2019 Porsche 911 Caught Practically Naked Yet Again

The new Porsche 911 is expected to break cover at the Paris Auto Show in October.

Porsche seems to be having a hard time keeping the 992-generation 991 under wraps, as not one but two prototypes have been caught almost completely undisguised following online leaks and other recent sightings. This time, a red example has joined the blue model that was spotted last month. On closer inspection, some sections have been covered up, but we still get a clear view of the production model potentially months before the official reveal.

Of the two, the blue model is more elegant and features the sport exhaust suggesting we could be looking at the new Carrera S, while the red model sports a beefier quad exhaust setup. Overall, the design changes are evolutionary rather than revolutionary, just as you would expect from a new 911. There are some key changes under the skin, however.

The 992-generation Porsche 911 rides on an updated MMB platform, which is stronger and stiffer and can incorporate hybrid powertrains. Because of this, the new 911 is also slightly longer and looks more muscular with wider wheel arches. At the front are new LED headlights, which have been covered up in tape, along with a redesigned front bumper with large intakes at each corner. Slim taillights are connected by a full-width light bar that remind us of the Taycan.

In terms of powertrains, the base 992 Carrera is expected to produce around 400 hp a flat-six engine, while the output of the Carrera S could increase to 450 hp and the range-topping Turbo S will allegedly pack 620 hp. A hybrid version will also join the range for the first time in the model’s history, which is expected to be the most powerful 911 ever made packing 700 hp. The 2019 Porsche 911 is expected to break cover at the Paris Motor Show in October, so we shouldn’t have long to wait to find out all the details.

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Could The ZRX-05 Be Proof Acura Is About To Get Serious Again?

"What wins on Sunday, sells on Monday," as the old saying goes.

Aside from the NSX, the rest of the current Acura lineup is rather bland. Let’s face it. What happened to the Acura that we adored back in the 1990s with the likes of the Legend, Integra and RSX (especially the RSX Type-S)? Honda’s premium division has some work to do, but today we have some fresh confidence Acura is getting it together. Meet the ARX-05 prototype race car, joint Acura and Team Penske effort that’s having its debut at The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering, at Monterey Car Week.

A pair of these will actually race next year in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and the prototype itself will debut at the Rolex 24 this coming January. Power comes from the twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 that’s under the hood of the Acura TLX, MDX, RDX, and RLX, only this time it’s been configured to produce around 600 hp.

This familiar and now more powerful than ever AR35TT engine has been utilized in motorsport before, specifically at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2011-13, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and LMP2 World Endurance Championship in 2012, and Petit Le Mans in 2016. "We’ve won with the Acura Integra Type R, the RSX, the first-generation NSX and with the Le Mans prototypes," stated Honda Performance Development boss Art St. Cyr. "Most recently, we’ve won with the new Acura NSX GT3. The ARX-05 is our fifth-generation prototype, and we expect great things from our partnership with Team Penske." Integra Type R? Did he just make reference to that? Yes.

You see, Acura desperately needs to get back into the performance car game if it plans on having a future. Six-figure supercars like the NSX are great and all, but that alone isn’t enough. Why isn’t Acura doing cars like the new Honda Civic Type R, only with sedans (or Cayman fighters)? Why isn’t the TLX the BMW 3 Series it needs to be? Perhaps Acura’s greater emphasis on motorsport, such as with the ARX-5 prototype, will lead to road cars that are actually worth their price tags.

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Could The ZRX-05 Be Proof Acura Is About To Get Serious Again?

"What wins on Sunday, sells on Monday," as the old saying goes.

Aside from the NSX, the rest of the current Acura lineup is rather bland. Let’s face it. What happened to the Acura that we adored back in the 1990s with the likes of the Legend, Integra and RSX (especially the RSX Type-S)? Honda’s premium division has some work to do, but today we have some fresh confidence Acura is getting it together. Meet the ARX-05 prototype race car, joint Acura and Team Penske effort that’s having its debut at The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering, at Monterey Car Week.

A pair of these will actually race next year in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and the prototype itself will debut at the Rolex 24 this coming January. Power comes from the twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 that’s under the hood of the Acura TLX, MDX, RDX, and RLX, only this time it’s been configured to produce around 600 hp.

This familiar and now more powerful than ever AR35TT engine has been utilized in motorsport before, specifically at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2011-13, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and LMP2 World Endurance Championship in 2012, and Petit Le Mans in 2016. "We’ve won with the Acura Integra Type R, the RSX, the first-generation NSX and with the Le Mans prototypes," stated Honda Performance Development boss Art St. Cyr. "Most recently, we’ve won with the new Acura NSX GT3. The ARX-05 is our fifth-generation prototype, and we expect great things from our partnership with Team Penske." Integra Type R? Did he just make reference to that? Yes.

You see, Acura desperately needs to get back into the performance car game if it plans on having a future. Six-figure supercars like the NSX are great and all, but that alone isn’t enough. Why isn’t Acura doing cars like the new Honda Civic Type R, only with sedans (or Cayman fighters)? Why isn’t the TLX the BMW 3 Series it needs to be? Perhaps Acura’s greater emphasis on motorsport, such as with the ARX-5 prototype, will lead to road cars that are actually worth their price tags.

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This Is How Acura's Boss Will Make The Brand For Enthusiasts Again

Acura's Jon Ikeda can't wait for Type S and to watch aftermarket to attack new RDX crossover.

As Acura regains its mojo with stunning designs that ditch the lambasted shield grille affixed to previous-generation models, many fans of the Japanese luxury brand still pine for the return of storied models such as the Legend and Integra. Acura may not be far off the mark of those historical models as it pushes its products more toward performance segments, but what product could capture the attention and fervor of buyers like the Integra of yore? We recently spoke with Acura's Jon Ikeda to ask him about the brand's future plans.

In an interview with CarBuzz, Ikeda, general manager and vice president of Acura Division for American Honda Motor Company, explained how the brand plans to win the hearts and minds of enthusiasts again—and it starts with going back to its roots. “It didn't take long at our company to ask, ‘Hey, what were we known for?’” Ikeda explained regarding Acura's resurgence. “You talk to any enthusiast about Acura and they’re going to start talking about Integras and Legend coupes and the old NSX. That’s where our heart is.” Ikeda, a 28-year designer and Acura's latest boss, has some bold plans, one of which is to bring back Type S models.

“It can't come soon enough,” he said. “We’re selling race cars now—GT3 NSXs. This brand sells race cars. All that is in our roots. That’s where our DNA is. That’s where the whole transformation is starting to happen—and we wanted to do it quickly. So we came out with the Precision Concept that’s a lot edgier, a lot more performance oriented. We brought A-Spec in and brought the performance up. And we announced Type-S is in the future for us. All of those things are coming together as quickly as possible for us.” Still, it won't be just A-Spec and S-Type models receiving performance bits. Ikeda wants to make performance a core tenant of the brand by learning from Integra.

“One of the things you can look at is that there’s some Integra goodness here [in the RDX]. Its performance is at the heart of everything that we’re doing. The enjoyment of driving these things … there used to be a big gap between a truck and what an Integra could offer. But with torque vectoring and turbo engines. All of those things coming together, there’s a lot of goodness you can draw out from a performance ” While the Acura boss didn't give much comment on an RDX Type S beyond “never say never,” he does want the aftermarket to get its hands dirty with the new crossover—something that used to happen with Acuras of the past.

“What would happen if we slammed this car down? I don’t know. But there’s a lot of goodness in here for a lot of people to think about. I think people are going to get creative. I hope they do. I hope to see someone do something like that because that’s the way it was in the past. People weren’t shy about doing something to their cars.” That doesn't mean Acura will only be about crossovers. Ikeda believes there's a place for cars in the brand's future. “We’re focused on revamping a nice, balanced portfolio. If we just do what everyone says—‘Cars are dead! Trucks are the future!’—everything will turn into a Range Rover and that will be it.”

Acura's newest model, the Ohio-built 2019 RDX revealed at the 2018 New York Auto Show, will go on sale mid-way through this year.

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