And the Bride wore a PORSCHE.....

Diamonds maybe a girl's best friend but one savvy lass in England decided that she would rather have a PORSCHE....one she built herself from an old VW....

Where are girls like this stateside??? She sounds like a real catch.

A bride's welded bliss: How she built Porsche from wrecked VW for her big day
By Sadie Whitelocks - UK MAIL
15th September 2011

For Megan Ashton, it was her childhood dream to arrive at her wedding in a classic Porsche.
Now the 26-year-old has done exactly that – not by hiring one, as any bride might, but by building her own from a clapped-out Volkswagen Beetle.

She spent six years painstakingly transforming the 40-year-old VW into a Porsche 356, the company’s first production model.

The Royal Navy engineering officer paid £200 for the wreck before stripping it down to the chassis and meticulously rebuilding it virtually from scratch, donning blue overalls, getting covered in grime and grease, and spending £4,000 in the process.

The stunning vehicle now features a white leather interior with a mahogany finish, has a 356 body shell, and includes an authentic steering wheel and speedometer. It also boasts an impressive top speed of more than 100mph – and is valued at £25,000.

The proud owner was driven in it by her father to her wedding to Rob Ashton, also 26, a captain in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.

After the ceremony at Sandhurst military academy in Surrey, her new husband took the wheel to drive them to their reception.

‘I loved every minute of it and it was such a special moment to be able to pull up on my wedding day in it,’ said the new Mrs Ashton, from Amesbury, near Salisbury in Wiltshire. ‘It was a close-run thing getting the car finished in the end, but after six years it was well worth it.

‘There were times when I didn’t think we’d get it done in time as it was such a huge project, but it meant so much. I dreamed of driving the car but got carried away buying my wedding dress, which meant it was quite difficult to fit in.’

The 356 was created by Ferdinand Porsche, son of the company founder who had designed the Volkswagen Beetle.

It was manufactured between 1948 and 1956 and shared many parts with the Beetle to save money – making the two cars easier for Mrs Ashton to fuse together.

She bought the battered 1969 VW when she was a student, then stripped it down to the bare chassis before fitting larger cylinders and pistons to the engine, increasing it from 1285cc to 1776cc.

Only the chassis, which had to be shortened, wheels and engine remain of the original car, which was also given a new registration plate.

Mrs Ashton, whose father Viv Beal, 54, runs a garage in Barnstaple, Devon, said: ‘I know people might think it is quite unusual for a girl to be interested in cars but I have always grown up surrounded by it.

‘My Mum and Dad have been buying various parts for the car for birthday and Christmas presents for the past six years – so I am looking forward to getting some girly treats now.’

Her father added: ‘We’re all into classic cars and it was a very proud day for all of us. Megan’s Porsche replica is her pride and joy.

2012 Porsche Cayman R.....Hot wheels

I understand that for many car enthusiasts, having A/C makes their experience cooler on warm days. For me, A/C was nice to have when it is 115 out (like when I was in the Middle East) but the rest of the time, it is just a "power rob".

I would be willing to go without the A/C if I could dirve something like the new 2012Porsche Cayman R....All I can say is it looks realy sweet.


Some Porsche Purists Like It Hot, and They’re Sweating to Prove It
NY TIMES

TESTED 2012 Porsche Cayman R

WHAT IS IT? A two-seat midengine Porsche that has been lightened, lowered and lettered.

HOW MUCH? Base price, $67,250. As tested, $85,100, including PDK dual-clutch automated manual transmission, ceramic brakes, Sport Chrono package and Sports Exhaust System.

WHAT MAKES IT RUN? A 3.4-liter direct-injected flat 6 producing 330 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque.

HOW QUICK IS IT? Quite quick: Car and Driver magazine clocked a 0-to-60 m.p.h. run in 4.2 seconds. Top speed is 174 m.p.h.

IS IT THIRSTY? The federal mileage rating is 20 city/29 highway m.p.g. with the PDK transmission or 19/27 m.p.g. with a conventional 6-speed manual.

ALTERNATIVES Lotus Evora S, Chevrolet Corvette, Nissan GT-R, Audi TTS.

I CAN’T remember the last car I drove without air-conditioning — let alone a sweltering $85,000 Porsche.

But while an August heat wave in New York brought new meaning to the term “triple-digit car testing,” the Cayman R was worth every drop of perspiration expelled in its parboiled cabin.

While a two-seat movable sauna may not be your idea of fun, some Porschephiles may find the Cayman R is right in their comfort zone. Buyers have the option of deleting the air-conditioning and the basic radio; the price is the same with or without the frills. Or they can pay extra to add fancier audio components or even a navigation system. But the point of this purist version of the standard Cayman is to carve away fat and reveal the lasting beauty of bare-bones performance.

Like its philosophical twin, the 2,811-pound Boxster Spyder convertible, the Cayman R seems intended to perk up sales of an aging model. As with the Spyder, this Cayman R is no cynical, surface upgrade, but a sports car whose advantages were apparent from my first go-round at the Monticello Motor Club northwest of New York City.

The Cayman’s flat 6 squeezes out 330 horsepower at 7,400 r.p.m., only 10 more horses than the Cayman S. But this 2,855-pound fighter drops 121 pounds from the S version, substituting such weight watchers as aluminum doors and front luggage lid, carbon-fiber seat frames and Porsche’s most feathery 19-inch wheels — the set weighs about 88 pounds. The result is a car roughly as quick as a Corvette Grand Sport but with superior balance and handling, aided by the matchless midengine layout.

The body was lowered by 0.79 inches and the suspension was stiffened. A fixed rear wing helps reduce aerodynamic lift. That wing, unfortunately, looks tacked-on and incongruous.

Nostalgic Porsche lettering scrawls along the lower body sides, evoking models including the 911 R of 1967. Another historical link is forged inside, where utilitarian fabric straps have replaced the door handles. Cute, but it strikes me as a retro affectation.

The racing seats are ideal for the track or the twisties, though the backrests are not adjustable. For everyday use, their hip-crunching entry reminded me of squeezing into an elementary school desk. This being Porsche, buyers can pay for less confining, more adjustable seats.

My deep-blue Cayman came with the optional Sport Chrono package and the PDK transmission. I prefer the 6-speed manual, but the PDK makes the car quicker, and it features a launch control that automatically drops the clutch for perfect takeoffs.

This Cayman also features proper shift paddles, not the maddening up-and-down buttons found in some other Porsches.

The Sport Chrono includes a lap timer, albeit one that is too complicated. But what makes it a must-have option are push-button settings that bump up the throttle and redline, goose the PDK into snappier operation and activate the optional Sports Exhaust system.

Ceramic composite brakes, at a wallet-busting $8,150, come into their own only on track, where they stand up to all-day torture with no trace of fade.

Like the Boxster Spyder, the Cayman R makes a clear case: if you’re willing to sacrifice some comfort, or scoff at it outright, these are the versions you’ll want.

The Cayman tugged on my hands and heartstrings on the track, accompanied by Sam Schultz, Monticello’s track director, who happens to be a professional Porsche racer.

During my stint on the 22-turn course, the Cayman reminded me of its most winning quality: no matter your driving skills, the car is always predictable and forgiving, yet fast and sophisticated enough to satisfy the experts.

Proving the point, I traded places with Schultz, who casually knocked out a few dazzling laps. “It’s so neutral and balanced,” he said, playing the car like a fast bluegrass fiddle. But he did flag the PDK’s annoying tendency to downshift unexpectedly in the middle of a turn, which upsets the car’s poise.

This Porsche also feels bulletproof. After an intense workout at the track, I drove the Cayman R home through rush-hour Manhattan, as laid-back as an orthodontist in a 911 — except for keeping the windows wide open to force some superheated air inside. (Call me a wimp, but I’m not ready to revisit the pre-A.C. era for the sake of 29 pounds.)

Cool breeze or not, people who prefer Porsches stuffed like a foie gras goose will run screaming from the Cayman R. But if they choose, say, a 911 coupe or even a 911 S — which cost a respective $12,700 or $25,600 more — they won’t be able to shake their stripped-down cousin.

Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid - Top speed 199 mph, 500-horsepower V8, 78 miles per gallon.... Cost??? $845,000

Got $850K you're not doing anything with right now??? Then you can be one of the first to say " Porsche Uber Alles !" and line up to buy the new " GREEN " supercar from the guys who have been bringing the world some of the greatest cars known to man...

This is the kind of car that you can use to blow the doors off of your neighbor's PRIUS and laugh while doing so.....This car not only allows you to tear up the road but saves baby seals at the same time.....The Polar Bears at the zoo will high five you when you pull up in it....even AL GORE can't find a reason to gripe about this piece of high-tech kit....Wunderbar!

Porsche 918 hybrid: Order now for $845,000
By Peter Valdes-Dapena, senior writer
March 21, 2011:

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Porsche is now taking orders for the German carmaker's first publicly available hybrid sports car, the 918 Spyder.

Unveiled as a concept car one year ago at the Geneva Motor Show, the 918 Spyder is a plug-in hybrid car powered by a 500-horsepower V8 gasoline engine and two electric motors -- one each in the front and rear axles -- that will produce at least 218 horsepower more, Porsche promises.

The car's top speed will be 199 miles per hour, Porsche claims, and it will be capable of zero-to-60 acceleration in just 3.1 seconds. The 918 Spyder will also be able to drive under electric power at speeds up to 94 miles per hour, at least for "limited distances."

While official fuel economy figures are not yet available, Porsche anticipates the 918 Spyder will get about 78 miles per gallon.

A two-seat convertible, the 918 Spyder will have removable roof panels that can be stored in the car's front-end luggage compartment.

Only 918 of the cars will be produced at a base price of $845,000 each. While Porsche dealers are taking orders now, production won't start until September, 2013.

Exotic cars for eco-millionaires

There will also be a less-expensive, gas-only car designed to look like the 918 Spyder, going into production later this year.

But it will only be made available to customers who have already ordered the 918 Spyder, in effect, to tide them over during the 918's long lead time.

That car, dubbed the 911 Turbo S Edition 918 Spyder, will have styling cues taken from the 918 Spyder hybrid, including carbon fiber pieces inside and out and "acid green" accents in various places such as the brake calipers. It will cost a relatively paltry $160,000 for the hard-top version and $172,000 for the convertible.

Porsche currently has two other hybrid models, the Cayenne Hybrid SUV, currently on sale, and the Panamera Hybrid four-door hatchback, entering production soon. Porsche also has a hybrid race car competing in LeMans endurance races.

Porsche 911: The sports car that conquered the world

1963 Porsche 911

2010 Porsche Coupe & Cabriolet

As a total car nut and complete gear-head, I have always held a unrequited crush for Porsche, especially the 911. For almost 50 years, Ferdinand Porsche's design has remained true to it's origin.....It is unrivaled in its sleekness and there has been very little need to improve over the perfection that it is.

Yes, you may lust over the Ferraris and other cars in this world, but the 911 has been the true & steady competitor that kept all the other car companies looking in the rear view mirror because the Porsche 911 has always been there, competing on the road and the track.....and wining accolades all along.

One day, I hope to find one I can call my own. That would be something I could get into.

Porsche 911: The sports car that conquered the world

Zuffenhausen, Germany (CNN) -- With a top speed of 205 mph and a silhouette known and loved the world over, the Porsche 911 is an icon of German design and engineering.

Since it was introduced nearly 50 years ago, its top speed has increased by 75 mph -- but the distinctive shape has remained almost unchanged.

Unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1963, the designer was Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, then 25, grandson of the company's founder.

Recalling the design process, he said: "Right from the start the specification was that the car had to be instantly recognizable as a Porsche from its silhouette."

The two-door luxury coupe initially was called the Porsche 901, until a patent issue with Peugeot forced a change in name.

The high-performance vehicle, today the carmaker's most expensive basic model, has remained in style over the years.

Last year, Porsche delivered 21,680 units of the 911 worldwide, which accounted for about a quarter of the total vehicles it delivered during the 2009-2010 fiscal year.

Such is the popularity of the model that the automaker recently designed a special 911 inscribed with names of its fans on the social networking site Facebook to celebrate reaching its millionth fan.

There are now more than 1.3 million fans on the page.

One of its biggest enthusiasts is Walter Roehrl, a rally legend who made his name racing in the 1970s and 1980s.

The attention to engineering is what makes the 911 stand apart, according to Roehrl, who has been a senior test driver at Porsche for the last 17 years.

The car had to be instantly recognizable as a Porsche from its silhouette.

--Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, 911 designer

The engine is "so good," he said. "That is the reason I like this car, because it's not the power, it's the response of this car."

Since it made its debut, the sports coupe has been modified for use by professional drivers, and it has one of the strongest competition track records of all time.

At last year's Geneva Motor Show, Porsche unveiled the 911 GT3 R, its first hybrid track car.

Roehrl said of the 911: "It's the only car today which has the engine really in the back." That gives it much better traction than compared to other racing vehicles.

Roehrl recently took CNN's Diana Magnay for a spin around a Porsche test circuit in Zuffenhausen.

She said: "It's hard to explain what it's like when Roehrl puts his foot down. It's about precision at speed, not the actual speed itself."

Roehrl, who won 14 world rally championship races in his racing career, added: "When I was a skier I always wanted the skis to be just an extension of my legs, and it's the same with the car.

"The car is a part of my body like my small finger. It has to do exactly what I want."