TWIN-TURBO V-8, 514 HP - Duke University

F O R D R I V E R S • S P E C I A L E D I T I O N • I S S U E 8 . 5
TWIN-TURBO V-8, 514 HP
Eat Your Heart Out, National Geographic!
Geneva Auto Show
Our Man Kurczewski Reports
(See Page 19)
David E. Davis, Jr.
Comes to Town
(See Page 9)

ISSUE 8.5
FOR DRIVERS.
4 DeaR wiNDiNg ROaD »
Letters from our readers.
7 DaviD e. Davis, jR. »
In full motion, color and sound, David
E. Davis, Jr. explains his vision for
Winding Road and invites the world
to come along for the ride.
9 aMeRiCaN DRiveR »
David E. Davis, Jr.’s “Some Toads…”
is his first American Driver column
for Winding Road. In it, Editor-in-
Chief Davis examines the longstanding
mistakes of the domestic
automobile industry, including a
public-use human resources letter
that he offers up per gratis to any
company that needs it.
11 News »
Included in this special issue are
some of our latest dispatches from
around the globe, from journalists
with lurking tape recorders at the
Geneva Auto show to tree-climbing
photographers around the worlds
testing facilities.
31 PORsCHe CayeNNe TuRbO s »
Contributor Greg Brown reports
on Porsche’s own game of oneupmanship,
wherein the already
fast Cayenne Turbo gets even faster.
Outright horsepower rivals some of
Stuttgart’s finest.
wr 8.5
EDITOR’S LETTER //
by REILLY BRENNAN
Welcome to Winding Road Issue 8.5—
our Don’t You Forget About Me issue.
This download normally would include
some seventy pages of editorial content,
but we decided to push back our Issue 9
release until May because there are so
many new moving parts to the Winding
Road editorial process. As you may have
heard, automotive publishing titan David
E. Davis, Jr. has signed on as our Editor-in-Chief
and Godfather. Our staff has
doubled. Our offices are now located in
Ann Arbor, Michigan. Our clocks are set
to Eastern Standard Time.
And yet, the things you love about Winding
Road haven’t changed. We’re still
providing the freshest opinions on the
greatest cars the North American market
has to offer (and a few it doesn’t). While
we’re not out to review every car, we do
spend more time writing about the driving
experience than any other car magazine,
period. The bottom line is this: We
love cars and we believe that driving is
what interests car enthusiasts most.
That, as we move forward, remains our
guiding philosophy.
Nate Luzod, our art director, and James
Morse, our production designer, have
worked hard to deliver the most engaging,
most readable Winding Road to date, and
I believe they’ve succeeded. Both of them
are excited to be working on the magazine,
and both openly admit that this is the
first time in their lives they’ve worked on
computers with legally-loaded software.
This special issue is a sneak preview of
the redesigned Winding Road, which will
debut in full along with a new magazine
viewer with our next issue (henceforth,
new issues will arrive on a monthly basis).
Also, watch for the re-launch of our Web
site, WindingRoad.com, which will offer
exclusive content, updated daily, and our
unique commentary on automobiles.
Thanks for your time.
Reilly Brennan
Editor

wiNDiNg ROaD MagaZiNe
EDitOR-iN-ChiEF
David E. Davis, Jr.
EDitOR
Reilly P. Brennan
MaNagiNg EDitOR
Kevin R. Smith
NEws EDitOR
Nicholas Goddard
ChiEF COPy EDitOR
Matt Phenix
CONtRibUtiNg EDitOR
William E. Baker
aRt DiRECtOR
Nate Luzod
PRODUCtiON DEsigNER
James Morse
FlEEt MaNagER
Kimberly Ewing
Pit CREw
Steve Ewing
2929 Plymouth Road, Suite 325
Ann Arbor, MI 48105-3206
tel: 734.623.7160
fax: 734.623.7162
CONtRibUtORs
Greg Brown, Will Calcutt, Dan Carney,
Matt Davis, Peter Dawson, Randy G.,
William Jeanes, Dave Kelley, Nick
Kurczewski, Bruce McCall, Seyth
Miersma, P.J. O’Rourke, Soundmurderer
(Todd Osborn), Joseph G. Schulte, Michael
Segal / The Look Group, Kirk Seaman
wr 8.5 LETTErS // DEAr wINDING rOAD
absOLuTe MuLTiMeDia, iNC.
FOUNDER
Thomas B. Martin III
CEO
T.B. Martin
PUblishER
Robert C. Weber
PUblishiNg DiRECtOR
Anita Erickson
stRatEgy aDvisORs
Mark Fisher, John Ellett, Atul Kanagat
lEgal
Michael Metteauer, Fulbright & Jaworski
CiRCUlatiON
Josiah Sternfeld, Anne Hood
4544 South Lamar Boulevard
Building G-300
Austin, TX 78745
OFFiCes / aDveRTisiNg
NEw yORk / Emil Mazzanobile
516.248.7200
emazzanobile@windingroad.com
DEtROit / Tim Hartge
248.539.9390
thartge@windingroad.com
lOs aNgElEs / Greg Gill
714.454.5744
ggill@windingroad.com
LETTERS //
DEAR WINDING ROAD
Corvette Debate
Dear Winding Road,
So you think the Dodge Viper is the car
that the Corvette should have been? (WR,
Issue 7) You must be smoking something.
The Corvette is better than the Viper in so
many ways. The only thing GM engineers
need to do to the Vette is make it more
stable on less than perfect ground. Otherwise,
the Corvette is America’s sports car,
and it will always be that way.
Yours,
doug WuLff
Corvette Debate, Part two
Dear Winding Road,
I enjoyed reading the article comparing the
Z06 to the Gallardo in Issue 8. There is no
doubt the Corvette is the greater value,
even if the Gallardo is more pleasing to the
auditory senses.
One debate I noted in a letter in that same
issue is the sickeningly tiresome “The Corvette
produces 84.1 hp per liter... the Ferrari
112.3...” and so on. Everyone is missing the
point. Engines must be viewed as “black
boxes” and rated by their overall specific
output, both in terms of their weight and
external volume as well their fuel efficiency.
In these areas the LS7 shines versus its
European rivals.
Displacement is but one internal characteristic
of an engine. One forgets that overhead
cams became vogue in Europe long
ago since engines were largely taxed on
this basis, were consequently pushed toward
smaller displacements, and therefore
had to spin much higher to make power.
Yes, it’s “easier” to make more power with
more displacement, and build an engine
that’s lighter, less bulky, less costly, and in
this case, also more fuel efficient. Sounds
to me like solid engineering without government
intervention. I love overhead
cams just like everyone else. But the truth
hurts, and the best engineering solution
isn’t always the most glamorous one.
Yours,
John L. CaLEnE

5 wr 8.5 LETTErS // DEAr wINDING rOAD
welCome, DaviD e.
Dear Winding Road,
I cannot tell you how excited I am to
hear of David E. Davis, Jr. joining your
publication. (WR, Issue 8) Great things
are indeed in store, for you as well as
for us, your readers. It would be impossible
to overstate the impact he has had
on automotive journalism in the past
40 years; I have been reading his work
since the early ‘70s, right after entering
my teens.
In 1997, I happened to see David E. at
the New York Auto Show, and at the
time I confessed my admiration of his
work to my wife. A year later, after several
months of writing and calling his
personal assistant, my wife surprised
me by arranging for me to meet him
over dinner. We spent 45 minutes engaged
in pleasant conversation, ranging
from his affection for the Porsche
928 (my ride at the time, and a car he
nearly wrecked in his first ride in one in
Germany) to his plans to drive a Jaguar
D type in the upcoming Mille Miglia. I
was completely overwhelmed by his
generosity. I know of no one of his stature
who would do what he did for my
wife and me that night, an occasion I
will always treasure.
Yours,
StEvE huEbnEr
best wishes
Dear Winding Road,
I just subscribed and downloaded Issue
7, as well as Issues 4, 5, and 6 of Winding
Road. As a designer of cars and powerboats,
I look forward to receiving Winding
Road in such a convenient and userfriendly
format. I’m already impressed
with the content and look forward to
reading David E. Davis’s work. Thanks for
your good work, to date, and best wishes
for your continued success!
Yours,
dan PharES
an exPerienCeD GolD winG riDer
Dear Winding Road,
Your review of the Honda Gold Wing
1800 was pretty close (WR, Issue 8). I’ve
had one for a few years so let me clear
up a couple of points.
You said you blasted from 40 to 70 mph
in third gear before needing to shift. Actually,
you can take it to 80 before you
hit redline. However, the rev limiter does
not kick in until 7000 rpm, at which time
you’ll be doing something over 90 mph.
Keep in mind, the pistons are the same
size as a four-cylinder 1200.
You mention the bike’s ability to hold a
corner. If you take your hands off the handlebars,
the GL 1800 will drift to the left. I
believe it is caused by drive-shaft torque.
The pull is gentle but gets sharper and
sharper. Left indefinitely, it would tip the
bike over until it hung up on the engine
guards. Timed correctly, this can take you
into or exit you from a sweeper depending
on the tightness of the corner. With a
car tire on the rear, the bike will drift but
only a little and the rate of drift stays constant.
The shaft does not have enough
torque to overcome much of the car tire’s
flex. Try riding with no hands sometime.
You can counter the drift by sitting to the
right side of the seat. If you really want to
see how solid the ‘Wing is, go over a 2x4
with no hands.
If you get a chance, test a BMW K1200LT.
It has a smaller engine but generates the
same performance numbers. Tell your
boss a reader demanded a full comparison!
Bring the ‘Wing to Denver and I’ll
show you a killer test ride.
Yours,
tom frankEn
equal oPPortunity insults
Dear Winding Road,
Hey, Scott M. Marshall, how about giving
the girls a break! (WR, Issue 8) This
girl drives a 993 C4S (including track
days, etc) and resents you using “girls”
as a demeaning tone towards Boxster
aficionados. How about finding a more
suitable insult; some of us girls feel the
same as you and wouldn’t be seen dead
in a Boxster (and not because it is necessarily
a bad car, but because of its
“image” problem).
Yours,
Please send all correspondence to
editor@windingroad.com or:
Winding Road c/o Editor
2929 Plymouth Road, Suite 325
Ann Arbor, MI 48105-3206
tania Woodbury
All letters must include your full name
and city of residence. Some letters may
be edited for content.

COME ALONG FOR THE RIDE
a video with DAVID E. DAVIS, JR.

SOmE TOADS wILL NOT
BEcOmE PrINcES, NO
mATTEr HOw OfTEN
YOu KISS THEm
General Motors and Ford are skating
along the brink of the Indescribable Awful,
shouting back over their shoulders
that everything’s going to be okay, that
they have the training and the skills to
prevent themselves from falling eight or
ten miles straight down into the depths
of irrelevance. We hope they’re right, but
we worry all the same.
If you grew up in the Detroit area, as
I did, the automobile companies were
always there, always ready to provide
summer work for college students, always
ready to hire a bunch of engineers
and general-studies graduates from the
Midwestern universities, and always
paying superior wages and benefits to
unskilled workers.
Very few of these young men went to
work at Ford or GM to create great cars
or to revolutionize corporate governance
wr 8.5
in North America. Local legend told us
that the work wasn’t too hard, that the
money and benefits were unbelievably
good, and nobody ever got fired. The
domestic automobile industry was the
Midwest’s version of Civil Service. Put in
your thirty years, keep your head down
and your mouth shut, attend all the
meetings, and be guaranteed a comfortable
retirement and as much education
as your children could absorb.
It was all true. The car companies never
attempted to weed out these affable,
well-meaning parasites. Business was
good, the money rolled in, and there
was no reason to court trouble with
the unions or the white-collar constituency.
A large number of these “civilservice”
types were toads taking up
space and draining resources, but they
had learned survival. They were tenacious
toads, elusive toads. General Motors
has shed more than a quarter-million
workers since 1985, and there is
absolutely no evidence that they fired
the right people.
Generally speaking, the senior executives
of any major corporation share the
same concerns as the hourly workers.
They are pragmatists and they’ll do what
must be done to save their jobs and their
benefits. Unfortunately, there’s a third
group, mainly clustered among the white
collar workers. GM’s former president
for North America, Gary Cowger, called
them “the great frozen middle.” We call
them toads. They have no interest in sav-
ing the corporation that employs them,
they’re only interested in saving themselves.
They attend meetings for two
reasons: first, to get face time with their
superiors, and, second, in the hope that
one of their colleagues will volunteer a
suggestion so outrageous that he’ll be
put on the short list for the next round
of cuts.
When the axe begins to fall, it never
seems to fall on the toads. Thus, with
each round of cuts, the ratio of toads to
productive people increased. The bright
people, the risk takers, the guys who
AmErIcAN DrIvEr 10
were capable of learning from the Japanese,
found themselves on the outside
seeking work as consultants. The civilservice
types were still on the inside,
and, as competent hard-working people
disappeared from their work areas,
the toads actually found themselves in
charge of activities which had mystified
them all their working lives.
The next time a cut is called for at one
of these shrinking giants, the process
should begin with a company-wide letter
which might say simply,
Please name the ten most stupid
and/or useless toads in our company
(with examples). Substantial rewards
for employees identifying the worst
toads and the most egregious
examples of malfeasance.
(signed)
Your Management
(For the time being.)

11 wr 8.5
NEwS
1
NEWS
WHAT DIESEL WOuLD DO FOR uS
Quote from the head of the Environmental
Protection Agency’s Office of Transportation
and Air Quality, Margo Oge, in
the February 20 issue of BusinessWeek:
“The U.S. could save up to 1.4 million barrels
of oil per day—roughly the amount it
imports from Saudi Arabia—if a third of
U.S. vehicles ran on diesel.”
MG GETS SMART
DaimlerChrysler has given the British ‘Project
Kimber’ consortium the green light to
redesign, produce, and sell versions of
the three-cylinder Smart Roadster and
Roadster-Coupé with MG badges, once
the current models are discontinued. The
investors behind Project Kimber—named
for MG founder Cecil Kimber—aim to introduce
the reborn two-seaters in Europe
sometime in 2007.
AuDI A6 AND Q7 DIESELS
FOR OuR MARkET
Audi marketing officials confirm the company
is planning to introduce an American
version of its A6 sedan and Avant
and new Q7 sport-utility vehicle with a
torque-rich 3.0-liter turbocharged directinjection
diesel V-6. After the race-win-
ning debut of the diesel-fed R10 TDI
prototype at March’s American Le Mans
Series opener, the 12 Hours of Sebring,
the German automaker is keen to capitalize
in the showroom. Expect a formal
announcement once the engine—which
will be the first Audi diesel to reach the
States since 1983—receives full 50state
approval.
WILL AMERICA TH!Nk AGAIN?
A Norwegian investment group has taken
over Think Nordic, formerly PIVCO
Industries, from a Swiss-based holding
company. The Norwegian manufacturer
of the diminutive TH!NK City electric
car declared bankruptcy in March,
signifying that it might have been a
decade early in capturing the imaginations
of the burgeoning “active adult”
population who live in gated communities.
In the United States, Ford introduced—and
quickly abandoned—an
EV-only TH!NK brand four years ago,
offering a range of plug-in models, including
the plastic-bodied City and a
pair of battery-boosted bicycles. The
company’s new ownership may spur a
host of new vehicles and technology to
these shores in the years to come.
ALpINA’S BLOWN 7-SERIES
HEADS STATESIDE
In lieu of an M7, BMW tuner Alpina’s
500-horsepower take on the standardwheelbase
7-series sedan, the B7,
is headed to North America. The car
packs a supercharged version of Munich’s
last-generation 4.4-liter V-8 producing
500 horsepower and 516 poundfeet
of torque. Matched to the 7-series’
stock six-speed manu-matic gearbox,
the blown engine will launch the B7 to
60 mph in 4.8 seconds—three-tenths
more than BMW’s own 500-horsepower
beast, the V-10-powered M5. Some
200 B7’s will find their way to American
roads beginning in July. Prices have yet
to be announced.
HONDA CuBS EVERYWHERE,
ExCEpT HERE
Honda has announced that worldwide
production of its Super Cub motorcycle
has topped 50 million units since
its debut in Japan in July of 1958. The
milestone is another reminder that the
“scooterette” is the world’s most-produced
vehicle. At a time when twostroke
engines were the mainstream,
the Super Cub launched with a more
economical and durable 50-cc OHV
single-cylinder four-stroke engine. Although
briefly imported to the United
States starting in 1959, the bikes are a
rarity on American roads. These days,
the standard Super Cub retails in Japan
for ¥168,000, or about $1400.

NEWS //
SpY SHOTS
2008 MERCEDES C-CLASS
AVAILABLE MID 2007
The 2008 C-class aims to capture the
hearts of younger buyers who aren’t necessarily
looking for a miniature S-class,
but rather a worthy alternative to BMW’s
vaunted 3-series. The new baby Benz
certainly will compete in terms of technology,
featuring Mercedes’ KDI EVT engines
(supercharged, with direct injection and a
camless electronic valvetrain) and the thirdgeneration
4Matic all-wheel drive system.
2008 VOLkSWAGEN VW Gx3
AVAILABLE SuMMER 2007
Volkswagen’s radical GX3 started out
as a design exercise, but strong public
interest at its unveiling during the 2006
Los Angeles Auto Show set the company’s
top brass in motion. They enlisted
Lotus to help with the unusual challenge
of developing the three-wheeled
car. Since the GX3 tips the scales at a
mere 1300 pounds, its 125-horsepower
1.6-liter four-cylinder engine can pro-
vide performance and economy: The
GX3 will scoot to 62 mph in 5.7 seconds,
yet can return an admirable 45
mpg. Power flows through a six-speed
manual transmission to the wide, chaindriven
rear wheel. And don’t fret about
those outriggers—they won’t make it
on the production car, which VW says
could reach showrooms with a sticker
price under $17,000.

15 wr 8.5 NEwS // SPY SHOTS 1
2009 CADILLAC CTS SupER-V
AVAILABLE EARLY 2008
Pine for a Corvette Z06 but need more than
two seats? Well, come 2008, Cadillac is
expected to launch its CTS Super-V sedan,
packing the top Vette’s fearsome 505-horsepower
LS7 V-8. And if that doesn’t give sufficient
bragging rights, keep in mind that the
current, LS6-powered CTS-V weighs some
500 pounds less than BMW’s 500-horsepower
M5, and the Super-V likely will en-
joy a similar weight advantage. That means
the king Caddie should handily trounce the
mighty Bavarian, at least in a straight line.
An aggressive body kit, humongous rear
tires, and the Z06’s bi-mode exhaust round
out this dream car for the family man—er,
maniac. Oh, and look for the Super-V to undercut
the M5’s $81,895 base price by a
healthy margin.
2007 BMW 3-SERIES COupE AND 2008 CONVERTIBLE AND M3
AVAILABLE MID 2006 AND MID 2007
BMW will launch a wave of new 3-series
models during the next two years, including
a coupe, a convertible, and a V-8-powered
M3. The stylish coupe is seen here
during cold-weather testing, but what’s
beneath the hood is even more exciting.
The 335i coupe and 335Ci convertible will
boast a new turbocharged direct-injection
3.0-liter in-line six-cylinder engine with
2008 VOLkSWAGEN pASSAT COupE
AVAILABLE WINTER 2007
Here’s a sneak peek at a four-door coupe
for the masses. Volkswagen’s 2008 Passat
Coupe will join the ranks of the similarly
sleek Mercedes-Benz CLS and Aston
Martin’s upcoming Rapide. Our artist
shows what it might look like, though the
public won’t get to see the real car before
302 horsepower. The mighty M3 will pack
a 4.0-liter normally aspirated V-8 producing
400 horsepower and matched either
to a traditional six-speed manual transmission
or the M5’s paddle-operated sevenspeed
Sequential Manual Gearbox. A year
after the coupe debuts, BMW will launch
convertible and sedan versions of its top
3-series model.
the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show. Look for
front- and all-wheel-drive models employing
Volkswagen’s turbocharged 2.0-liter
FSI in-line four and 3.6-liter V-6, as well
as a gasoline-electric hybrid variant and a
range-topper with a 400-horsepower turbocharged
version of the 3.6.

17 wr 8.5 NEwS // SPY SHOTS 18
JAGuAR xkR CONVERTIBLE AND COupE
AVAILABLE MID 2006 AND MID 2007
Meet the new XK8’s big brothers, the
XKR coupe and convertible. They feature
supercharged 4.2-liter V-8 engines
with 400 horsepower, and wear matching
body kits. A bulge in the vented hood
clears the supercharger, the wheel arches
have been flared, and there is a spoiler
2007 AuDI TT COupE & 2008 ROADSTER
COupE AVAILABLE LATE 2006, ROADSTER IN LATE 2007
Audi is poised to unveil the second coming
of its aging (but still gorgeous) TT
coupe and roadster. Seen here practically
undisguised, the new TT coupe
borrows its headlights from the Shooting
Brake concept unveiled in Tokyo last
October. The new TT also boasts an enlarged
cabin with a more spacious back
seat. When the coupe goes on sale late
on the tail to reduce lift. Like the new
XK8, the XKRs have an aluminum frame,
which helps them shed 200 lbs over the
old model. The car is expected to debut
at this year’s Paris Motor Show, but consumers
will have to wait until 2007 to
sample these agile, bigger-clawed cats.
this year, buyers will be able to opt for
turbocharged four- or six-cylinder FSI
engines with 200 and 250 horsepower,
respectively, paired either to a traditional
six-speed manual gearbox or Audi’s slick
dual-clutch DSG. The TT roadster arrives
later, as does a racy RS model with a
screaming twin-turbo version of the 2.0liter
FSI four.
ROLLS-ROYCE CABRIOLET
AVAILABLE MID 2007
The gargantuan Rolls-Royce Phantom will
get a stablemate next year, when a production
version of the stunning 100EX
convertible debuts, probably bearing
the venerable Corniche moniker. The famous
Rolls-Royce “waftability” comes
standard, courtesy of a 6.8 liter V-12 borrowed
from the Phantom. That’s not all
that gets taken from the other Rolls; the
cabriolet uses a shortened version of the
four-door’s aluminum spaceframe, and
Phantom owners will recognize the fourseat
cabin and two suicide-style doors.
This prototype is nearly production-ready,
missing little more than The Spirit of Ecstasy,
which will grace the massive chrome
grill when the cabriolet swans effortlessly
into dealerships sometime in 2007.

1 wr 8.5 NEwS // GENEvA SHOw 0
NEWS //
COVERAGE OF
THE GENEVA
AuTO SHOW
Mercedes Benz SL55
MERCEDES BENz CLS63 AMG AND
CLk63 AMG, AND SL55/ 65 AMG
Mercedes Benz was on a power trip at
the show. Both the CLK and CLS are
equipped with the same brand-new
AMG-developed 6.3 liter V-8. In the
CLS63, 507 bhp is available, whereas the
CLK63 makes do with 475 bhp because
of its more restrictive exhaust system.
On sale this spring are the updated SL55
and SL65 AMG convertibles. The SL55
receives a bump in horsepower, to 517
bhp, and both it and the 612 bhp twinturbo
V-12 SL65 receive a host of braking,
suspension and steering updates.
TRAMONTANA
This is what makes the Geneva Motor
Show so special. Specialty car companies,
mostly fledgling supercar builders, take up
a good portion of the show floor. This year’s
wildest is certainly the Tramontana, a Spanish-built
two-seater with a tandem seating
arrangement. The carbon-fiber composite
body—lined with teak—and a Mercedes-
Benz-sourced twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter
V-12 producing something in the neighborhood
of 720 horsepower will help the
2000-pound open-wheeler achieve a better
weight-to-power ratio than such fellow
European hyper-exotics as the Spyker C8
and the Pagani Zonda. The price squares
up with those vehicles, too, starting at a
cool €610,000 (currently about $735,000).
Josep Rubau, the company’s thirty-oneyear-old
founder and CEO, tells us that
production plans call for three cars to be
built this year, six in 2007, and an even
dozen in 2008. Supercar companies come
and go, but we’d like to see Tramontana
hang around long enough to take Rubau
up on his offer to let us bring you a review
of the car later this summer.

1 wr 8.5 NEwS // GENEvA SHOw
pORSCHE 911 TuRBO AND 911 GT3
Rotating at opposite ends of Porsche’s stand
were two very tempting new 911 variants.
We headed left, to a silver 911 Turbo now
with 473 horsepower and an upgraded allwheel
drive system. The twin-turbocharged
3.6-liter horizontally opposed six is matched
either to a six-speed manual or five-speed
Tiptronic S manu-matic. Amazingly, Porsche
quotes slightly better acceleration figures for
Tiptronic-equipped cars (3.4 seconds to 60
mph against 3.7 seconds for the manual)
though both are good for a 193-mph top
speed. The new Turbo uses larger, 13.8inch
vented disc brakes at all four corners;
the optional ceramic composite package
features truly enormous 15.0-inch front rotors.
The optional Sport Chrono pack comes
straight from a Spy Hunter arcade game;
at the press of a button, the system allows
ten seconds of mid-range overboost, bump-
Porsche 911 GT3
ing peak torque from 457 pound-feet to a
whopping 502. The 911 Turbo heads Stateside
this summer, priced at $122,900. At the
other end of Porsche’s Geneva stand looms
the purist’s choice: the new 911 GT3. Its
normally aspirated 3.6-liter flat six produces
415 horsepower (an astonishing 115 horsepower
per liter) and revs to 8400 rpm. Power
reaches the rear wheels via a six-speed
manual transmission. Sixty miles per hour
arrives in 4.1 seconds, and the speedo needle
will swing all the way to 193 mph. The
new GT3 features Porsche Active Suspension
Management with two settings: sport
and sportier. The Carrera GT’s performanceenhancing
traction-control system makes
a cameo here, though there is a button for
those who prefer to forgo such electronic
aides. The GT3 arrives in America this August,
priced at $106,000.
LOTuS Apx AND EuROpA S
Lotus was coy about its minivan-like
seven-passenger APX Concept. The
front-engine, front-wheel-drive APX
(Aluminum Performance Crossover) was
created primarily to showcase the company’s
highly adaptable Versatile Vehicle
Architecture platform, which will underpin
the next iteration of the mid-engine
Esprit. A Lotus-designed supercharged
3.0-liter V-6 produces 300 horsepower,
enough to push the 3454-pound APX to
60 mph in five seconds. Not too shabby,
though Lotus denies any plans for
the V-6 in its own lineup. Confused? So
were we. Less befuddling is the 2007
Europa S, a sort of Elise for those who
don’t want every drive to feel like a hot
lap at Brands Hatch. Although based
its tiny sibling, the Europa is bigger all
around (though only about 200 pounds
Lotus Europa S
heavier), and offers a bit more elbow
room. Inside, much of the Elise’s bare
aluminum is hidden under black plastic
and carpeting. There’s even full leather
upholstery, dual front air bags, and
a nav system. Under the rear decklid
spins a 200-horsepower turbocharged
2.0-liter four-cylinder engine from GM
of Europe, in lieu of the revvy Toyotasourced
four in the Elise/Exige. Behind
the engine, there is enough luggage
room for a weekend away. Aimed
squarely at Germany’s Audi TT/BMW
Z4 Coupe/Porsche Cayman triumvirate,
the Europa S goes on sale in Europe
this fall, priced at about $57,000. Unfortunately,
Lotus has no plans at present
to bring to the car Stateside, but reps
wouldn’t say such plans were beyond
the realm of possibility.

BMW z4 M COupE
MOTORSpORT VERSION
After delivering a lengthy refresher course
on the history of BMW’s racing successes,
Prof. Dr. Burkhard Göschel, BMW Group
board member in charge of purchasing
and development, finally introduced the
Z4 M Coupe Motorsport Version. It was
worth the wait. The racing version is wider,
lower, and far more sinister than the already
butch Z4 Coupe. The enormous rear
wing looks as though it came straight off
the Red Baron’s Fokker Triplane, while the
drivetrain features a 400-horsepower version
of the M3’s 3.2-liter straight six and
a six-speed Sequential Manual Gearbox.
Created to compete on the Nürburgring’s
fourteen-mile Nordschleife circuit, the car
wr 8.5 NEwS // GENEvA SHOw
is eligible to participate in the annual twenty-four-hour
race held there, as well as
other touring-car series around the world.
This will almost certainly include the American
Le Mans Series, where the PTG team
currently campaigns BMW’s E46 3-series
coupe. Available to private buyers in May,
the Z4 Motorsport Version is actually a kit,
which will cost roughly $300,000, not including
the cost of the donor car.
SAAB AERO x CONCEpT
Nobody expected Saab’s Aero X to
be one of the stars at a Geneva Show
where Ferrari, Lamborghini, and a load
of lesser companies revealed testosterone-addled
supercars. Then again, Saab
concept cars don’t usually look as cool
as the Aero X. On style alone, this one’s
a hit, with long, low contours, smoothly
integrated front grills, and slick rear lights
that made many of Geneva’s other supercars
seem, well, less super. The cockpit
of the Aero X is equally fantastic, featuring
a one-piece roof/doors/windshield
that lifts up and forward for access. Inside,
Saab eschewed fussy buttons and
dials, instead using clever touch-screen
technology with three-dimensional imaging.
Of course, Saab being Saab, there
is no gas-guzzling lump under the Aero
X’s carbon fiber composite bodywork. Instead,
it uses an ethanol-fueled twin-turbo
BioPower V-6—its 400 horsepower is
enough to push the Aero X to 60 mph (according
to Saab’s computer simulations)
in less than five seconds.

5 wr 8.5 NEwS // GENEvA SHOw
LAMBORGHINI MuRCIéLAGO Lp640
Lamborghini’s Murciélago is now the
Murciélago LP640—LP for the engine’s
longitudinale posteriore position and 640
for that engine’s horsepower. In a nonetoo-subtle
plan to distance the Murciélago
from the lesser (but also mid-engined
and all-wheel-driven) Gallardo, Lambo
bumped its flagship’s V-12 from 6.2 liters
to 6.5, which bumped horsepower
by a significant 60. Exterior modifications
are more evolutionary than revolutionary:
new bumpers front and rear, new
taillights, an enormous center-mounted
exhaust outlet, and enlarged air intakes.
Should the Murciélago still seem a tad
passé, options including as a transparent
engine cover and Lambo’s sky’s-the-limit
Privilegio interior customization program
should keep it atop the shopping lists of
the rich and famous.
FERRARI 599 GTB FIORANO
Edgier lines, along with details like the superb
single-unit taillights and elegant flying
buttresses (which flank the C-pillars), give
the 599 GTB Fiorano a sportier look than
the 575 Maranello, which it will replace later
this year. Performance receives a similar
revitalization, as the all-aluminum 599 GTB
weighs several hundred pounds less than
its 4300-pound predecessor and boasts
620 horsepower—a whopping 105 more
than the Maranello. The engine is a 6.0-liter
V-12 derived from the Enzo’s powerplant,
matched either to a traditional six-speed
manual or the latest version of Ferrari’s paddle-operated
six-speed sequential gearbox.
Don’t forget the 599’s real lineage, however—it’s
the latest in Ferrari’s storied line of
great V-12 berlinettas, which includes the
340 Mexico, the 250 SWB, and the legendary
365GTB/4 Daytona.

7 wr 8.5 NEwS // GENEvA SHOw 8
2008 SpYkER D12 pEkING-TO-pARIS
Dutch boutique automaker Spyker chose
Geneva to debut its fifth production
model. The new D12 Peking-to-Paris eschews
the company’s tradition of building
two-seat, mid-engine supercars in favor
of a four-seat, front-engine layout. The
cabin, however, is classic Spyker, graced
with quilted leather upholstery, bespoke
switchgear, and a gleaming aluminum
shifter with exposed linkage. The D12’s
structure is entirely aluminum, in keeping
with the other Spyker road cars, and motivation
comes courtesy of a 6.0-liter Audi
W-12 engine producing 500 horsepower
and Quattro all-wheel drive. Dubbed an
SSUV (Super Sport Ultiity Vehicle), the
D12 is targeted at supercar owners who
want something a bit more comfortable
and utilitarian, but no less exciting. Spyker
hopes to find owners for 100 D12s in
2006, more than double the 48 C8 variants
it sold last year. As for the name, it
recalls a highlight of the company’s previous
life as a coachbuilder, when Frenchman
Charles Goddard piloted a near-stock
Spyker Model 18/22HP to a second-place
finish in the grueling, three-month Pekingto-Paris
race of 1907.
BMW z4 M COupE
The Z4 Coupe Concept appeared only
a few months ago at the Frankfurt Auto
Show, where no one believed that there
was anything remotely conceptual about
the car. Lo and behold, BMW officially
launched the production Z4 Coupe and
Z4 M Coupe in Geneva. The Z3 Coupe
looked like the Jaguar hearse from the
movie Harold and Maude—so ugly it was
cool. There’s nothing ugly about the Z4
Coupe, so beautifully proportioned that it
almost makes the roadster look awkward.
The standard Coupe comes with a 3.0-liter
straight six producing 255 horsepow-
er and 220 pound-feet of torque. A sixspeed
manual transmission is standard;
a six-speed manu-matic is optional. The
M Coupe comes only with the manual,
which meets the stellar 3.2-liter in-line six
from the E46 M3, producing 330 horsepower.
That’s 35 more horses than the
Porsche Cayman S, which is the BMW’s
natural rival. Even so, the M Coupe may
have a rough road ahead—the Cayman S
is a staff favorite, even if it is more expensive.
The battle commences this May,
when the coupe arrives on our shores.
Pricing has yet to be announced.

VOLkSWAGEN CONCEpT A
The show floor at Geneva can be hot,
muggy, and filled with second-hand
smoke thanks to cigarette-mad Europeans
who will gladly tell you, between
puffs and hacks, that Americans are too
fat. Regardless, Volkswagen’s Concept
A looks great in the metal. That massive
face, along with a lot of the technology
under the car’s skin, presages a variety
of future VW products—notably the company’s
upcoming Golf-based compact
wr 8.5 NEwS // GENEvA SHOw 0
sport-utility vehicle, the Beduin. The Concept
A employs a version of VW’s innovative
new Twincharger engine, a 1.4-liter
direct-injection four that employs both
a turbocharger (for mid- and high-end
horsepower) and a supercharger (for lowend
torque). Running here on natural gas,
the engine develops a surprisingly stout
148 horsepower, delivered to all four
wheels through a six-speed dual-clutch
Direct-Shift Gearbox.
HONDA CIVIC TYpE R CONCEpT
With the original generation of importtuners
now older—and wealthier—Honda’s
racy new Civic Type R seems perfectly
suited to the American market.
Well, too bad. Honda President and CEO
Takeo Fukui, alongside the company’s
F1 driver, Jenson Button, introduced
this electric-lemon two-door—the Civic
Type R, which goes on sale early next
year in Europe and Japan, but not here.
About the only bit of auto-show frippery
was the Type R’s Darth Vader-esque
window tint; everything else, including
the aero tack-ons and the 197-horse-
power 2.0-liter i-VTEC four (the same
engine that motivated the last-generation
Civic Type R), should remain as-is
when production commences at Honda’s
factory in Swindon, England. That
should make a lot of people happy—the
last generation Civic Type-R sold over
35,000 units, many more than Honda
had predicted. That’s due in large part
to what Honda calls the Type R’s “dual
personality”—hatchback practicality
juxtaposed with sorted handling and a
screaming motor. Oh please, Honda,
bring this car to the States.

1 wr 8.5 SuvS // POrScHE cAYENNE TurBO S
SpORT uTILITY VEHICLES //
PORSCHE
CAYENNE
TURBO S

SuvS // POrScHE cAYENNE TurBO S
If this isn’t the perfect sport-utility vehicle,
then it can only be because its capabilities
defy categorization (plus, we can’t
afford one). Except for the $112,415 base
price, there’s no single element that we
would change or moderate. To wit: The
Turbo S can easily exceed 150 mph, tow
more than 7700 pounds, and scramble
through the roughest terrain as tenaciously
as any off-road truck. But, unlike
that truck, the Turbo S also offers the tailored
hides and rare wood veneers, and
an electronic lacework of comforts that
are to be expected in the most expensive
and exclusive vehicles. (Porsche will
build only 1500 examples of the Cayenne
Turbo S each year, some 600 of which
will make their way Stateside.)
Porsche says the 514-horsepower Turbo
S will roar (and a deeply guttural roar it
is) from 0 to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds. Not
impressed? Consider that it weighs 5192
pounds stripped of options, and that it can
top 5800 pounds well-equipped. We’re
impressed. Porsche also claims it will
reach a top speed of 167 mph, whereas
the 450-horsepower Cayenne Turbo can
muster only 165 mph before it hits the air
wall. We’re very impressed.
The second-most-powerful road-going
Porsche in production—behind the 605horsepower
Carrera GT—the Cayenne
Turbo S is second to none in all-around
dynamics. Based on recent drives of
the Cayenne on Porsche’s test tracks in
Leipzig, Germany (where the Cayenne
is assembled), and through the desert
sands of Dubai (yes, that Dubai), we’re
convinced that there is no other vehicle
that can match the speed, the agility, and
the go-anywhere capability of Porsche’s
wunder truck. Nothing else so seamlessly
transforms from high-speed luxury
sport wagon into rugged adventurer.
Except for the increased horsepower
from the twin-turbocharged 4.5-liter V-8
(thanks to larger, more efficient intercoolers
and a slight increase in maximum
boost pressure) and minor differences in
trim and content, the Turbo S is identical
to the Turbo model. Both include a sixspeed
Tiptronic S manu-matic transmission,
four-wheel drive with a two-speed
transfer case, and an air-spring suspension
with the Porsche Active Suspension
Management (PASM) variable damping

5 wr 8.5 SuvS // POrScHE cAYENNE TurBO S
system. The Turbo S adds larger brakes
and slightly modified suspension components
with recalibrated PASM software,
as well as 20-inch wheels with 275/40
high-performance tires and twin doubleoval
exhaust outlets.
Because of Dubai’s modest speed limits
(generally no more than 74 mph on the
open road) and the possibility of coming
upon a caravan of camels sauntering
down the middle of the road, we had no
opportunity to explore the twin-turbo’s triple-digit
potential, but our off-road excursion
revealed a magnificent aspect of the
Cayenne, one that will be experienced by
few owners outside of the Arabian Peninsula.
Converting our Cayenne from highspeed
tourer to extreme off-roader was a
simple matter of reducing tire pressures
to 28 PSI. Guided by a team of desert
driving experts, we plowed effortlessly
through sand with the texture of wellsifted
flour—tough conditions, but our
test vehicle was fitted with the optional
Advanced Offroad Technology Package
($3395), which adds an electronic rear
differential lock, front and rear anti-roll
bars that hydraulically disconnect for increased
axle articulation, and significantly
upgraded underbody protection.
Even without the additional components,
though, the Cayenne is a more than credible
off-roader. During normal driving, the
four-wheel-drive setup maintains a 38/62-
percent front/rear torque split, giving the
Cayenne a touch of sports-car tail-happiness.
When traction begins to falter,
however, the sophisticated Porsche Traction
Management system can redirect
up to 100 percent of the torque to the
front or rear axles. On really rough terrain,
a nudge of a toggle switch on the
center console engages Low-Range
mode, which initiates reduced-ratio gearing,
alters the settings for the ABS and
differential locks, and raises ride height

VEHICLE DATA
Price Base /
As Tested :
POwERtRaiN
$112,415/$120,820
Engine : Twin-turbocharged DOHC
32-valve V-8
Displacement : 4.5 liters (275 cu in)
Output : 514 hp, 531 lb-ft
Transmission : 6-speed manu-matic
Chassis
Drive : 4-wheel
Steering : Variable-power-assisted
rack-and-pinion
Suspension F/R : Control arms with air
springs/multi-link with air
springs
Brakes F/R : Vented disc, ABS
Tires : Pirelli P Zero Rosso
Tire Size F/R : 275/40ZR-20
MEasUREMENts
L x W x H : 188.3 x 75.9 x 66.9 in
Wheelbase : 112.4 in
Track F/R : 64.6/65.2 in
Weight : 5192 lb
Seats Up/Down : 19.1/63.0 cu ft
Fuel Capacity : 26.4 gal
PERFORMaNCE (Manufacturer Data)
0-60 mph : 4.8 SEC (EST)
Top speed : 167 MPH
Fuel Economy
(City/Hwy) :
12/17 MPG (EST)
by 1.0 inches (one of six available rideheight
settings). A second nudge of the
switch locks all differentials and raises
ride height another 1.2 inches, to 10.8,
enough to allow the Cayenne to ford
water as deep as 21.9 inches.
Water crossings weren’t an issue in
Dubai, but the Cayenne’s aquatic ability
came in handy at Porsche’s very
cool test center in Leipzig. This vast
complex provides a variety of off-road
challenges on a special 3.7-mile circuit,
designed to instruct new owners on
the Cayenne’s amazing all-terrain skills
(and built on the site of a former East
German military training facility). There’s
also a 2.5-mile FIA-approved racetrack
that replicates some of the motorsports
world’s most famous corners (the Corkscrew
from Laguna Seca, for example,
and the Parabolica from Monza). It’s the
ultimate theme park for the Porsche enthusiast,
and the best way to become
acquainted with the world’s most accomplished
all-around vehicle.

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