2008 February | oneighturbo.com

Archive for February, 2008

Porsche to start production of the 911 again on Monday

Published February 29, 2008 in Porsche. 0 Comments

Shortfall of about 800 vehicles can be made good

Porsche AG, will be starting production of the 911 series again next Monday, March 3, at the main factory in Zuffenhausen. Production was stopped last Monday following a deflagration that occurred in the paint shop, in which a PVC fusion oven was badly damaged. The material damage, amounting to several hundred thousand Euros, is largely covered by insurance.

The causes of the accident have now been identified. External experts have ascertained that the gas escape was due to a technical defect. An examination of the other ovens has shown that they are in perfect working order and fully functional.

By adopting special measures, it will be possible to compensate the production backlog of 800 vehicles that arose during this week in the course of the current business year.

- Porsche

Flying Lizard 2008 Porsches Debut at Sebring Test; Team Unveils Full Driver Roster

Published February 28, 2008 in ALMS, Flying Lizards and Porsche. 0 Comments

The three new 2008 Flying Lizard Motorsports 911 GT3 RSR Porsches — No. 44, No. 45, and No. 46 — had their U.S. debut this week in Sebring, Florida at a two-day private test. The entire team and a complement of Lizard drivers converged in Florida for the first shakedown of the new Porsches, which had arrived at the team’s Sonoma-based shop just over a week ago.

“We’re pleased with the test results so far,” said Flying Lizard crew chief and co-technical director, Tommy Sadler. “With the first run of a new car, there are always some challenges. Having track time prior to the Sebring race to do a shakedown and let the drivers get used to the cars will definitely help us keep our focus on setup during race week.”

In addition, the team announced its full driver lineup for Sebring. In the No. 46 Porsche, Johannes van Overbeek (USA) and Patrick Pilet (France) will team for the season, joined by guest driver Richard Lietz (Austria) for the race. Joerg Bergmeister (Germany) and Wolf Henzler (Germany) will be paired in the No. 45 Porsche for the season, joined by guest driver Marc Lieb (Germany) for Sebring. In the No. 44 Porsche, Darren Law (USA) and Seth Neiman (USA) will be joined by veteran Australian GT driver Alex Davison for Sebring. This will be Lieb’s sixth race with the Lizards and the first time that Lietz and Davison have run with the team. For driver bios click here.

Law, who drove the new Porsches for the first time yesterday, said, “It was great to get out on track with the new cars and we had a very good test. It’s clear that the cars have taken a step from last year.”

All three Porsches appeared on track in full ALMS livery: the familiar silver and red Lizard combination the team has showcased since their inaugural season in 2004.

Team manager Eric Ingraham added, “This test was a real milestone for the team: the first time that we’ve run three cars in parallel. We’ve added some new folks to support the addition of the third car, including a third engineer, a third strategist, and the requisite drivers and crew members. We’d expected a challenge scaling to the three car setup, but so far, things have gone smoothly. We’re looking forward to being back here in two weeks for the race.”

- Flying Lizard Motorsports

Technorati Tags: American Le Mans Series, Flying Lizard Motorsport, Porsche, Porsche 997 GT3 RSR, 2008 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring

Volkswagen at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show

Published February 28, 2008 in Volkswagen. 0 Comments

Still no Scirocco images in our hands… and no Golf TDI Hybrid shots.

We really love the EcoFuel and BlueMotion options. This should have been something offered in the Volkswagen Routan.

Comeback of the Scirocco – World premiere of a sports-car legend
E-power to the diesel – Golf TDI Hybrid concept car runs on just 3.4 litres

more images in the gallery. (right click to save)

Volkswagen will be igniting a fireworks of models in Geneva, with seven international premiere presentations scheduled. The main spotlight will be on the completely re-engineered Scirocco, an all-round sports car, as the highlight of the show. Another vehicle being showcased at Lac Léman is the Golf TDI Hybrid. This concept car runs on just 3.4 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres. The 150-PS Passat Estate TSI EcoFuel also being showcased as a world premiere, represents a technology leap for automobiles run on natural gas. Other Volkswagen world premieres will be the extremely fuel-efficient Sharan BlueMotion (6.2 litres) and the four-wheel-drive Golf Estate 4Motion. The Passat CC will also be on display for the first time ever in Europe.

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