Too Much of a Stretch? RUF Builds Porsche Panamera XL for China

Porsche tuning specialist RUF has beat the German brand in the presentation of a long-wheel base version of the Panamera sports saloon aimed at the plutocrats of China.

Named the Panamera XL for obvious reasons, the 5,370mm (211.4 inches) long Porsche received its public debut at the Guangzhou Auto Show 2011, which took place in November last year.

The Panamera's wheelbase has been stretched by 400mm (15.7 inches) to a massive 3,320mm (130.7-in.) in order to create a comfortable business lounge for the rich and famous of China.

The XL tips the scale at an un-sporty 1,960kg (4,321 pounds) with all that mass being propelled by a V8 engine delivering 414HP (309kW) and 510Nm (376 lb-ft).

Porsche itself is rumored to be preparing a long-wheelbase Panamera exclusively for the Chinese market this year.

Story References: RUF via Autoblogl.nl

 

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2013 Buick Encore Small SUV Puzzle Continues with Third Shot

The soon-to-be launched 2013 Buick Encore showed its face today with the release of the third photo of GM's Facebook puzzle.

There's only one image left for the full reveal but for the most part (three-quarters to be precise...), we now know what to expect from the five-passenger model that will make its public debut at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit in less than a week's time.

GM is still keeping us in the dark on the details, but to recap, we know that the Encore is based on a similar model being prepared by the Detroit firm's Opel subsidiary for Europe (see the spy pictures here), with both models making use a modified version of the Sonic/Spark's Gamma II platform architecture.

It is believed that the Encore will be offered with GM's latest 1.4-liter and possibly 1.6-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder gasoline units, and a choice of front- and all-wheel drive layouts.

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Ferrari 458 Italia Spider Presentation in Italy

We've already had a taste of the new 458 Italia Spider, but just before its first public debut at the forthcoming Frankfurt auto show in Germany, Ferrari held a special event in its home town of Maranello in Italy to present its latest creation to the members of the press.

The crew over from Teamspeed were on hand to cover the event and snapped some photos as well as a video of a selection of 458 Italia Spiders finished in various colors including the traditional red, yellow, black and what looks like a dark plum finish.

The roofless version of the mid-engine 458 utilizes a lightweight, aluminium retractable hardtop with Ferrari claiming that it offers a number of gains over the traditional folding soft-top, including a reduction of 25kg (55 lbs) in weight and a deployment time of just 14 seconds.

The Spider is powered by the same naturally aspirated, direct-injection 4.5-liter V8 pushing out 570 ponies to the rear wheels as the tin-top model.

Story sources: Teamspeed , Youtube

 

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