Photo: Darel Parker

All the world is aflutter right now over the 911 GT3 RS, but you know what? It’s a butterfly car. Unless you live in Pacific Grove, California, that’s probably not going to be your car. In Pacific Grove, naturally-aspirated $175,000 racecars fit right in with the Monterey car week and Laguna Seca raceway. If that’s your bag, then by all means google the GT3 RS until your arm won’t move anymore.

Just for reference, the 911 GT3 RS

What we thought was more interesting, was Porsche’s 25 percent purchase stake in Capricorn Composite GmbH. As that tell-tale four-letter word indicates, this is a German company. Specifically, this is a company that specializes in carbon fiber production and other components, many of which found their way into the 918 Spyder.

Carbon fiber has long been a fancy add-on for looks’ sake. But as we roll into 2020’s governmental deadlines for fuel consumption, this material’s light weight and similarity to steel’s tensile strength will make it a major asset in the construction of cars.

News: Porsche bought 25% of a carbon fiber company.
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Put simply, carbon fiber is lighter than steel and just as strong. With increasing government pressure to reduce carbon emissions, entire frames or body panels could be made of carbon fiber instead of steel, thus keeping the car light without sacrificing safety.

Porsche already owns 10 percent in Capricorn’s main carbon fiber competitor, SGL Carbon SE. It appears that Porsche wanted to increase its ownership stake there, but was blocked by other investors in SGL, namely a rag-tag scooter outfit called BMW and private parties with ties to BMW. Porsche therefore had to get a bit creative and come up with another supplier.

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Astute readers will remember that Porsche’s most recent investment was in September 2014 when it bought 10 percent of traffic data cruncher Inrix, located in Seattle. Hardware and software are thus necessary to future product developments.

If you prefer steel cars without a bunch of fancy tech, you can get a base level Porsche such as the Cayman today. The lack of options might actually make it a rarity 10 years from now.

The post You Might Know Why Porsche Is Investing In Carbon Fiber Before 2020 appeared first on Leith Porsche Blog.

Photo: CAR Magazine

A second source is confirming our report from two weeks ago that Porsche is developing a “717” battery electric vehicle similar to Tesla’s Model S. CAR Magazine is strapping on its “me-too” pants and boldly saying that, yes, Tesla might be onto something and Porsche is exploring the space.

While many articles online will document the technical details that are under consideration, we want to focus on an aspect that no one else is talking about: form.

The original design of the 911, one of the most iconic in automotive history, was based on the rear placement of the engine. All vehicles are structured around the placement of the engine. So when you add in topographic battery pouches and electric motors, can you still be a Porsche?

Obviously, any new designs have to connect with existing design language. No one is going to buy a Porsche that looks like a Prius. However, Porsche engineering excels when form follows function. Letting the engineers push the constraints of the body to the limit is how we got class-leading vehicles like the Macan and Cayman GT4.

The Porsche 717 will be grounded upon Volkswagen Group’s MSB architecture, the spiritual successor to the popular MQB platform that delivers outstanding results in the Audi A3 and Volkswagen Golf GTI, among others. The MSB frame will also support the Panamera Mk2 and new Bentley Continental.

Those are hefty cars, however, and the 717 is supposed to be smaller than the Panamera. The Panamera is already, at its heaviest, 200 lbs. lighter than the Model S. Porsche will also be able to draw resources from QuantumScape, a California battery-innovator that is partially owned by Volkswagen. QuantumScape is working on solid state batteries that provide three times the range of the lithium-ion batteries that Tesla uses.

While this battery technology is not ready yet, the 2018 or 2019 launch date of the Porsche 717 leaves some time. All this geek trivia will feed into Porsche’s designers, along with a constant stream of Red Bull, or whatever German engineerss drink. Will they have the license to create something truly iconic, nearly 60 years after the 911 originally appeared?

We hope so. The engine changes provide an opportunity to do so. We wonder, however, if pressure from its Volkswagen owners to continue being a profit center will outweigh the chance to be risky and historic. Ironically, the smash financial success of the Macan might prevent Porsche from being hungry enough to go for greatness.

Seize this opportunity to snap up a used Porsche in North Carolina by visiting our showroom. Enjoy life!

The post Will the Porsche 717 Electric Sedan Change Porsche’s Design Language? appeared first on Leith Porsche Blog.

We like to leave you laughing, preferably from jokes and some sort of twist on news about Porsche.

Traffic collisions and injuries aren’t light topics, but a safety study from AAA says that Americans’ driving behavior isn’t getting better these days—if anything it’s getting worse—so we’re here to talk about safety again.

But here’s the thing: you already know the stats. You know that being on your phone vastly increases the chance of you hitting someone.

You know that driving drowsy makes you just as physically disabled as driving drunk, and you definitely know that driving while intoxicated is as sensible as smoking while pumping gas.

So why do we keep doing it?

The reason is something called cognitive stupidity. Scientists at Leith University (not a real place) conducted a study on 50,000 drivers in Cary. Drivers were asked to drive 10 feet. Upon completion, drivers were quizzed on whether they experienced a collision. 100 percent of respondents reported not experiencing a collision, and the same 100 percent said they felt more confident about not experiencing collisions in the future.

“I was amazed that nothing bad happened,” said Darryl Carter, a vending machine stocker for Aramark. “At first I was nervous, but after about nine feet I felt a lot of tension leave my body, and I just kind of relaxed all over.”

Participants cited feeling “like a pro,” “better drivers than their parents,” and “not some snot-nosed teenager,” while behind the wheel.

Stephanie Aranofski of city said her ability to multi-task while driving has totally changed.

“People with their hands at 10 and 2 like a gold-star boy scout don’t know me, and they don’t know my life. I’m a great driver, and I have things to DO. Do you have to make dinner after the gym while emailing your boss? Stay out of my lane.”

This is a silly example (thanks for indulging us), but is also how we actually think.

We run multiple errands a day, don’t get collisions, and think we’ve found a better way. We have reinvented driving. Safety is old-fashioned. Emergency rooms aren’t going to happen. Crashes happen on TV.

So do us a favor. Remind yourself that you’re a human. Tell your family to get off your back. You have to drive like Grandma if you want to reach Grandma’s age.

Final note:

• AAA’s 2015 Traffic Safety Culture Index says that 81 percent of people say drowsy driving is totally unacceptable, and yet 3 in 10 of us do it. Two out of three people say speeding is unacceptable and 44 percent admit doing it. Voice-texting is 21 percent more logic-intensive than regular texting. And regular texting while driving is just dumb.

Now that your mind is in the right place, do the same for your Porsche. Head over from Raleigh and schedule your next Porsche service appointment so that nothing will take you by surprise.

The post AAA: Americans Would Rather Talk Safe Than Drive Safe appeared first on Leith Porsche Blog.

We have felt the tremors. Across the Atlantic Ocean, deep in the heart of Germany, a fissure in the earth’s crust is emerging:

We are hearing discussion of an all-electric Porsche sedan.

Now, to be clear, we’ve already heard tell of a sedan being considered. It was supposed to arrive in 2018 or 2019. It was supposed to come in diesel, gasoline or hybrid versions. It was supposed to be called the Pajun. And it was supposed to have an all-electric version as an option only.

However, Tesla’s P85D has grabbed a lot of attention lately with videos of people aghast over its acceleration. It is being talked about as the fastest stock sedan available. And it’s cementing Tesla as a major player in the high-end automotive space.

No one knows for certain what Stuttgart will decide but German magazine Auto Motor und Sport has been the first to report this new item under consideration. An electric-only car would be a huge departure for Porsche that would force a rethinking of how Porsche does pretty much everything.

Vastly important to this plan will be the state of battery technology. Many automakers are planning future electric models based on a range of the low-to-mid 200 miles. However, the more that automakers order batteries, the less expensive those batteries will become. Falling battery prices increase the likelihood that more R&D money will pour into the tech, which could increase the range.

Interestingly, Tesla’s forthcoming “if-you-build-it-they-will-come” battery gigafactory in Nevada will only survive if other automakers begin to place orders, as well (either that or a lot of people will have to start ordering Teslas). It could very well be that Porsche and other automakers will depend on Tesla for batteries just as Apple and other phone makers depend on Samsung to manufacture their CPUs.

In any case, we’ll keep you updated if Porsche’s interest in EVs intensifies. As the pre-eminent Porsche retailer in Cary, we welcome all questions.

The post A 250-Mile Electric-Only Porsche Sedan Could Arrive in 2018 appeared first on Leith Porsche Blog.

Photo: Dedesporsches

It’s a classic question: if you could own any Porsche, which would you choose? But that’s not really the question. The real question is not which Porsche, but which Porsche 911?

It seems strange to think that the 911 hasn’t existed for as long as cars have, or at least as long as Porsche itself. Newbies typically think that the 911 was the very first Porsche, the original DNA that everything has flowed out of.

In fact, Porsche did not produce the 911 until roughly 33 years after the company’s founding in 1931. What we find truly impressive is how close that first 1964 model came to perfection, to becoming the icon that is now tantamount to the Mona Lisa among Stuttgart diehards. But in terms of which 911 exactly is the best, the 911s of the early 1970s are becoming seen as the must-own 911s, at least according to market forces.

The Discovery Channel, of all people, says that the in the past 10 years, no other car from any automaker has seen its value skyrocket as high or as fast as the 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS. It is the first example of Porsche’s philosophy on the track making its way into production. Lighter glass, a lighter body, fewer parts and a bigger engine make it arguably the purest expression of any 911 ever, so it’s small wonder that fans are getting into congressionally-unsanctioned bidding wars to have one.

They can be had, these days, for about $1 million. Jerry Seinfeld has said that he won’t part with his until he’s dead, if that makes any sense to you. We wouldn’t be surprised to see some owners buried in theirs like the Pharaohs of old. Forget the next generation: just embalm me and start cutting some stone.

You can see Steve McQueen drive his 1970 911S in the nearly 4-minute opening of Le Mans. We say “his” because McQueen had no intention of parting with his. In 2011 it sold at auction for $1.35 million.

So, dream big dreams about which Porsche is your ideal. In the meantime, Leith Porsche remains your Porsche dealer for North Carolina.

The post Better Get One Fast: Value of 1970s-era 911s Skyrocketing appeared first on Leith Porsche Blog.

Okay, y’all: let’s talk turbos. R&D Chief Wolfgang Hatz stepped out from the lab this past week to talk about how Porsche intends to meet increasingly stringent government fuel economy standards. His theme? Reality:

“If you look at euro per g/km then it’s turbo. Then at the end of the decade electrification has to be the next huge step.”

What he’s looking at is a big stack of EU and U.S. thou-shalt-nots that aim to stave off a Mad Max world by putting a lid on CO2 emissions. What does this mean? The 2018 and 2019 911s will probably use turbochargers. Possibly 2017, as well.

Then in 2020, 911s will begin to use plug-in hybrid technology, which means having a battery for partial electric power. The benefit of electric motors is that they deliver better off-the-line torque than any gasoline engine ever could. Period.

This will allow the 911 to retain its six-cylinder engines, keeping the four-cylinders far away in the Boxster, Cayman and Macan, at least so long as Hatz has a say. Inventive combinations of diesel, PHEV, gasoline and turbocharging will set the tone for the next 15 years or so.

All of this change is buttressed by miracles like the 918 Spyder, a hybrid that uses electric power along with its V8 engine to air-dry the tears of those clinging to their naturally aspirated flat-sixes. The 918 proves that Porsche is looking deeply into beating governmental fuel requirements.

Another halo car is the 911 GT3 RS, which Hatz said would only be trading its naturally-aspirated six-cylinder engine for another, more powerful, but still naturally-aspirated six-cylinder engine. Hatz affirmed that PDK will remain the only option for this track pearl, but allowed that a manual transmission sometime in the future isn’t an impossibility. Such artful phrasing.

To recap: future 911s will almost certainly get turbochargers, except for the GT3 RS, because of CO2 standards. It’s the world we live in.

For a Porsche for sale in Cary, visit Leith Porsche.

The post Porsche Will Likely Turbocharge Almost All Future 911s appeared first on Leith Porsche Blog.

Photo: Alex Tillman / Jalopnik

Last year saw the return of the 911 Targa, the perfect way to tell people that while you could have a convertible 911, you prefer a hardtop made out of glass. And while the retracting platform space opera of the Targa’s roof opening and closing is pretty cool, more than one person looked at all that gizmo and thought, “What a bunch of extra weight!”

Well, worry no longer. Following the Stuttgartian playbook, Porsche has revealed the 911 Targa 4 GTS this week at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Is it crazy? Yes. Is it necessary? Debatable. Is it more powerful? You bet.

What we do know is that flying though the Italian countryside, Algerian countryside, or any countryside, really, with a bottle of wine in the passenger seat and a glass roof in the back will be incomparably more joyous in the hardcore GTS variant. That’s just how life works, it’s science.

Head over to Jalopnik to bathe your GTS-deprived eyes in images of the new Targa GTS, then break out your checkbook. Summer will be here before you know it.

Photo: Alex Tillman / Jalopnik

The post NYIAS: Porsche Answers Prayers, Grants Targa GTS To World appeared first on Leith Porsche Blog.

The abominable snowman is a pain. Ice, cold, frostbite, snow: these are not appropriate for North Carolina.

However, they are appropriate for your Porsche.

“No!” you exclaim. “What about salt destroying the undercarriage? And crawling over ice on rear-wheel drive?”

To that, we would say, watch this:

Now that your fear of breaking your Porsche has been dispelled, let’s talk specifics. As the video says at the end, book your winter driving experience with Porsche now. Last year we had some events up in Vermont; who knows where we’ll be this year.

What we do know is that your Porsche is capable of handling winter environments with a properly trained driver. Learning to drive in the winter is also a lot of fun, owing to the exhilaration of mastering a new skill.

The second thing we know is that a trained driver will always want his or her car to be properly equipped for the season. Winter tires excel at keeping grip on snow or ice, and also what you’ll experience most of the time during the winter: cold asphalt. Summer tires are not optimized for these conditions, so protect yourself, your vehicle, and other motorists by putting the right tires on your Porsche.

Lastly, for those of you who elect to store your Porsche during the winter, we have tips for that, too. Check out this article about winterizing your Porsche from our Porsche Club friends up in New Jersey. They have an exhaustive list of steps to protecting your vehicle from all manner of winter challenges.

Call or stop by our service center to figure out how to get your Porsche ready for winter. We can even show you what winter tires you should have. We are your center for Porsche in North Carolina.

The post Porsche Says Book Your Winter Driving Experience Now appeared first on Leith Porsche Blog.

Note: This article does not constitute tax advice. Tax law is subject to change. Talk to your tax advisor for full details.

If you are a small business owner and drive a lot for your business, a specific tax exemption could save you money.

IRS Section 179 includes a vehicle depreciation write-off for 2014. It lets you rapidly depreciate a new or pre-owned vehicle up to 60 percent of its value in your first year of ownership. Tax depreciation doesn’t mean that if you sell your vehicle, you won’t get as much money for it. It means that when it’s time to pay your federal income tax, self-employment tax, and possibly even your state income tax, your bill will be reduced.

To take advantage of this write-off, the gross vehicle weight rating—which is the weight of the car when it’s fully loaded with people and cargo—must be at least 6,000 lbs. You can usually find the GVWR on the sticker where the driver’s door closes. Vehicles with GVWR’s this high are typically heavy SUVs like the Porsche Cayenne, trucks or vans.

The second qualification is that at least 50 percent of your vehicle’s miles must have been for business use. The higher the percentage of miles used for business, the more you can depreciate your vehicle for tax purposes.

An example of this would be if you bought a heavy SUV for $60,000 and used it 100 percent of the time for business. In this case, your estimated depreciation would be $36,000 ($30,000 from Section 179 and $6,000 from regular vehicle depreciation). As you can see, Section 179 reduces your tax bill on this vehicle by a factor of six.

You can benefit from this tax break if you purchase your new or pre-owned vehicle before the end of 2014. Because of this rapid depreciation, within a few years your vehicle could be entirely depreciated, which would be a significant tax savings to you and your business.

Again, this tax break applies even to pre-owned vehicles; as long as it fits the weight requirement, you could receive a significant tax write-off. Stop by Leith Porsche whether a resident of Raleigh, Cary or any other city; we’re here for you.

The post Tax Rule For Business Owners Set To Expire At End of Year appeared first on Leith Porsche Blog.

Photo: Yahoo Autos

In the deep corners of our mind, we wonder: Where is the 918 Spyder constructed? How is it conceived? Can you eat a candy apple while you watch it being built?

Until recently, the only way you could see the special room where Porsche builds these gifts to humanity was to buy one. Plunk down the nearly $1 million needed for purchase and you were golden. Other than that, to see the 918 room meant that you had to leave more signals than an investment banker on a sales call, or own a very successful chain of dentist offices.

Thankfully, this has changed. Not for us gentle-folk, of course, but for the press. Now that all the 918 models have been sold—and Porsche literally made 918 of them—Porsche is allowing the rest of the world to see these last few babes in their natural habitat.

Car and Driver has an excellent collection of photos and interesting facts about the 918 from their experience there. Porsche is determined to let us see what happens after you give them a million dollars and ask for a racecar in return. That sounds like a lot of money, but really, it’s the result of nearly four years of planning.

After showing a little ankle in 2010, Porsche approved the development of the 918 and three years later the first production model was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show. As Porsche’s flagship supercar for at least the next decade, small islands could probably have been bought and sold for what the company spent developing it.

At the end of last year it was reported that the steering wheel alone cost about $25 million to develop. Given that we’ve had steering wheels for about, oh, 100 years, we can’t imagine the total developmental costs for the entire car.

In any case, we heartily recommend taking this guided tour into the heart of Porsche, if only to see what is more than just a car: it’s an apex.

Leith Porsche remains your premiere Porsche dealer for Raleigh, Cary and surrounding areas.

The post Amazing Photos Show Factory Where 918 Spyder Is Made appeared first on Leith Porsche Blog.