The Best Porsche 911 In Today’s Lineup Will Return For The 992 Generation

And when we say 'best,' we mean the purist 911 for the money.

Porsche has become an expert in finding, developing, and ultimately building sought-after 911 variants. From the base 911 Carrera to the hardcore 911 GT2 RS, there’s literally a 911 for every budget north of the $90,000 entry price. We’re only a couple of months away from the official reveal of the next-generation 911, the 992, but Porsche is keeping its details a secret for now despite numerous spy shots and videos showing nearly camo-less 911 992s. But will Porsche continue with all of the outgoing 991’s trims or create new ones?

According to Road and Track, at least one recently launched 911 variant will return, the purist-focused 911 T. The publication spoke with 911 chief engineer August Achletiner at Porsche’ Rennsport Reunion last month and specifically asked him whether the 911 T will return.

“Absolutely,” he said. "In the last half-year, I almost only drove a Carrera T [with a] manual and I love this car," Achletiner added. "It's just pure. The only option I have beside the navigation system is a sunroof. Wonderful.” The Porsche 911 T still isn’t exactly cheap, beginning at around $100,000, but it is still a fair amount less than the GTS and GT3 Touring, for example. With its classic 911 styling, shorter gear ratios, and a more driver-focused chassis configuration, the 911 T quickly became a sales success, and it makes complete sense for Porsche to make this trim a permanent part of the future lineup. Another good sign for 911 purists is the fact that Achletiner is personally a huge fan of manual transmissions.

He told Road and Track that despite the PDK gearbox offering superior shift times, manuals are simply more fun. "I think the PDK from a technical point of view is a better solution, but it's just fun to operate the manual," he said. As long as Achletiner is running the show, it seems like the manual gearbox is safe in future 911s, despite the superiority the PDK offers. So, when exactly will the 992 generation 911 make its debut appearance? Soon, perhaps at the LA Auto Show late next month.

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Porsche Officially Kills Off All Diesel Vehicles From Its Lineup

Goodbye oil burners. Hello electrification.

Last summer we learned Porsche was strongly considering dropping diesel engines entirely from its lineup following the fiasco of Dieselgate. Fortunately, Porsche did not rely on diesel nearly as much as other VW Group brands, but these oil burners were still popular choices up until only a few years ago. According to a report from Autocar, Porsche has ultimately made the decision to drop diesel vehicles entirely in what a spokesman claimed was due, in part, to the “cultural shift” of its customers.

The first Porsche diesel arrived on the market 16 years ago, and we really should not be surprised by this announcement considering the new third-generation Cayenne SUV doesn't even offer a diesel. The last two diesel variants on sale, at least in Europe, are the Macan S Diesel and Panamera 4S Diesel. Both are now discontinued. Diesel Porsches have already been dropped in the US in favor of a new electrification strategy. Autocar further points out diesel’s demise at Porsche is also linked to “another software update” that was still part of an “ongoing consultation with the authorities.” Interesting.

More than likely, Porsche has decided it was not worth re-engineering those vehicles’ diesels so they would conform to the new Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure standards. Combined with decreased customer demand, the business case was clear. Diesel is something Porsche can definitely live without, considering diesel sales consisted of only 15 percent of Porsche’s total global sales last year. Porsche also never developed its own unique diesels, but instead relied upon its parent company to supply them. In fact, Porsche reportedly wanted Audi to fork over some $234 million in damages for costs related to diesel engines and the associated recalls.

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Top Marques Turns 15 With Amazing Lineup Of Supercars In Monaco

Monaco was built to host a supercar show, and it didn't dissapoint.

Monaco has always been synonymous with luxury, extravagance and all that is exotic. Being home to the world’s most expensive cars, yachts and jewelry, it’s only natural for it to host an annual supercar show. And that’s something the principality has been doing for quite a few years now. Taking place in mid-April every year, Top Marques Monaco presents only the best of what a local Monegasque would be looking to buy: From gold-enriched alcoholic beverages and carbon fiber bodied yachts, to the main attraction: supercars.

With everything presented in one venue, accompanied by typically perfect South of France weather, CarBuzz couldn’t resist the kind invitation to attend this year’s exotic car extravaganza. While cars are on static display like any other show, in Monaco certain exhibitors give passenger rides around town, to show them what their expensive new toy can do. But it’s not any old route. The test course follows the famous Grand Prix circuit around Monaco, making the passenger (who the carmaker will be hoping is a prospective buyer) feel that much more special.

To mark the 15th edition of the Top Marques Monaco show the organizers went all out to attract more cars, more exhibitors, and to give attendees more things to see and experience. Here’s a selection of some our favorite cars at the show. We’ll start with Apollo, who displayed the new Intensa Emozione at Monaco’s main attraction point, Casino Square. The hypercar sports a naturally-aspirated 6.3-liter V12 and full carbon fiber chassis and sub-frames. Throughout the show, the car went on a few drives around town. Alas, as it’s still under development, no passenger rides were granted. But we still got to see its beautiful design features, inside and out.

Introduced at Geneva earlier this year, the Corbellati Missile, with its 1,800-hp, 9.0-liter twin-turbo V8, theoretically taking it to 310 mph (500 km/h), was another star attraction. As it’s not yet a functional model, the Missile remained rooted to the supercar show floor. But we’ll be waiting to hear from Corbellati about future developments in the coming months. Among the small number of supercar manufacturers displaying their wares at the show were Zenvo, with its TS-1 and more hardcore TSR-S, and Eadon Green, whose Corvette-based Zelcat, was objectively a looker.

Tushek also came to Monaco to launch its new TS900 H, a hybrid hypercar weighing in at just 1,400 kg. Combined with a total output figure of 1340 hp, it promises to deliver a Koenigsegg-rivaling experience. Other manufacturers of note included Arash, who presented its AF10; and Radical, who had a RXC for test drives. As always, Top Marques attracted a bunch of aftermarket companies too. Renntech took us for a ride in an insane 740-hp Mercedes-AMG C63 that we’re sure some well-heeled admirer ended up driving home at the end of the show. TopCar Design presented a pair of Porsche 911 Turbos and a Mercedes GLE, the Russian outfit showcasing its breadth of customizing capabilities with an unusual attention to detail.

Pogea Racing displayed two of its most amazing creations. It’s beautiful interpretation of a Ferrari 488, with Pista-rivaling 820 hp called the FPlus Corsa, was one of the stars of the show. While the Nemesis, a bonkers Alfa Romeo 4C we called the Quadrifoglio that Alfa should have made, featured a major weight-saving carbon-fiber redesign and a serious engine upgrade, doubling its original output to 477 hp. While Geneva is known as the supercar show, Top Marques Monaco gives the newest players in this notoriously challenging niche the chance to shine. And being set in Monaco, when the show ends, a whole new performance begins when the locals go out for a spin.

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Acura Arming Lineup With New Turbo V6 For Type S Trim Revival

The NSX has given Acura the confidence it needs to force the rest of its lineup into the performance arena.

Once upon a time Acuras were known for sublimating tires with little regard for the safety of anyone or anything in the near vicinity. There’s still the NSX out to thrill those that can afford it, but aside from that the notion of performance has been relatively absent from the modern Acura lineup. Maybe Acura wised up on its own or maybe it listened to us, but either way the performance drought is to be no more. During the 2018 Detroit auto show, Acura announced that it will be reviving its old performance line, known as Type S.

The backbone of the Type S line will be a newly developed turbocharged V6 power plant that’ll be exclusive to Acura. "We have made a major commitment to Acura to bring each element of Precision Crafted Performance to life through a new generation of products," said Toshiaki Mikoshiba, president & CEO of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "Acura will pursue a unique powertrain strategy that underscores the brand's rightful place as the performance division of Honda." Gearheads will laud the fact that the turbo V6 will continue the direction started by the NSX supercar and utilize Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system to send torque to the wheel or wheels that can get the most use out of it.

That should sit well in Acuras with a Type S badge, which we last saw on the 2008 TL that featured a track-tuned chassis, high performance tires and brakes, sporty interior and exterior upgrades, and engine tweaks to back that bark up with bite. In addition to Type S models, Acura will introduce A-Spec variants to every core model in its lineup. A-Spec packages add a more aggressive tune to certain components such as the suspension to give buyers a hotted-up option than the base car it's on, but A-Spec could become the middle ground tuning option once Type S is back. While it’s currently available on the TLX and ILX sedans, the newest vehicle to receive the new version of A-Spec will be a TLX coming in 2018 with a 2.4-liter power plant.

With Acura back in the performance game, this marks the last major Japanese luxury automaker to up the performance ante—a mark that the Island nation is ready to take another step forward in the fight against the Germans.

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