Car FYI

Photo Credit: Porsche AG untitled Towards the end of May, an online auction was held for a legitimate one-of-a-kind piece of automotive and Hollywood memorabilia. After 10 days and 42 bids, the listing ended with a sum of $382,000 in American money (about $465,000 Canadian) for the transaxle that once resided in a rare Porsche 550 Spyder sports car owned by iconic 1950s actor James Dean and linked to his tragic fatality. Described in length in an article published last month on this website , a four-speed manual transaxle viewed as one of the few documented components connected to the Porsche Dean lost his life driving on September 30 th of 1955 was listed on the vehicle-centered Bring a Trailer. According to the auction listing, the component was stored in a wooden crate for decades and eventually made its way to Massachusetts. Featuring a serial number of 10 046, transaxle was mounted into a steel display stand for exhibition. The seller of the Porsche 550 S...

Photo Credit: Porsche AG untitled More than 65 years after James Dean’s fatal highway crash on U.S. Route 466, a verifiable piece has surfaced of the vehicle involved in the ill-fated Porsche 550 Spyder the 24-year-old actor drove in his last moments of life. Through an online auction being held on Bring A Trailer , buyers with a desire to obtain a rather ghoulish gearbox. The Porsche 550 Spyder was one of the first purpose-built race cars assembled to establish a name of what was once a small sports car located in Stuttgart, Germany. A derivative of Porsche’s 356 production car, the 550 Spyder’s compact, lightweight stature (the 550 was in reference to the vehicle’s weight in kilograms) combined with a mid-mounted 1,500 cc flat-four engine proved almost instantly superior in competition. Entering competition in 1953 by Porsche, the 550 Spyder cemented much of the early on-track success for the brand including a class victory at the 1953 24 Hours of...

Photo Credit: Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG The Porsche 911 is an instantly sporty shape few other automobiles have been able to match. As soon as the production started on the first car on September 14th of 1964, the magical charm of the sports car carries through with every generation of refinement to the vehicle. The 992 architecture is the most advanced version of the Porsche 911 touting the smoothest body lines, awesome engine power supported by available equipment such as all-wheel drive or all-wheel steering and an interior containing a level of luxury amenities few past Porsche enthusiasts would have expected. Instilling the ultimate heights of performance for drivers of the latest German sports car is an all-new 911 Turbo. With the first turbocharged 911 coming into existence in 1975 known as the Porsche 930, the 256-horsepower machine was conscripted for motorsports with models sold to the public to comply with sporting regulations. Though the engine power figures of the 930 se...

Photo Credit: Porsche AG Ahead of the anticipated release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Porsche and Lucafilm have collaborated on a project that may the pilots of the Millennium Falcon, X-Wing fighter or a First Order Tie Fighter jealous. Crafted over a two-month period by design teams based in San Francisco as well as Weissach, Germany, a spaceship design has been created capturing the spirit of the accomplished sports car company in one of the most popular sci-fi universes. As Jedi's Luke Skywalker and Yoda have become one of the force, Star Wars and Porsche's partnership have merged their creative energies to create the Tri-Wing S-91x Pegasus Starfighter. Photo Credit: Porsche AG An unmistakable Star Wars-style spacecraft, the Tri-Wing S-91x Pegasus Starfighter is a complete fantasy design that allowed two creative entities to explorer a fun concept. In regards to the end result of Porsche/Lucasfilm Michael Mauer, Vice President for Style Porsche at Po...

Photo Credit: Porsche AG For the limited time when North American climate permits, exotic and classic pieces of motoring are given a chance for be seen as well as heard. Sadly, we’re entering into the final days of summer of 2018. It’s been another year where the bright, warm roadways have doled out some savoury automotive eye-candy that succeeds in dazzling our sights. Before shorter days and the regrettably inevitable trek towards cooler Canadian temperatures will ultimately draw those machines into hibernation or migration, a few remaining treats remain. Appearing at Vancouver’s Luxury & Supercar Weekend between September 7th and 9th, Porsche’s crown jewel 356 No.1 Roadster will continue its brief summer layover in Canada as it will arrive in Toronto this weekend. A vital component to German sports car maker’s 70th anniversary celebrations in 2018, the Porsche 356 No.1 Roadster is scheduled to appear on September 15th and 16th at the Toronto Harbourfront. The weekend in ...

Photo Credit: General Motors This weekend kicks off the official start of the auto racing season in North America for 2017. The 12-turn, 3.56-mile road course within the Florida motorsport complex called Daytona International Speedway hosts a large field of teams and drivers competing for a once around the clock event. The debut race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the 2017 Rolex 24 at Daytona is a fresh opportunity to ring in a new year on a highest note. For 2017, big changes to the Prototype and GT Daytona class for the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will create some new sights to behold for race fans. Thanks to a series of rules designed to make competition vehicles comply closer to the regulations of international racing sanctioning bodies such as the ACO and FIA, some new pieces of motoring technology are incorporated within the grid. Debuting in the top class for the 2017 Rolex 24 at Daytona, DPi (Daytona Prototype international) features race cars sh...

Photo Credit Porsche Cars North America Forgive me for I am still catching up to my commitment to provide a Car of the Month for the Car FYI website. When I started this initiative, I knew with the absence of auto shows, the summer would produce a trickier period for determining the monumental vehicle for a month. Picking a car for the month of June, it is my belief I am trying too hard to be clever in choosing a vehicle that I should have followed my first and most obvious choice. Without further ado, I present the June 2015 Car FYI Car of the Month recipient; the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans overall winning Porsche 919 Hybrid . After a decade and a half absence from top-tier global sports car racing, a Porsche factory racing effort assembled on-track for 2014 as LMP1 competitors in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). Porsche's return to prototype sports car competition was hedged on a gasoline...

Photo Credit: Porsche For the 83 rd time in history, sophisticated sports cars arrived in France for the ultimate daylong test of endurance and stamina. The 24 hours of Le Mans on the Circuit de la Sarthe delivered a fair share of surprises, disappointment and the eventual celebration for winners of the four classes of racing. As is often the case, the LMP1 class earned a great deal of attention as high-tech cars generating what is estimated to be around 1,000 horsepower. Faster than the other racing classes at Le Mans, the LMP1 category winner would also be almost guaranteed to be the overall race winner. Becoming a fight reserved for two German brands Audi and Porsche, the race saw new norms displaced by old norms. Returning to the top class at Le Mans last year with the 919 Hybrid , Porsche’s effort in 2014 came with a best run of 11 th place for the team. Having taken overall race victories in 16 24 Hours of Le Mans races in history (first in 1970 and the last in 1998)...

Porsche's enthusiasm for motorsports has been the cornerstone of the brand's prestige as a sports car maker. While the German performance vehicle builder has been regularly competing with production-based race machines through the 21st century, Porsche has not had a purpose-built race car entered in the top prototype category of Le Mans. In fact, the last time Porsche contended in the prototype class of the French sports car classic occurred before Audi entered the their first R8R vehicle in competition. After 16 years, the 16-time overall event winner returned to the daylong sports car endurance race with the Porsche 919 Hybrid. Although the two Porsche entries suffered problems during the 24-hour race, there was still a celebratory spirit at Porsche Centre Oakville. This enthusiasm his now been recognized by through a global competition for marketing. Triumphing against respected dealerships across the global ...