Porsche have today revealed two new models for its Porsche 718 range. The Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 and the Porsche 718 Boxster Spyder both shun the four-cylinder engine we have grown used to in favor of a brand new 4.0 liter flat six. Availability will be limited (we assume) and demand will be sky high. Sitting at the center of the package is a bored and adapted version of the 3.0 liter straight-six fitted to the Porsche 991 Carrera. Slightly larger than the version found in the previous generation GT4, it is more powerful. The power is not the only noteworthy statistic for the engine. It is also optimized for fuel efficiency, scoring a 10.9l/100 km rating under the NEDC. It gets adaptive cylinder control which closes off two cylinder banks to preserve fuel together with a gasoline particulate filter emission control system. Emissions are 249 g/km. Piezo injectors are used for the first time together with a variable intake system. The GT4鈥檚 aerodynamics are also of interest. It features a net gain of 50% over the outgoing model whilst also offering reduced drag.
It achieves the gains through a more compact rear silencer which in turn allows the redesigned diffuser to channel air more efficiently. The rear wing has also contributed by increasing its efficiency by as much as 20%. Being topless, the 718 Spyder is less aerodynamic. Porsche have also fitted a rear diffuser for the first time. The Boxster gets a fabric convertible top. Both cars feature the same chassis technology. Spring and strut front and rear axles combine with Porsche Active Suspension Management to provide the damping. Both cars sit 30 mm lower than the standard models. Porsche Stability Management has also been tweaked and works in conjunction with toque vectoring and a mechanical rear differential. A Clubsport package is also optional on the GT4. It combines a rear steel roll bar, hand-held fire extinguisher and six-point seatbelt suited to the race track. 100,450 for the Cayman GT4. Both cars are available to order immediately.
Tesla owners are a talkative bunch. Rumour has it that the first thing a Tesla owner does when they collect their new car is tell someone about it. Then the second thing they do is tell someone else. Put simply, Tesla owners are keen to spread the gospel of electric car ownership and Teslas in particular - and encourage others to do the same. They talk to each other lots, too, and hang off the every word of Tesla CEO Elon Musk via his social media feeds. So when he made the offer to let people see around Tesla鈥檚 famed factory in Fremont, California an orderly and silent queue of Teslas formed at the gates. Not everyone can go, though; it鈥檚 restricted to owners, friends and family, plus other selected guests, which today includes Auto Express. Fremont is like many suburban cities on the edge of Silicon Valley - clean, busy and, but for the hills on one side and the San Francisco bay on the other, not especially picturesque. The factory was built back in 1962 for GM and churned out such notables as the Chevrolet El Camino and Pontiac GTO.
In spite of so many people being on the payroll, Adam seems to know many of them. And he certainly knows more about Tesla than just about anyone else. Adam鈥檚 wearing gloves and sleeves that are reinforced with Kevlar to protect himself and any parts he might pick up. And he starts with an interesting demonstration alongside a giant Schuler stamping press; he picks up an aluminium door panel with just his finger to prove how light it is. Tesla has the largest stamping press in North America, weighing one sixth of the weight of the Eiffel Tower. Yet, but for the gentle rumble of machinery, you鈥檇 be hard pressed (ahem) to know what power is used to form the various body parts. Tesla鈥檚 factory is pretty rare in making so much of its cars under one roof; many others bring in body panels, engines and the like, being more like an assembly plant. But all Teslas are built and painted in Fremont, with the paint factory under special scrutiny.
