Cars

2010 Porsche Panamera Turbo

A German sedan with 500 horsepower is nothing new; nor is a twin turbo or controversial Porsche new to the automotive landscape. But what happens when all those traits combine? You get the Porsche Panamera Turbo, a 500 horsepower twin-turbo V8, 4-door Porsche controversy not-withstanding. Porsche purists cried and moaned when the car was released hoping Porsche wouldn’t follow the same route they took with the Cayenne. Well, after releasing an SUV some say a sedan was the next logical step to compete with Porsche’s other German rivals from Mercedes, BMW and Audi.

And compete they will with the quickest 4-door production sedan accelerating from 0-60MPH in 3.4 seconds. That’s quicker than any AMG Mercedes sedan, BMW M sedan, and even the venerable Cadillac CTS-V sedan, the quickest American-made 4-door sedan, which is powered by the supercharged V8 from the Corvette ZR1.

Reviewers all found something to complain about with the Porsche Panamera Turbo but no one claimed it was underpowered. U.K.’s CAR Magazine claims Porsche missed an opportunity by claiming the car’s design focus oriented it too much towards comfort and not enough on lightness. Road & Track magazine attempts to explain the styling  as the “elephant in the room” referring to the “ungainly roof and awkward slope of its hatch,” neglecting to mention the Panamera’s “elongated 911″ appearance the Porsche styling designers were aiming for. Overall, however, the reviews were generally positive complementing the speed and the cocooning interior most of all. Check out the reviews, videos and gallery below and decide for yourself before you buy!

Reviews:

Autoweek (an AutoWeek Drivers Log)
Car and Driver (Review)
Popular Mechanics (Test Drive)
Road & Track (Road Test)
Motor Trend (First Drive)
Edmunds.com (Road Test)
National Post (Canada, Road Test)
Times Online (UK, Jeremy Clarkson Drive)
AutoBlog (blog, First Drive)
AutoGuide (First Drive)

Video Reviews:

iMotorMag (UK, YouTube)
Fifth Gear (UK, YouTube)
AutoCar (UK, YouTube)
Drive Time (Review, YouTube)

Ford realized it could profit from the love of the original GT40 and in 2003 introduced the Ford GT to showrooms. Promising the same great lines and styling of the original GT40 without the headaches the GT was powered by an SVT tuned version of Fords ubiquitous 5.4L V8 and added modern conveniences like A/C, a Macintosh Stereo, and simple soundproofing. 540 HP, 0-60 MPH in as little as 3.3 seconds and looks to die for sounds good, right? Well its been nearly 4 years since the Ford GT has been out of production but that hasn’t stopped various aftermarket tuners from delivering specialized versions of the car for those who want… more.

Ford created a monster with the 2010 GT500. Not that the 2007-09 GT500 was much of a slouch but the replacement settles nicely between the Mustang GT and the Corvette in terms of acceleration, speed, handling and overall performance. Shelby figured out that people want performance and wanted a more powerful Mustang, even more powerful than the GT500. Enter the Super Snake; a post-title package for any existing GT500 where you send your GT500 to Shelby American to have more performance parts installed upgrading virtually all the “go-fast” parts that Shelby installed upgrading the regular Mustang GT in the first place.

With the “love it or hate it” grabber blue paint scheme, today’s GT500 Super Snake, located in Charlotte, NC, will definitely grab your attention; this is not a subtle car. After just over 3000 break in miles this Shelby was sent for its TLC and breath of new life from Shelby. The parts that were replaced and upgraded include the supercharger replaced with a 2.4l Kenne Bell, a JBA exhaust system, Baer six-pistion brakes, vented roters, Shelby/Alcoa 20″ rims and of course the fantastic triple matte stripes replacing the twins on the original GT500. And the number you’ve been waiting for… 750HP, 200HP more than “stock.” Bidding starts at $124,995.00 so this may be your chance to own the most powerful production Mustang ever produced.