Porsche wants you to know that it’s cars are tough enough to drive every day, not just on sunny weekends. The German automaker has invested quite a bit of money in advertising to illustrate this, capped off by a recent contest from Porsche Cars North America called “My Daily Magic.”

The premise was simple: film a Porsche as a daily driver, illustrating how it helps bring magic into your life on a regular basis. Up for grabs was a one year lease on the Porsche of your choice (as long as the value came in below the $18,000 cap), or $18,000 cash and an expense-paid trip to see the grand opening of your video on the big screen.

The winning video was directed by Michael Koerbel, and it’s entitled “It’s a Magical Life.” The production value tells us it wasn’t filmed with an iPhone in someone’s backyard, which makes us ponder the fairness of the contest. After all, if pros were submitting videos, those with a limited budget and limited camera skills really didn’t stand a chance.

Nonetheless, Koerbel’s video is the best of the entrants we’ve seen (by a large margin), and it’s a pretty creative look at how new Porsche fans are created. While a Porsche (of any vintage) is outside our budget these days, we’d certainly consider a 911 Carrera GTS as a daily driver if we were to hit the Powerball jackpot.

Update: Below is the behind the scenes of the film – Thanks to Jake for the tip!

Porsche – “It’s A Magical Life” (behind the scenes) from Michael Koerbel on Vimeo.

APR's lobby, featuring the 2006 SEMA GTI.

When it comes to tuning in the Volkswagen, Audi and now Porsche world, one name stands out above the rest. APR LLC, which was originally founded as “Auburn Parts and Repair” in Auburn, AL, has continued to blend performance with functionality since the shop began tuning Audi A4s in 1998. Since then, their market has expanded to include Volkswagen Seat, Skoda and Porsche, and the company now has a presence around the globe.

APR's headquarters in Opelika, AL. Image: APR

While Volkswagen doesn’t have an “official” tuning partner, APR is as close as the automaker gets. The first collaborative effort between the two companies was the Volkswagen GTI built for the 2006 SEMA show, and prominently displayed in APR’s lobby. The relationship continues to this day, and APR is currently at work building a murdered out Jetta, dubbed “Darth Vader,” for Volkswagen U.S.A.. While most dealers will point out that modifying your car’s ECU will void the warranty quicker than you can say “reflash,” APR has established itself through VW dealers across the country (and across the world), helping to legitimize APR’s software and hardware products.

APR's rapid prototyping system.

Prototype parts are accurate enough to use for test fitment.

Unlike most tuners, APR is a massive operation with an impressive amount of in-house capability. Everything from design through rapid-prototyping is done in house, and manufacturing is only farmed out when it can be done better by a third party manufacturer. A good example of this is the company’s Carbonio intakes and their stainless exhaust systems; since APR doesn’t want to lay up carbon fiber or bend stainless tubing in house, they farm the component manufacturing out to companies who can meet their exacting standards.

APR's chassis dyno.

In fact, “exacting” may be an understatement. APR’s Opelika, AL facility includes a chassis dyno (in its own dedicated environmental chamber), a UV-curable resin rapid prototyping system, several CNC machines, fuel injector testers and even a high-pressure fuel pump test rig, the only one of its kind outside of a major automaker or tier 1 supplier. Buying a commercially available unit would have cost in the neighborhood of $500,000, so APR designed and built its own in house, for roughly $60,000.

Darth Vader awaits completion.

Under Darth Vader's hood. It only looks stock...

That kind of “do it yourself and do it better” mentality pervades the entire APR staff. Every one is an enthusiast, and you get the feeling that coming to work in the morning is a lot like going to play in your garage on the weekend. I visited them on Labor Day, and you wouldn’t have known it was a holiday, since the shop was busy prepping race cars for the season-ending Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race. Keith Lucas, APR’s director of sales and marketing, and Arin Ahnell, APR’s marketing manager, both took time out to show me around the impressive facility.

APR's logo. I wonder how many fans have this as a tattoo?

One of APR’s hottest-selling products is its EMCS Program Switching tune, which allows VW, Audi and Porsche owners to select custom ECU maps based on available fuel grade. The stock ECU programming is also retained, allowing owners to easily switch back and forth between stock and tuned modes. The gains in performance are readily apparent, and there’s no better way to go faster for a reasonable amount of money.

APR's CNC area. Image: APR

In the case of my 2011 VW GTI, the stock car produces 216 horsepower and 227 ft-lb of torque on 93 octane gasoline. With just an APR Stage 1 tune, and no other mods, the car now makes 254 horsepower and 303 ft-lb of torque on 93 octane gas. Should I have to run 91 octane, I can easily switch maps and the car will still produce 250 horsepower and 294 ft-lb of torque. For track use, if I’m willing to completely drain my gas tank and run 100 octane fuel, my car will make 273 horsepower and 337 ft-lb of torque.

The workshop area, cleaner than an operating room. Image: APR

Numbers on paper are only part of the equation, and they don’t mean much if the car loses drivability in the process. That’s simply not the case with my GTI, which now pulls noticeably harder from 2,500 rpm to redline. There’s still next to no torque steer, which makes the GTI easy to drive at speed. In short, APR has transformed the car into the GTI that VW should have built.

One of APR's Continental Tire Challenge GTI race cars

So why didn’t VW tune the American GTI for this much horsepower? It comes down to building a car for the worst case scenario. While the 2.0 TSI is a fairly robust engine, if an owner opted to use 89 octane gas (instead of the required premium) and then flog the car in 110 degree heat, bad things would happen. It’s cheaper for a manufacturer to limit performance than it is for them to replace engines in cars that aren’t properly maintained, or that are driven without regard to temperature and conditions.

If you’re a VW or Audi fan, chances are you already know about APR. If you’re new to either brand, bookmark GoAPR.com, since you’ll probably be buying stuff from them in the near future.

Seven and eight speed gearboxes are the way of the future, since they offer up a blend of both performance and fuel economy simply not possible with five and six speed transmissions. Porsche is the first manufacturer to release a seven-speed manual transmission, and adding the seventh gear allows the automaker greater flexibility in improving the new 911’s performance while meeting ever-tightening U.S. and E.U. fuel economy requirements.

The seven speed pattern is your typical “double H” of a six-speed, with another “half H” added to accommodate the seventh gear (which is located to the right of fifth gear). Gears one through six are close-ratio, designed to maximize acceleration, while the seventh gear is essentially a tall overdrive, designed to reduce engine speeds at high vehicle speeds. In other words, only one to six will be used when driving in a spirited manner (since top speed is achieved in sixth gear), while seventh gear will be used exclusively on the highway (or faster secondary roads) to boost fuel economy.

Porsche’s PDK dual-clutch automatic is also now a seven-speed, with the same “overdrive” feature as the seven speed manual gearbox. As with most dual-clutch manumatics, the PDK will serve up the fastest lap times, since it executes gear changes much faster (and smoother) than a human being can. The trade off is the man-machine interface, and I’ve never driven a shiftable automatic (including Porsche’s PDK) that I prefer over a manual transmission for sheer entertainment value. Props to Porsche for offering customers the ability to choose, instead of just jumping on the flappy-paddle-shift bandwagon.

Source: You Tube via Left Lane News

Porsche's Carrera GT. Image: Brian Snelson

If you look at Porsche’s current product catalog, there’s a pretty big gap between the sold-out $245,000 GT2 RS (the fastest road-going Porsche ever built) and the $845,000 918 Spyder, whose performance numbers have yet to be established or verified. Porche’s head of global sales, Bernhard Maier, smells opportunity in this segment, and he recently leaked the information that Porsche is looking to develop a high-performance model that slots in between the GT2 RS and the 918 Spyder. Could it be an updated Carrera GT, perhaps?

Despite the global economy being in shambles, Porsche sold 97,000 vehicles worldwide in 2010 and is on pace to top 100,000 this year. That’s modest but realistic growth, as orders dropped in June and second half sales gains aren’t projected to be as impressive as those in the first half. Much of the first half growth came from orders for the new Cayenne, and Porsche is well aware that an updated and expanded product line is the key to growth.

By 2018, the automaker wants to hit sales of 200,000 units per year. A new high-end sports car won’t drive sales on its own, but it will draw attention to the Porsche brand and it will bring customers into showrooms. It’s up to their sales team, aided by one new model per year, to produce the rest of the growth. Look for the new 911 to hit dealers this fall, followed by the introduction of the Cajun compact SUV in 2012.

Source: Auto Guide

Just a guess, but Klaus Bischof probably loves his job. As Director of Porsche’s “Rolling Museum”, he spends his days saying “Ja” or “Nein” to requests from around the world to display classic Porsche racecars at festivals and events. I’d be willing to guess that he’s driven most of the classic Porsches himself, at famous racetracks around the world, just to “warm up the engine” or “get the flat spots” off the tires. Judging from the video, the man is certainly a subject expert on anything relating to Porsche and racing, and you get the feeling that Bischof could answer any Porsche related question you throw his way. I’ve been lucky enough to tour the Porsche museum in Stuttgart, so I’ve seen variants of a lot of the cars in the video. I can’t imagine what it would be like to walk past them every morning, coffee in hand, as you make your way to your desk. Enjoy almost nine minutes of classic racing Porsche porn below.

I’ve never lasted at any one employer longer than five years, but Bischof has been at it for 43 years. He started as a mechanic in Porsche’s racing division back in 1968, and today he’s the man behind a priceless array of Porsche cars. If I was in his shoes, I suspect I wouldn’t be in any hurry to leave, either.

Porsche's Panamera Turbo S. Image: Porsche AG

Harlan Ellison, the reclusive but brilliant science fiction writer, once penned a story called “How’s The Nightlife On Cissalda?”. Like most of his work, it baffled many, offended some and amused the rest of us. I can’t possibly do the story justice here, but let’s just say the issue of appearance versus performance factors heavily into the tale. If something is so good at what it does that it touches a place in your very soul, do you really care what it looks like? That question haunts me when it comes to the Porsche Panamera. As GT cars go, the Panamera is among the best, particularly when you get to the cost-be-damned Panamera Turbo. If you routinely haul three other passengers from coast to coast at speeds that would have made Brock Yates in his prime pucker, the Panamera Turbo is perhaps the best choice for performance, comfort and handling. Even the Cadillac CTS-V doesn’t come close, particularly for rear seat passenger comfort. Sure, on a racetrack the CTS-V can hold it’s own against the Panamera Turbo, and the Caddy costs half as much as a Panamera Turbo, but the Porsche offers a level of refinement that the Caddy lacks. If you’ve got the bank account to afford either, some serious test driving was required to decide which GT sedan is the best option for you. Until now.

Image: Porsche AG

Porsche has announced a new Panamera variant called the Turbo S. As you can guess, the Turbo S adds more horsepower and torque, courtesy of a re-mapped ECU and improved turbochargers. The changes are good enough for a 10% boost in horsepower, giving the Panamera Turbo S 550 hp to the Turbo’s 500 hp. Torque also gets a boost from 516 ft lb to 553 ft lb, but thanks to Porsche’s “overboost” function (offered with the Sport Chrono Package), the Turbo S can temporarily deliver up to 590 ft lb of torque for passing more pedestrian sedans. Porsche is proud of the Panamera Turbo S’ fuel economy as well: in EU testing with standard tires, the car returned up to 20.39 MPG. Opt for the all season, low resistance tires and fuel economy gets a bump up to 20.74 MPG.

Image: Porsche AG

On the outside, the Turbo S gets 20 inch Turbo II wheels, a wider rear track, side skirts and a four-position rear spoiler. Inside, the Turbo S comes with two tone leather seating in either black and cream or in gray and cream. Pricing has been announced for the German market, where the Turbo S will start at the equivalent of $253,502. On this side of the pond, pricing will start somewhere around the $173k mark. If you’ve got the finances, the Turbo S may be the world’s best GT sedan.

Porsche Panamera Turbo S Press Release

With its new four-door Panamera Turbo S, Porsche once again raises the bar for sporty four-door luxury cars by delivering ultra high performance and efficiency, sports-car-like driving dynamics, and first-class comfort in a purely Porsche package.

Porsche will reveal its most powerful Panamera for the first time in North America on April 20, 2011 at the New York International Auto Show.

The engine in the new top-of-the-line Panamera is based on the already proven and powerful twin-turbocharged V8 engine in the Panamera Turbo. The 4.8 liter, V8 engine in the Turbo S achieves a maximum output of 550 horsepower, which is 10 percent more than the 500 horsepower delivered by the Panamera Turbo. The torque is also increased over the Turbo from 516 lb-ft to 553 lb-ft. In the “Sport” and “Sport Plus” mode of the standard Sport Chrono Package Turbo, the overboost function can temporarily generate additional torque with a peak rating of 590 lb.-ft.

The power increase delivered in the Panamera Turbo S can be attributed to two main enhancements: new twin turbochargers with titanium–aluminum turbines and a modified engine control. Titanium–aluminum reduces the turbine and compressor wheel’s weight, which results in a quicker turbo response that improves the engine’s agility.

The formidable powerplant that lies beneath the hood of the Panamera Turbo S is capable of propelling it to sports-car sprint times. With the help of Launch Control, the newest Panamera can reach 60 mph in just 3.6 seconds. The top track speed is 190 mph. And despite this increased performance, fuel consumption is expected to remain comparable to the Panamera Turbo that delivers an EPA estimated rating of 15 mpg city/23 mpg highway (18 mpg combined). Official EPA fuel economy estimates for the Panamera Turbo S will be available when the car goes on sale in North America.

Even for a world-class luxury car, the Panamera Turbo S boasts an extraordinarily high level of comprehensive features. In keeping with its sporty concept, it comes equipped with the most important driving-dynamic control systems. For example, Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) is an active anti-roll system that significantly reduces lateral body movement during corning, which enhances stability, handling and overall occupant comfort. Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus) is also standard and works to help ensure superior traction and higher-performance cornering by applying a variable torque split to the rear wheels in combination with an electronically controlled rear differential lock. Also standard is Porsche’s advanced speed-sensitive Servotronic steering system, a sports exhaust system, and the Sport Chrono Package Turbo that further tunes the engine and suspension at the touch of the “Sport Plus” button.

While the sporting character of the new Panamera Turbo S is most apparent behind the wheel, the car’s exterior tastefully exudes its high-performance ambitions. The new 20-inch Turbo II wheels with increased rear axle track width, side skirts from the Porsche Exclusive range and the adaptive four-way extending rear spoiler express the car’s elite performance abilities. Inside, the fusion of exclusivity and sportiness is conveyed in the interior by the standard bi-color leather finish. A new combination of black/cream is offered exclusively for the new Panamera Turbo S with Agate Grey/cream also being added as an exclusive option later this year. Agate Gray Metallic will also be an exclusive exterior color.

The new Porsche Panamera Turbo S will go on sale in the U.S. later this spring, and will have a base MSRP of $173,200, excluding $975 for delivery and destination.

Source: Porsche

A Porsche 911 Carrera. Image: Porsche AG

Selling and leasing cars is a complicated business. If you’re a luxury brand like Porsche, chances are good that you lease a lot more vehicles than you sell outright. When it comes to buying a 911, stepping up to the plate with a check that starts at $80k is a tall order. On the other hand, if you break it down into a “digestible” $1,200 per month or so, the cost seems more within reach (at least to some). Leases are good for business, because they also turn over a lot of clean, low mileage used cars, and a $65k, three year old 911 is a lot more attainable for most people. So what do you do when your three year leases decline, reducing the future population of used cars? If you’re Porsche, you find a way to restructure leases for 24 months.

So far in 2011, Porsche has more than doubled the number of 24 month leases offered in previous years. Falling interest rates have dropped monthly payments to the point where a 24 month lease is nearly as attractive as a 36 month lease. In the case of the 911, a typical 36 month lease runs $1,118 per month while the 24 month lease runs $1,263, or just $145 more per month. Shorter leases ensure that clean used vehicles are available for interested buyers, and allow customer leasing 911s to step up to a new car that much sooner. Porsche’s own research shows that those leasing 911s are much more likely to lease another 911 that customers leasing other Porsche vehicles.

Source: AutoWeek

Image: Porsche

In 2010, Porsche became the first automaker to campaign a hybrid race car in endurance racing events around the world. Their original 911 GT3 R Hybrid saw competition at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, as well as races in China and in the United States. Lessons learned from these competition outings were used to build a better 911 GT3 R Hybrid race car for 2011. In this case “better” doesn’t mean faster, but it does mean more fuel efficient. Porsche’s goal is to turn the same lap times as last year, but use less gasoline in doing so, and in endurance racing that savings can easily be the difference between winning and losing.

Image: Porsche

To meet their goals, the 2011 car has shed some 110 pounds, which makes it 20% lighter than last year’s car. Bodywork is more aerodynamic, which decreases drag, improves fuel economy and helps with top speed as well. The flywheel accumulator is similar to the design used last year, but is now encased in a carbon fiber safety cell on the passenger side of the car. The drivetrain remains the same as last year, with electric motors at the front wheels providing up to 200 supplemental horsepower for short bursts of speed (useful when passing opponents out of corners). The flat six engine in the 911 GT3 R Hybrid puts out 470 horsepower, which gives the car a combined rating of up to 670 horsepower. There’s a catch, though: the energy stored within the flywheel accumulator is depleted after only a few seconds of use, so the driver needs to be strategic in his use of the supplemental power.

Image: Porsche

Image: Porsche

Porsche will introduce the car at the 2011 24 Hours of Nürburgring race on June 25. Expect to see it run at least one American LeMans series race in the United States, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it run more races than that. More than any other manufacturer, Porsche is proof that racing improves the breed.

Source: Porsche