Porsche Celebrates Anniversary With—What Else—A Special Edition 911

It must be fun to work at Porsche.

To celebrate the 60^th anniversary of the founding of the initial Porsche owners club, they have developed a special edition 911 called the 911 Club Coupe.

And the coolest part? Only 12 lucky buyers will get a chance to own one, determined via a lottery system.

Based on the 2012 911 Carrera S, it adds--among other chanes--30 hp, PASM (Active Suspension Management), PCCB (ceramic brakes), and a slew of visual upgrades to the package. The extremely limited edition sports car from Stuttgart will set American buyers back $175,580, excluding taxes and fees.

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Turbocharged Engines Grow in Popularity

Turbochargers are making a comeback.

Tony Schultz of Honeywell, one of the world’s largest turbocharger developers, says that “With fuel prices being a significant concern for consumers and businesses, turbochargers are a smart choice for getting more miles to the gallon.

The 1980s saw several turbocharged cars establish themselves as what are now performance icons, including the Buick Grand National, and the 1990s saw the Japanese automotive industry embrace this form of forced-induction as a way to increase performance.

Now the goal is more ambitious—fuel efficiency and performance combined. Honeywell estimates that 3.2 million turbocharged engines will see duty in 2012, up from 2.2 million in 2011, many including Ford’s EcoBoost series, and the 2013 Dodge Dart.

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Volkswagen CC R-Line Available in U.S. Late 2012

Volkswagen is giving their recently refreshed CC some kick in the form of R-Line treatment.

The CC 2.0T R-line will be motivated by the workhorse 2.0 Liter turbocharged engine that sees broad use throughout the German manufacturer’s line. The engine will produce 200 hp, and be available with either a 6-speed manual or 6-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

The move continues an industry trend of high-performance variants of existing platforms in lieu of more risky sports car production.

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