electric or hybrid Porsche will be able to utilize the best technology available to deliver peak performance to drivers as and when needed.

The Stuttgart based automaker expects to see moderate growth in revenue and vehicle delivers this year provided that the foreign exchange rates remain stable. Porsche says that it requires at least a 15% profit margin to maintain its current running costs and position as one of the most profitable automotive manufacturers in the world.

The Nordschleife race track in Germany has become the main proving ground of manufacturers looking to be crowned the king of supercars. Automakers and teams from all over the world head to the the legendary race track with their latest and greatest creations to one up the competition.

Referred to as ‘The Green Hell’by Formula 1 legend, Sir Jackie Stewart, the Nordschleife gained notoriety over the past few decades for punishing driver and car for the slightest mistake and taking the lives of many others who have pushed just a little too hard around several of its merciless corners.

That is exactly why Porsche took its latest 911 GT3 there for a few hot laps. Porsche believes that if you can drive fast on the Nordschleife, you can drive at that speed anywhere else in the world. And after its first day on track, the car achieved a time of 7 minutes and 12.7 seconds, blitzing the record of its predecessor by an astonishing 12.3 seconds. Surprisingly, the new 911 was in stock configuration and had no work done or given performance upgrades before it went on track.

The new 911 is equipped with a 500bhp naturally aspirated engine that is mated to a Porsche 7-speed PDK gearbox. It comes with rear-axle steering and Michelin Sport Cup 2N1 tyres, which allow the car to cling to the road with relative ease.

Speaking of the accolade, Frank-Steffen Walliser, Vice President Motorsport and GT cars at Porsche, said, “By achieving this time, we have emphatically proven that the new 911 GT3 not only provides the best driving experience, but can also deliver an impressive performance on the Nordschleife. The focus was on optimising the driving quality and adapting to the slight increase in engine power.”

This won’t be Porsche’s only outing, expect more record shattering feats from the new 911 in the coming months, which would cause a few sleepless nights for some in Italy.

Porsche has teamed up with the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) by committing to a multi-year partnership. This agreement will see the German automaker become the official and exclusive automotive partner of the WTA and the new title partner of the Porsche Race to Singapore”.

The Porsche Race to Singapore which is a leaderboard, used to be known as the Race to Singapore, and will, for the whole season, display the names of eight of the most successful singles and doubles players competing in the 57 tournaments that make up the WTA. The best results of each player from each tournament will play a part in determining if they qualify for the WTA finals in Singapore. Each tournament represents one lap on the leaderboard and the respective tournament is given its own ‘pit lane board’ displaying the lap number or in this case the number of the tournament with respect to the total for the season.

The player that heads this leaderboard with the most points at the end of the ’57th lap’ race will win a place in Singapore for the finals and will also be awarded a new Porsche 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet.

“The title sponsorship of the Porsche Race to Singapore contributes to the internationalization of our engagement in women’s tennis. It intensifies our successful partnership with the WTA and enriches it with a new attractive element,” said Detlev von Platen, member of the Executive Board responsible for Sales and Marketing at Porsche AG. “Alongside our national activities and the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix’s worldwide presence, this new element provides value and visibility throughout the entire year in women´s tennis.”

Currently, the Porsche Race to Singapore is being led by Czech Karolina Pliskova, with victories in Brisbane and Doha. Caroline Wozniacki occupies second place after finishing runner-up in Doha, Dubai and Miami. Johanna Konta, the Miami winner, is third.

We will need to watch the entire season to see who finally drives home the shiny new Porsche 911, but expect some tough battles as players vie to be crowned champion at the end of the season.

Porsche has announced its new driver line-up for the upcoming season of the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship. After three years without change, the German automaker has decided to shake things up a bit for the 2017 Porsche LMP Team. Driving the No.1 Porsche 919 Hybrid are Neel Jani, Andre Lotterer and Nick Tandy.

Jani, is currently joint WEC champion and 2016 Le Mans winner. But he isn’t the only drive with winning experience, teammate Lotterer was the 2012 world champion with the Audi team, while Tandy was part of the winning Porsche team at Le Mans in 2015.

The driver line-up for the No.2 Porsche is made up of 2015 world champion Timo Bernhard and new Zealanders Earl Bamber and Brendon Hartley. In 2015, Bamber claimed joint victory with Tandy at Le Mans and in the same year Hartley partnered Bernhard to win the World Endurance title.

Porsche has some serious championship experience with both teams of drivers and will probably be a formidable foe for the upcoming season. The Stuttgart based team has just completed testing at the a number of circuits such as Valencia (Spain), Aragon(Spain), Vallelunga (Italy) and the Paul Ricard circuit in France. Look out for more news of the team soon.

 

 

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Porsche has made some changes for 2017 with regards to the optional extras for its vehicles which include new colours for the exteriors and interiors as well as power upgrades for the 911S range.

Starting with its new colour palette for this year, Crayon is a colour that’s available for all 911 and 718 models. Reserved for the 911 range is the four-coat paint in Saffron Yellow Metallic with intermediate sanding. If you opt for the optional sports exhaust, Porsche can paint the tailpipes in high-gloss black. As for the interior, the company has expanded the range to include Sport-Tex equipment in Black or Graphite Blue/Crayon.

As far as the Cayenne is concerned, the colour range now includes Purpurite Metallic and Palladium Metallic. It’s baby sister, the Macan, receives leather interior in Black/Luxor Beige. New exterior and interior colours are also available for the Panamera which gets Burgundy Red Metallic and Ristretto Brown Metallic as well as leather interior with Black/Luxor Beige. But if you’ve decided on the club leather, then you can also choose to have it in either Cohiba Brown or Truffle Brown.

And now for the power bit. Porsche say that for all new 911 Carrera S, 911 Carrera 4S and 911 Targa 4S models, it offers a kit that will offer a power bump of 30bhp to 450bhp. The kit is said to include larger turbochargers, the Sport Chrono package including dynamic engine mountings, a modified brake cooling system and the sports exhaust system with two central tailpipes. What might excite those who’ve already purchased an S model 911 with a Chrono pack, starting from June 2017, this power increase is available for purchase via Porsche Tequipment as a retrofit option.

Sime Darby Auto Performance (SDAP) has officially launched the new 3S Porsche Centre Penang on 16th March 2017. The 35,575 sq ft facility is located along Jalan Baru in Seberang Perai and can be accessed from Penang island with the use of the first Penang bridge.

The RM15 Million facility boasts impressive capabilities such as a showroom with a capacity to display 10 cars, two air-conditioned dialogue bays and an after sales reception equipped with a Carrera Lounge. The service section of the facility features 9 service bays and a warehouse for spare parts. A welcomed addition to the centre is the Porsche Driver’s Selection shop where visitors are able to shop for their favourite Porsche branded apparel, personal accessories and toy models.

Speaking of the new facility, Arnt Bayer, Chief Executive Officer of Simer Darby Auto Performance, said, “We are thrilled to be moving into Penang with our third Porsche Centre in Malaysia.” He later added, “This new 3S Porsche Centre will enable us to deliver a higher level of customer satisfaction and a unique ownership experience for all Porsche owners and enthusiasts in the northern region.”

Martin Limpert (above, right), Managing Director of Porsche Asia Pacific, said: “The new Porsche Centre Penang marks another milestone for the Porsche growth in Malaysia and is a bold statement of SDAP’s commitment. I strongly believe in the long-term potential for Porsche in Malaysia and I am convinced that this latest addition to the Porsche dealer network will support our growth path and assure an outstanding customer experience.”

If your pockets are deep enough to own a Porsche and you happen to be in Penang, take the time to visit this impressive facility to enjoy all the ammenities that the centre has to offer.

SDAP ushers in its latest offering for Malaysian Porsche enthusiasts, the manic new Porsche Cayman GT4. (more…)

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