It’s heartbreaking. You can see the other car coming before the teenager can. You can’t warn them. You can’t save them. And neither could the researchers who had to watch these troublesome last seconds before impact.

Watch this video. Share it with your kids. And your friends. Don’t forget to tell yourself that you need to learn this lesson, too. Over and over. For every year of safe driving, we tell ourselves that we don’t need to be so vigilant any more. We’re a pro. We can take some leeway. So we look down at our phones. We answer a text. We pick up a call. And we too are oblivious in those final seconds. Before impact.

This video will make you never use your phone at the wheel again.
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The study looked at 1,700 crashes. The data came from dashboard cameras that teenagers voluntarily agreed to put in their cars. For the first few days they probably drove safer. They sat up straighter. They checked their blind spots. And they stopped using their phones while driving.

Then they got used to the cameras. They forgot why they were there. They slipped back into their normal selves. They slouched more. Drove drowsy more. Checked their phones more. Let their minds wander more. And it happened.

The study was conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. The sad thing is how oblivious most drivers were before impact. How blissful. How calm. They were safe drivers up to that point. Many had probably never been in a collision before. Their driving record was spotless. Points on their license were zero. They were “good drivers.”

Seeing their eyes go suddenly wide is arresting. They snap to full attention. Hands plead frantically with the wheel. But it’s too late. The car is now hostile. It rotates heedlessly across lanes. It’s apparent that the driver has completely lost all control. They are now captive. Chained to the potentially lethal fate that awaits.

This heartbreaking video shows what happens when you text and drive.
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A few seconds ago, they would have been fine. A few seconds is all a crash needs to weasel its way between you and the wheel. A few seconds are fraught with lethality. A few seconds.

Share this video. Remind yourselves to stay safe.

The post Video Shows Lethal Nature of Driving While Using Phone appeared first on Leith Porsche Blog.

On the one hand, it’s like watching Darth Vader being built. On the other, it’s like zooming around a very cold, grey version of Pee-Wee’s playhouse where no one talks and certainly no one screams the word of the day.

A new video showing how 911 engines are assembled in Zuffenhausen is exactly the type of hushed-tone, metals-clinking, pressurized-air jet zinging assembly line work that you would want to see regarding your 911.

What might surprise you is that it’s mostly work performed by people, albeit heavily aided by machines. Rarely do you see anyone seriously strain to perform an action. Even as they wield machinery that weighs hundreds of pounds, they do so as deftly as a piece of pie is passed from one person to another at a summer’s afternoon picnic.

A lot of tools seem to hang in the air from rubber hoses. A section of the engine swings into position in front of a worker who then performs his six or seven little tasks. He then swings it back and away it goes, whisked off to its next caretaker.

It’s a great example of how Germany rewards its high-tech manufacturing jobs. Though machines are instrumental, the skillfulness with which they are wielded comes only from a highly-trained worker. It’s also reassuring, as a Porsche owner, to see your future engine laboriously and meticulously put together by hand.

Toward the end you can even see pieces that a layman can identify: spark plugs inserted into their cylinders; throttle bodies sitting on top like a crown jewel; the central flywheel ready to meet its transmission; and air hoses all over the top to create the sonorous warble of a Porsche flat-six.

It’s enough to make to make a full-grown person suck in their breath. If only they let us hear one of these beauties! Better still, get yourself over to Leith Porsche in Cary to hear one for yourself in person.

The post Video: Seeing 911 Engines Built By Hand Is Too Awesome for Life appeared first on Leith Porsche Blog.

Not to be overly broad, but Porsche’s target demographic for the 918 Spyder is anyone with a heartbeat. It kind of looks like an Audi R8, which is one of the most gorgeous cars in existence. It has top-mounted exhausts that blast blue jet fumes like a rocket. It can go from stationary to 60 mph in 2.2 seconds. That’s Porsche’s way of saying, “Zero to sixty in one second? We are this close.”

It’s also Porsche’s way of saying that this is a car you can’t have. Imagine if Apple made a revolutionary iPhone 7, and then announced it would be making only seven of them. That’s great news if you already own a space shuttle. Not so great if you know what FICA is.

We hate to break it to you, but it’s hard enough just to get a Macan at this point. They’re sold out for months in advance. The other day, whilst driving to Durham, we saw a Rolls-Royce on the highway. We expect to have more sightings of Rolls’ in our lifetime than we do of 918’s.

Nonetheless, in an effort to show what you can’t have, and maybe inspire you to call up your mother whom you already don’t talk to enough, and berate her for not pushing you harder as a child because maybe if she had you would be the type of person who could think about going to the bank and asking for a loan that would allow you to pay off half of your 918 Spyder before you die and pass on the second half to your children and children’s children—in an effort to get all of that in motion, a video has emerged so that you can watch the 918 being assembled deep in Porscheland.

The post Video Shows 918 Being Assembled In Factory Where All Dreams Come True appeared first on Leith Porsche Blog.

We have a weekly update video about progress on our new building’s construction, and it’s interesting to compare with last week’s video. One of the things that stood out to us when we talked with General Manager Jason Jones about the construction was the pacing of the work.

Tearing down the old Jaguar Land Rover building—the site of our new facilities—goes a lot faster than building the structure. For the first week or two, that’s where change could most easily be seen. As demolition settles down and we get into the work of building the showroom, most progress will be invisible to the average passerby until we pull the covers off.

We want people to be able to see this progress firsthand, however, so we have another time lapse video. Already you can see how the horizontal orientation of the new building dwarfs our old one beside it. Our goal for re-opening is still November. Until then, all business is still being handled out of our current showroom, same as it’s always been, and we are fully functional.

To hear directly from Jason and team about some of your frequently asked questions, check out our initial blog post. Here is this week’s video update. Enjoy!

The post The Work Continues: Construction Update for July 15 appeared first on Leith Porsche Blog.

We’re excited to continue the construction of our new showroom right next to our adjacent, old building. The ripping down of the old Jaguar Land Rover building has happened remarkably fast, and we hope that we haven’t annoyed our neighbors at Audi Cary too much. They’re a part of Leith, as well, so we’re sure they’re excited for us.

When all is finished, the trademark curvature of Porsche’s architecture will contrast nicely with the harsh, squared angles of Audi. The two brands will have the equal status they deserve, and Jaguar Land Rover will keep on as happy as sweet tea in a mason jar in their new digs. What will become of the old Porsche building? We’re still mulling that one over, as well.

To provide an update of the construction, we’ve prepared a new video for this week, as promised. We wanted to show the progression of time, so the natural call was to make a time-lapse video with a GoPro camera. Add to that some dreamy, ethereal tunes from a Porsche video about Le Mans, and we had something special to show the progress we’ve made from just a week ago.

Please stop by to see us—all business is happening like normal, and we’d love to catch up with you, and maybe show off the new Macan and/or Targa (if we have any left in stock!). Plus, we have Cars & Coffee happening this Saturday, July 12, 9:30-11:30 a.m., to talk about Porsche’s turbo technology.

Enjoy the video, and share it if you feel so inclined.

The post Leith Porsche Showroom Construction Update July 8-11 appeared first on Leith Porsche Blog.

We thought that we would take a break from our coverage of the Macan to talk about one of our other favorite sons these days, the Cayman GTS.

GTS is what Porsche does to all of its models, so there’s a tendency to say, “Yeah, yeah, it’s the ‘super-sporty one,’ but does it really make a difference?”

Yes. Yes it does.

Carbuzz claims that its writer was the first auto journalist to drive the Cayman GTS though one of the last to upload video, which would make them either very good or very bad at what they do. In their video, they take the vehicle through the “surprisingly good” roads of Black Forest and let us hear the comforting scream of the Porsche flat-six engine.

It’s this sound in particular that the video’s makers are impressed by. The Cayman itself is not new, having been introduced in 2006. Nor did the mid-engined, rear-wheel drive sports car get a significant model upgrade for this year. The video’s host noted that the new GTS didn’t receive an astounding bump in horsepower or torque, instead receiving only modest increases in both.

So what makes the six-cylinder engine reward your ears as well as it does? It’s hard to say exactly. Ever since Porsche made the switch from air- to water-cooled engines with the Boxster in 1997, fans have worried that liquid would muffle the raspy note that makes the old 911s such a pleasure to listen to. Porsche was meticulous about tuning those early Boxsters to ensure that not only would they hold up as true sports cars in the corners and flat-out—they also had to sound like a Porsche.

It’s this guarded note that the automaker so meticulously refines with every iteration of its vehicles. Somehow, for some reason, everything managed to come together in this new Cayman GTS to create one of the most self-actualizing vocalizations that we’ve heard in recent decades. (Side note: it also might be that only the Cayman GTS is allowed to sound like the Porsches of yore…)

In any case, we hope you enjoy the footage and are inspired to come try a Cayman for yourself.

The post Porsche Brings the Exhaust Note of Old Throttles to Cayman GTS appeared first on Leith Porsche Blog.

A few weeks ago, we stumbled onto one of the cooler modifications we’ve seen in a while. The happy crew of wide-eyed dreamers over at 8bitmiata.com put a quarter slot from an old arcade machine—possibly Galaga? Space Invaders? Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker?—so that by feeding the car a quarter, the engine starts. It still requires the key turn, but they’re working on eliminating that.

This got us thinking about how many awesome ways could exist to start your car. Automakers have only just now changed things up by introducing push-button start/stop after decades of iron-fisted turn-key rule. We want to inspire them with new ways to make turning over engines an awesome part of starting the car, so we’ve prepared a list for their—and your—consideration:

1. Slot machine lever

Few motions are as familiar to us as the lever that starts casino machines rolling. Even those of us who don’t gamble have seen the machines on TV or in movies, and this way every pull is sure to win! Feel the elation of cranking a giant machine to life with the yank of a sturdy lever, and if the starter dies, maybe the sad music from The Price is Right will play.

2. Pinball lever

Whereas most people today only know the game physics of Angry Birds or Flappy Birds, the deft half-foot motion of launching the pinball used to be as familiar to every American as 55 mph speed limits and Andy Rooney segments at the end of 60 Minutes.

3. Mini keyboard, a la Willy Wonka

The musical lock that Willy Wonka uses to guard his room of pure imagination is a clever little keyboard. Though Mike Teavee’s mom smugly declares it “Rachmaninoff,” it’s actually Mozart. Yours could be whatever you like.

4. Thumbprint/Retina Scan

This one wouldn’t take too much of a stretch of imagination. Thumbprint scanners have already been implemented into Apple’s iPhone 5S, and retina scan has been a staple of spy films since Mission: Impossible. While not the most fun, it would certainly be secure.

5. Puppy

Many automakers now have keyless starts so long as you have the fob with you. Why not put the fob on a dog collar and throw in a puppy with every sale? It gives you more of a bond with the vehicle, and also makes it impossible to leave your pup behind. Come to think of it, if you have a child you feel particularly attached to, you could put the collar on him or her.

6. Kick-start

Lots of people have memories of cars that only started if you got frustrated enough, stomped outside to the hood and gave the car a good kick in the grille. Or maybe pounding on the steering wheel in desperation was the only sure way to make it to work on time. Our sentimental favorite would require only a light bang on the dashboard, and you’re off! No fobs or keys required, and thieves would be utterly baffled.

7. Microchip

Welcome to the future. Forget this nonsense about keys, fobs, thumbs or even eyes. Just let an authorized dealer slip a tiny microchip under your skin and you and your car will be one. Forever. Or at least until you sell and have the chip deactivated. This is as hands-free as you can imagine, the ultimate in convenience, and dummy proof.

8. Ask it nicely

In an age of Tweets, anonymous Internet comments and text messages utterly devoid of grammar, the polite package would have a copy of Emily Post in the glovebox—along with a pair of driving gloves, probably—and would require you to say something like, “Good morning, Car. Would you please turn on for me today?” Just like that, you receive a daily dose of humanity which you’ll need when road rage rears its ugly head later on.

9. Toggle switch

These early-America controls have been banned by the federal government, which is really a shame since spaceships, boats, hovercrafts and futuristic vessels of all kinds used to require at least five toggle switches flipped to ON, each of which had a cool light above it to signify power flowing. Whatever the problem was with them, couldn’t it be solved by now?

10. Cut the blue wire

This one is the gift that keeps on giving. To start, you twist two wire ends together. To turn it off, you use a pair of special wire cutters to snip the blue—not the red—wire. Each and every time you’ll feel like an authentic 80s action star. You’ll probably have to replace wires every so often, but it sure beats some namby-pamby “fob.”

So there you have it; are there any we missed? Tell us what your cool idea is.

The post Starting a Car With an Arcade-Style Coin-Slot Would Be Awesome appeared first on Leith Porsche Blog.

Now that’s how you make a movie. Porsche made a video of driver Patrick Long taking the 918 Spyder through a lap or two at the Circuit of the Americas, and it’s a masterwork of visceral, first-person helmetcam and uber-fluid steady shots reminiscent of David Fincher.

The blend of HD shots as if you’re the driver, along with surreally floating external shots that make the 918 Spyder look like something from Star Wars, is stupendous, particularly because the video features no music. As the 918 Spyder shoots by one fixed camera out of a curve, we could have sworn we heard the wail of a pod racer from Episode 1: The Phantom Menace.

The utter silence of the video is its biggest asset because it accentuates the deserted seats and early morning haze that lurk about the track, and lets the scathing rise of the 918’s exhaust note flare and fade with plenty of echo. The steady shots which let the Spyder overtake a vehicle, then blast out in front of it, are especially fun to watch. Why, oh why, are we sitting at a desk?

It’s eerie to watch the 918 roll away while you’re in the front seat with Long because at that moment the 918—as a quasi-hybrid—is acting purely by its electric motor, and thus is silent. But when the 874-hp 4.7-liter V-8 turns on you definitely know it, and the result is the most fun two-minute video you’ll watch today. We’re already planning our route home.

This video is a great way to rediscover your love of driving by reminding you what it can be, and possibly was meant to be. Lots of properly-revved downshifts and early braking in the turns, then full-out throttle in the exits.

The post Screaming 918 Spyder Video Reminds Us of David Fincher, Pod Races appeared first on Leith Porsche Blog.

Well, goodbye to all that. There’s a certain world-weariness that emerges in the cavernous reaches of winter in Raleigh. We like sweet tea. We like humidity. We like mint. Snow falls, and ice drops. Sleet rains and rain stings. These are alien notions to Southern democracy—neither what we stand for, nor what we’ll stand for—if we had our druthers. Be that as it may, winter appears every single year, and demands that we have vehicles equipped for it.

We’ve been banging the freezing drum for winter tires for several months now, hoping that as people in front-wheel drive vehicles derisively pass the luxury brands with rear-wheel drive, our hallowed badge will not be numbered among them. The Porsche that reclines in a ditch is a Porsche neither properly driven, nor properly outfitted, and if we have one goal today it is to present videographic evidence that not a single Porsche model should be found in the doubter’s camp, not even the newest and most recently presented, the Macan.

Fortunately, the company Youtube account has released a video attesting to the wintry conditions that the Macan has been proven under. It is our hope that when subjected to the most strenuous of conditions at temperatures consistently below 30 degree Celsius, not that we would find a vehicle with no flaws. But rather that we would find those flaws burst open in all their hitherto concealed abandonment, and thereby ready a vehicle that can handle such things as Banff, Detroit, Vostok, International Falls, Fraser, Barrow or even Raleigh.

And truly, as you see the beautiful basalt black metallic exteriors of the Macan held under the steel-tearing grip of the polar circle, you’ll wonder what in the blazes these engineers are doing. Can any good come out of the winter? You’ll see.

The post Macan Undergoes Polar Circle Stress Tests appeared first on Leith Porsche Blog.

Mystery will get you anywhere.

There is a super cool campaign being run by a Dutch agency with an even cooler name (ACHTUNG! which is German for “attention.”) The idea is simple: would you trade your current car for a brand new Porsche without knowing what the Porsche is?

ACHTUNG! is betting that a lot of people will because of a stat that impressed them some time ago. Apparently, “40% of Panameras had been pre-ordered before the model had even hit the road.” Given the fervor of preorders that the Boxster provoked back in the late 90s, the anticipation for the Macan and the joyous reception of the new Targa by the faithful, we can believe it. Porsche owners, it seems, are a happy-go-lucky bunch who are serious about the brand.

What makes this blind trade so enticing is that it could be any new Porsche—Boxster, Cayman, 911, Cayenne, Panamera, Macan or even the 918 Hybrid. Yeah. We know. The 918 Hybrid is insane.

The game works like this: every two days since the beginning of the contest—March 3—ACHTUNG! will reveal a clue about the mystery model. However, the earlier you decide to trade, the greater your chance for winning. This will go on for three weeks until the winner is announced on March 31.

According to the agency, about 2,000 people signed up in the first hour of the game, so demand is high. Winning constitutes a clean trade; the agency takes ownership of your car, and you get the Porsche model outright.

It’s a pretty awesome idea, and once you watch the video above you’ll find yourself dialing your significant other to alert them to your plans. Just make sure you don’t leave anything valuable in your car before you give it if you win.

If you speak Dutch, you’re more than welcome to head over to the campaign’s page for more information and to see how much time remains.

The post Would You Do A Porsche Blind Trade? appeared first on Leith Porsche Blog.