The Porsche 904 is a sports car manufactured by Porsche between the years 1964-1965.

In the beginning, the Porsche 904 was known as Porsche Carrera, but later it was renamed as Porsche 904. After its retirement from the Formula One race in the year 1962, Porsche then concentrated on sports car, which later led to the production of Porsche 904.

Photo by: Spurzem, Creative Commons

The Porsche 904 made its debut in the year 1964, which contained a fiberglass body in a white color. The Porsche 904 designed its first GTS variant to compete in the FIA GT Championship and also at different races in the international levels. The street legal version also made its debut in the year 1964, which also contained a fiberglass body.

A total of 100 units have been produced in the year 1964 models, which consisted of flat four cylinder that produces an output power of 180 hp. Later in the 1965 models, a flat six cylinder engine has been used and flat eight cylinder engines in some of the models.

The Porsche 904 weighs about 1,443 pounds, reaches the speed of 60 mph in just six seconds and attains a top speed of 160 mph.

In the present days, replicas of the Porsche 904 is being manufactured by a number of companies such as Chuck Beck from the US as well as Martin and Walker from the UK.

Nurburgring Porsche 904 slide

The Porsche 550 is a sports car manufactured by Porsche between the years 1953-1956.

The Porsche company decided to a build a new car as an inspiration from the Porsche 356, which later led to the production of Porsche 550. The Porsche 550 is specially made to be used in auto racing. The body is very close to the ground, which is perfect for auto racing. The car was first driven by Hans Herrmann, former German Formula One driver, where he drove the Porsche 550 in closed railroad crossing gates in the 1954 Mille Miglia (thousand-miles open race).

Photo by: Softeis, Creative Commons

The Porsche 550 was later known as “Giant Killer” due to its success in a number of races. Among the victories, the victory at the Targa Florio held in the year 1956 earned a great name for the Porsche 550. The Porsche 550 became infamous on September 30th, 1955 when the actor James Dean was killed in the car.

The Porsche 550 is also reproduced among the other automobiles such as Lotus Seven and Shelby Cobra. In addition, a number of companies are producing replicas of the Porsche 550, which include Boulder Speedster, Automotive Legends, Thunder Ranch, Vintage Spyders, Alloycars, Chuck Beck Motorsport, Chamonix do Brasil and Holmes Motor Company.

Porsche 550 Spyder Review

Porsche Cayenne S Transsyberia is a car made according to the requirements of the long distance rally. The engine Porsche Cayenne Transsyberia has been adopted from the standard street version with almost no modifications. This V8 4.8 liter with direct injection is capable of generating 385 hp (283kW) at 6200 rpm.The management of the valve VarioCam plus assures a stable consumption on the whole speed range.Despite the increase of power toward the previous Cayenne generation, the new V8 4.8 liter engine reduces the combustible consumption with aprox. 15%, giving this model a significant autonomy-obviously a great advantage when it comes to long distance rally. In fact, the engine is capable to function on the base of a compound between gas and ethanol (in a maximum proportion of 25%). A sporty evacuation system reduced for the minimum weight, gives birth to a powerful and aggressive sound.Like all the other models from Cayenne, Porsche Transsyberia is also equipped with the permanent traction management system 4 x4 of Porsche (PTM). In the base variant, PTM offers 62% from the engine spin to the back wheels and 38% for the front ones.
The gear on several discs, electronically controlled is capable of giving variations depending on the road conditions, offering up to 100% from the power of the engine to the front or back wheels is necessary.Protection panels overdimensioned and with increased resistance, made from aluminium and a supplementary inoxidable steel protection for the pipes, protect the car from damages.Especially on muddy road, the Dynamic Control System of the Porsche chassis, with the air suspensions and the Active Management System of the Porsche System improve the traction at an even higher standard, and if the driver activates the low range mode of the automatic transmission in 6 steps, SDCS will pass automatically to the off road mode.This way, the system allows the maximum articulation of the axle. In the special off-road mode offered by the air suspensions, the maximum deep when crossing rivers is aprox. 75 cm and using the flexible air alimentation tube, the admission system has been moved even higher, making sure that the water will not affect the engine.
The wheels and the suspension have also been modified for long term extreme conditions. The standard tyres are replaced by 255/55 R 18 T off road tyres. To counter-balance the supplementary weight of the protection cage and of the rally equipment, and in order to lower even more the weight center of the car, the rear bench, the interior panels and the phonic isolation material have been removed. The driver and the front passenger will enjoy the benefits of the sport benches. Porsche Cayenne S Transsyberia in the standard model comes with a navigation unit, which allows the team to plan routes even when they are not on the road.

Design House Zagato has launched with Maserati a limited series called Maserati GS Zagato, only one year after the presentation of the Ferrari 575GTZ. The car follows the design lines of sport models offered to those clients with big bank accounts by the auto producers, in the 50 she car is built on the base of Spyder Maserati and incorporates a series of aluminum components, it uses the trident as logo on the hood and it signals the implication of Zagato House by a discreet Z on the wing. The combination remains a winning one and it states again the powerful mechanics, elegance although sporty style from Italy.

The GS Zagato keeps the Coupe shape with 2 doors from the series model.details about price have not been revealed yet.The car is built for two persons and is shorter than the series Spyder with almost 20 cm. For the moment, the constructers have not offered information about the package engine/transmission, but it seems they will be the same as the series model.Zagato Team declares that the new model offers superior characteristics at handling and curve stability chapters. One of the technical arguments that support the italians afirmation is the fixed hood capable of increasing the torsion rigidity of the car’s body.The traditions are kept in the most classic style that has inspired many car designers in the 50’s and 60’s. Maserati GS Zagato will be presented on the show Concours d’Elegance Villa d’Este that will be opened in Cernobbio (Italy) 20 -22 April 2007.

The Jaguar XK150 is a sports car manufactured by Jaguar Cars between the years 1954-1957.

The XK140 is being replaced by the new Jaguar XK150. During its manufacture, the XK150 was available in the models Drop Head Coupe and Fixed Head Coupe. The Roadster model was later released in the year 1958.

Latest features have been employed in the XK150 compared to the XK140. The single piece windscreen was used for the first time and the bonnet has been widened. The Roadster’s bulkhead has been moved a bit back which makes it about 4 inches longer.

The same 3.4 liter engine that was used in XK140 has also been used in XK150, where some changes had been made. The XK150 delivers a power of about 210 bhp at 5500 rpm.

In the year 1960, a new version has been launched where the capacity of 3.4 engines has been increased to 3.8, that delivers an output power of 265 bhp, reaches the speed of 60 mph in just 7.0 seconds and attains a top speed of 135 mph. The chassis and suspension were the same, which have been used in the XK140 model and for the first time, the four wheels Dunlop disc brakes have been introduced in the XK150.

Photo by: Hcheney, Creative Commons

Specifications for the XK150 3.4

Years Produced: – 1957-1959
Type: – sports car with 2 doors
Body Type: – steel body
Length: – 177 in
Width: – 32.0 in
Engine: – dual overhead-cam 3.4 L straight-6 XK engine
Displacement: – 3442cc
Horsepower: – 210 bhp @ 5500 rpm
Brakes: – disc
0-60 mph: – ——
Top speed: – ——

Specifications for the XK150 3.8

Years Produced: – 1959-1960
Type: – 2 doors sports car
Body Type: -steel body
Length: – 177 in
Width: – 32.0 in
Engine: – dual overhead-cam 3.4 L straight-6 XK engine
Displacement: – 3442cc
Horsepower: – 260 bhp @ 5500 rpm
Brakes: – disc brakes
0-60 mph: – 7sec
Top speed: – 135mph