My Favorite Design Takeaway?

Full disclosure: With its combination of daily usability, iconic looks and near-supercar performance, the Porsche 911 may well be my go-to for all things automotive. While my eye occasionally wanders to the miscellaneous McLaren, Aston, Ferrari or Lamborghini, the 911 has always felt like home. The 2020 Porsche 911, chasis code 992, has been revealed, and I like what I see. A cursory glance might produce a 鈥渟ame old鈥?reflex, but slow your roll and look a bit closer. The Devil is, after all, hiding in the details. While wheelbase remains the same as the previous gen 991.2 car, rear wheel width is an inch and a half wider, and the front track nearly two inches greater. For the first time in forever, there is also a staggered wheel diameter, with the rears being an inch larger. The sum is greater bite on initial corner entry, and what feels to be even more insane grip throughout the corner.

Other exterior visual cues of newness include updates to the front and rear fascia and light treatments. The most striking is the wraparound taillight assembly, which looks good in pictures, but stunning in person. Another detail of note: the flush door handles. A fine bit of Germanic techno-geekery these are, but it truly contributes to the overall cleanliness of the 992 design concept. My favorite design takeaway? On previous gen 911s, if you spec鈥檇 a model with all-wheel drive, you inherited a wider rear track. The extra fender width made for a sexier stance. All models in the 992 range will receive this treatment, so even the standard rear-wheel versions get that extra something! A smidge more junk in the trunk, visually. Alright, now I shall dive into more of the tech. The PDK transmission is now an 8-speed, up from 7 in the previous car. This allows for closer ratios and a taller overdrive, aiding both performance and economy. The 3.0-liter flat-six engines have been worked over with changes in turbocharging, intercooling and other wonderfulness, upping their horsepower rating to 443 in the S trim level, along with 390 lb-ft of torque.

This should get you to 60 mph from a standstill in the 3.3 second range. All manner of suspension, braking and safety tweaks are included as well, and don鈥檛 be surprised when some hybrid tech arrives on the scene in a couple of years. The interior has been nicely updated to fall in line with the Panamera and Cayenne, sharing the large 10.9鈥?touchscreen on the center dash. In fact, the only analog dial remaining is the center mounted tachometer. Overall the cabin has the usual fit-and-finish and ergonomic excellence that one comes to expect from a Porsche. 114,550, and if you configure one online, you can quickly escalate from there by adding doodads and thingamajigs. This car is Porsche鈥檚 cornerstone, their icon. Despite overwhelming pressure to make an age-old design (remember that engine in the trunk?) mo鈥?better, the wizards at Zuffenhausen manage to live up to expectations. This car is a winner, pure and simple.

A rare Lamborghini LM002 is being auctioned off by RM Sotheby鈥檚 at their March 8-9 event in Amelia Island, Florida. Lamborghini only ever built 328 examples of the LM002 and the vehicle in question is a desirable carburetted model and finished in the same shade of white which it left the factory with. The car was delivered on March 28, 1988 by Chrysler Italian Imports of New Jersey and its odometer currently shows 54,000 km. While little information has been provided about the vehicle鈥檚 former owners, we imagine some pretty high-rollers have been behind the wheel of this beast. Lamborghinis from the 1980鈥檚 were far from the most reliable things in the world, so a recent restoration performed to this LM002 is offering a (relative) peace of mind. According to RM Sotheby鈥檚, the off-roader鈥檚 transmission was rebuilt with a new Kevlar clutch, flywheel, pressure plate, release bearing, clutch master cylinder, and clutch slave cylinder. Additionally, there are rebuilt carburettors, a new distributor, exhaust system, spark plugs, air filters, battery, and new fluids. 45,000. The LM002 also sits on a set of rare Pirelli Scorpion tires and enjoyed a full respray in its original color back in 2017. The interior was also re-trimmed. Unlike the Urus, which uses a relatively benign twin-turbo V8 from the VW Group, the LM002 utilizes the same naturally-aspirated V12 as the Countach - and that alone makes the LM002 one of the craziest off-roaders ever. 375,000. That鈥檚 a lot of money, but when you consider its rarity, specs, and comprehensive rebuild, it starts to make a bit more sense.

The revival of the Ford Puma nameplate was announced earlier this year, but now it looks like the brand might be preparing a hot Puma ST version of the new compact SUV. Though this Puma testing mule pictured on the Nurburgring is heavily disguised, features like the large alloy wheels and the twin chrome exhaust pipes hint that this is something significantly more sporty than the Puma teasers we鈥檝e seen so far. The new Puma will be a compact B-segment crossover on the same platform as the Fiesta, designed to rival the likes of the Nissan Juke, Peugeot 2008 and Renault Captur. It鈥檒l arrive to coincide with the launch of the Skoda Kamiq, too. That means under the bonnet we expect a 1.5-litre turbocharged three cylinder petrol engine with 197bhp. In the Fiesta ST, it covers the 0-62mph sprint in 6.5 seconds, so expect a time of just under seven for the larger Puma.