This Might Look Like A Production Porsche 959 At A Glance, But It Definitely Is Not
I wouldn’t criticize you if you tried to say this was a normal Porsche 959, as the body does look pretty similar to the production car. However, this isn’t the case. In fact, as if being one the few surviving examples of just 12 prototypes built didn’t make this car rare enough, it’s also one of the few that were finished in Ruby Red. The car was apparently designed specifically for electric system testing and hot weather testing on the U.S. West Coast and in Europe.
Still need proof that this is an authentic prototype, well that proof comes on the inside. Throughout the testing phase, several different interior layouts were installed, including one with different seats. You can find extra and disconnected electric wiring under the passenger seat along with hard mounts for the electronic testing equipment next to the rear seats. The car is also lacking power steering, ride-height control, a passenger-side mirror, alarm, windshield washer, and the fuel filler cap among other things.
Porsche 959 specifications
Engine
2849 cc Bi-turbocharged flat-6
Bore x stroke
95.0 x 67.0 mm
Compression ratio
8.3:1
Horsepower (DIN)
444 HP @ 6,500 RPM
Torque
370 LB-FT @ 5,500 RPM
Fuel delivery
elect. port injection
Transmission
6-speed manual
0-60 mph
3.7 seconds
Top Speed
197 mph
This 959 Prototype’s History Is Interesting
How much do you think the asking price is?
Swipe up to learn more about it, see the full gallery, and find a link to the sale listing!
After the Porsche 969 hit the production lines, Porsche destroyed most of the other prototypes that were built alongside this one. This car, however, was imported into the U.S. in the latter half of the 1980s and was displayed like a trophy at the HQ of Vasek Polak – a Porsche importer and dealer. Sometime after that, it was shipped off to Japan for demonstrational activities before being sold to Belgium and later the United Kingdom. The car eventually made it back to its homeland of Germany, where it’s currently on sale. According to the listing, it has just 26,520 km (16,478 miles) on the odometer, but the asking price is a mystery. If you’re interested in owning a very rare care, you’ll have to contract the owner through Mechatronik to find out how much you’ll have to shell out.
The KD sport 900 was conceived by a number of enthusiasts and artisans in 1963. It was unique with a great design that earned it the nickname of the Soviet Porsche. Structure-wise, it also had all the makings of a fast car, including the 500-kilogram weight and two-seater fibreglass body, though the mechanical bit was a letdown. The KD featured an air-cooled 900 cc engine that produced a maximum of 30 horsepower leading to a top speed of 74 miles per hour. Numbers like that made it one of the very underpowered, and the low budget issues meant only a small-scale production of 6 cars by 1969 before the project was shelved. There are one or two which still survive, though.
Yuna
Like the KD, the Yuna is a small-scale production car produced by Georgi and Stanislav Algebraistov. The exterior had features that resembled the Ferrari Testarossa and the Lotus Esprit. It was made in 1982, so the styling of the time was a significant influence. Interestingly, it is the only custom-built sports car from the Soviet Union period that currently runs today. The performance figures for the Yuna are somewhat ambiguous due to the custom settings, but it did have the engine from a BMW 525i, meaning a 2.5-litre engine rated at an estimated 150 horsepower. The Yuna also had power windows, and the exhaust was upgraded to produce a better sound.
Melkus RS 1000
The Melkus was initially made by Heinz Melkus in 1968 to celebrate the two-decade anniversary of the GDR RS and debuted at the Brussels Motor Show in 1970. The body was composed of polyester resin reinforced with fiberglass, and the base models only weighed 680 kilograms. Despite the weight advantage, the 1-liter, three-cylinder engine only managed 68 horsepower, which meant a top speed of 102 miles per hour. It did feel quite fast, though with a loudness of 90dB. However, the body was prone to crosswind and common flick oversteer. It also had no airbags or ABS. That being said, it was beautiful to look at.
FSO Syrena Sports
The FSO Syrena Sport was a Polish concept car developed during the late 50s by Cezary Narwot, a mechanical engineer and constructor. When he designed this model, Nawrot got his inspiration from western cars. It is probably why the car had a few design similarities to the Mercedes 190 SL and the Corvette. He opted for an air-cooled 700 cc, flat-twin S16 engine producing an estimated 35 horsepower. The Syrena was quite good in the corners despite the lacklustre performance due to the independent rear suspension. From the time that it debuted in 1960, it became a sensation. In fact, there was a newspaper outlet in Italy that dubbed it the most beautiful car from behind the Iron Curtain.
Stratopolonez
In 1977, the Polish Prime Minister’s son, Andrzej Jaroszewicz, participated in the Malboro Arctic Rally in a Lancia Stratos and crashed it into a tree. The body was in tatters, but the chassis, engine, and other significant parts were salvaged. Rather than let it go to waste, the car was refashioned into what became the Stratopolonez. Considering Jaroszewicz was the then head of FSO research and development, his position was convenient as it led to the development of Delta Integrale styled sports car. The same Dino sourced 2.4-litre V-6 engine delivered 260 horsepower and was linked to a five-speed manual gearbox. It accelerated to 60 miles per hour in five seconds and had a top speed of 143 miles per hour. The Stratopolonez was used in rallying circuits until 1985, before it was retired. No others were ever made, probably because no one bothered to crash and redesign a Lancia Stratos.
ZIL-112 Sports
The ZIL-112 was one of the few models from the eastern bloc that competed in races between 1961 and 1969. It had features resembling the Shelby Cobra, aerodynamics, and apparent light body construction allowed for great trackability. Power was derived from two options. One was a 6.0-litre V-8 producing 230 horsepower, while the other was a 7.0-litre V-8 rated at 270 horsepower. Depending on the engine used, the top speed was between 160 and 170 miles per hour. Following land speed record attempts and participation at the domestic USSR Championship races, the Party Committee at ZiL concluded that the model was diverting engineering resources from the flagships of the soviet industry. There was no place in the republic for a car as extravagant as the 112, and only two were ever produced.
Laura
Like the previous entries, the Laura was also a project model courtesy of Dmitry Parfenov and Gennady Hainov. The two enthusiasts wanted to create a sports car that had nothing in common with what the Soviet bloc was producing at the time, hence the Laura. It had a few similar styling attributes to the American GMC DeLorean though the front was decidedly European. Apparently, it was built almost entirely without factory parts, and even the engine was designed and hand-built by the two enthusiasts. Not many technical details are currently available, though concerning the Laura. Scarce mentions place its top speed at 106 miles per hour, and only two were ever made. It was highly praised by the Secretary-General of the Communist Party, Mikhail Gorbachev though, and displayed in numerous international exhibitions.
Our spy photographers caught the upcoming Porsche 911 Sport Classic out for a new testing session on the public roads of Germany. As you can see the car is missing most of the camouflage which means the testing sessions are pretty much done, and all that is left is mostly fine tuning.
The prototype follows the design lines of the 911 models, but there will be a few distinctive features. First one is of course that little ducktail at the back – a signature of the Sport Classic models. The 911 Sport Classic will also feature a double bubble roof and the lines of the special hood will match perfectly the lines of the roof.
The only camouflage we can see on this prototype is some tape around the sides of the ducktail spoiler and in the middle of the rear light arrangement.
As for the engine, rumors suggest the 911 Sport Classic will get the same engine as the 911 GTS: a 3.0-liter twin-turbo flat-six that delivers 480 horsepower
and 420 pound-feet of torque.
Rumors suggest Porsche will only build 2,000 units of the 911 Sport Classic.
Shortly after news that the next-gen Mazda 6 would feature a new inline-six, Mazda released its electrification strategy for the next few years. That plan includes the launch of five hybrid models, five PHEVs, and three EVs between 2022 and 2025, all based on Mazda’s “Skyactive Multi-Solution Scalable Architecture.” Details beyond this were slim, and it has led some to question what will happen to the MX-5 Miata. It fights in a very tough, small niche and will be very difficult to electrify without taking away what makes it special – its lightweight, compact nature and impressive handling.
Now, a new report from Japanese outlet Kuruma-news says that Mazda Mx-5 will only live on as either a hybrid or an EV. Shortly after that report went out, Motor 1 received confirmation from Mazda via an official statement that at least hints that the company will try to keep the car as nimble and lightweight as possible:
“Mazda is seeking to electrify the MX-5 Miata in an effort to have all models feature a form of electrification by 2030. We will work hard to make it a lightweight, affordable, open two-seater sports car in order to meet the needs of customers.”
So, while we know the Mx-5 will likely live on, we’re not sure as to what end electrification will come into play. Making the Mx-5 all-electric would encourage other automakers to do the same with their compact sports cars, with the Porsche 718 Boxster Concept being the first that comes to mind. And Electric MX-5 could also encourage Honda to bring back the S2000 as an EV, for example, or push Toyota and Subaru to electrify the GR86 and BRZ twins.
The Downside to Electrifying the Mx-5
There’s no denying that EVs, in general, can put down some serious performance thanks to their instantaneous torque delivery. However, the big downside is that EVs are naturally heavy and generally feature a limited range. When it comes to the MX-5, that is a very crucial thing to keep in mind since it is a lightweight and nimble car that’s also affordable.
Transforming the MX-5 into an EV would be very difficult to keep its lightweight nature intact and, since it’s so small, there’s not a lot of room for battery, which means an MX-5 EV would probably mean little range – maybe even as low as 150 miles.
Of course, that could change in the years to come with advancements in battery tech, but as things sit now, batteries are very heavy and very big, two things that don’t mix well with what the MX-5 is at its core.
Hybridization Could Be The Right Move For the Next-Gen MX-5
Mazda’s electrification plans aren’t as ambitious as that of other automakers. By 2030, the company expects only 25-perecent of its vehicles to be all-electric with the remaining 75-percent being powering by hybridized internal combustion engines. This is a big deal because going the mild hybrid route means Mazda can cut down on the weight it needs to add since the battery pack will be much smaller. There won’t be any electric range to speak of, but this setup would also open the door for even better performance since even a small electric motor can add a considerable amount of torque to a car’s bottom line – this is exactly how Mercedes is able to scall down to a four-cylinder engine, even in the range-topping AMG versions of the new C-class.
Final Thoughts
At this point, there’s no telling when we’ll know what Mazda is going to do for sure, but at least we can say that there’s a good chance that the MX-5 will live on until at least 2030, and probably beyond. With the current model hitting the market for the 2015 model year, there’s a good chance the next-gen model will be revealed in 2023 or 2024, and I’m willing to bet it’ll be a mild hybrid. However, that’s not to say that Mazda won’t offer at least one all-electric version of the MX-5. If the R&D is done, it might be a feasible option if there’s actually enough demand for it. Then again, some would argue that Honda bringing back the S2000 as an EV would be a horrible idea, simply because a lot of what made that car special was its engine and chassis. Will the world think the same about the MX-5? Should the car be shelved instead of going electric in the future? I guess only time will tell.
Carbon Fiber Aero Kit To Improve High-Speed Handling
The Maserati MC20 is a handsome car and we would be disappointed if the addition of the kit would bring in big changes. Perhaps, 7 Designs understands this too and has refrained from going berserk in terms of looks. The company noted that the initial plan was to make a full-body panel conversion kit for the Italian supercar. But, it shifted its focus to develop a kit that works with the original body.
The kit that 7 Designs has come up with consists of eight carbon fiber components and replaces only the unpainted parts of the MC20. These include:
Front lip spoiler
Canards on the front bumper
Widened side skirt
Carbon mirror covers
Roof scoop
Door fin accent
Rear wing
Rear diffuser
These components give the factory look a little more aggression without hampering the original design. The thin, deep lip spoiler at the front increases downforce at higher speeds, while the pair of canards on the bumper guide the airflow to the corners for increased stability. The diffuser helps create a smooth slipstream while reducing the drag at the rear. The wing also helps generate downforce at high speeds.
What’s The Maserati MC20 All About?
Maserati marked its return to the supercar fold with the MC20 in September 2020. This is the company’s fourth mid-engined car and is touted as a spiritual successor to the MC12, although it shares no similarities with it, other than the grille, to some extent. If you’re a fan of subtle, plain-Jane designs, the MC20 will please you. It will be offered in six different colors.
The MC20 is powered by a 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V-6 engine that churns out 621 horses and 538 pound-feet of torque.
Power is sent to the wheels via an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. It takes just 2.9 seconds to sprint to 60 mph from rest and will have a top speed of over 202 mph.
Conclusion
Every component will come with a gloss carbon fiber weave. Wheel options to complement the kit will also be launched along with the kit. The company mentioned it will build only 25 of these kits for the MC20. The price hasn’t been announced, but expect it to cost a bomb given the exclusivity.
What kind of modifications did Mason Whitlow added to his Honda S2000?
The upgrades are extensive, to say the least.
We’re not talking about your run-of-the-mill software tune; we’re talking a complete overhaul that includes, among other things, a staggering engine swap.
Remember the S2000’s 2.0-liter inline-four cylinder engine? Whitlow, with the help of his employer, ditched that in favor of a massive 6.2-liter L92 V-8 engine. Of course, a significant engine swap like that involves more than just an engine-for-engine replacement.
To get the desired results, Whitlow also added a Boostlab 7874 turbo, upgraded the car’s camshaft and valve train, and installed more sophisticated engine mounts. That’s on top of all the other additions to the S2000’s small engine bay. Take a peek a the completed engine swap and you’ll see Hooker exhaust headers, a Hi-Ram air intake system, and a 105-mm throttle body.
The result of all these changes is beyond belief.
From producing 248 horsepower out of the S2000’s original four-cylinder unit, Whitlow’s S2000 conversion now comes with the aforementioned V-8 that produces a walloping 707 horsepower and 691 pound-feet of torque.
How much assistance did Holley provide
A lot, presumably. Whitlow, after all, is a jack-of-all-trades employee who has access to just about every mechanical nook and crank that he needs to successfully make the conversion. He even managed to score a beefed up four-speed automatic gearbox, and Performance driveshaft, and an 8.8-inch Ford rear end that’s equipped with 3.37 gearing.
All the modifications put into this Honda S2000 is the stuff of awesomeness. It’s incredible enough that a Honda S2000 can be modified to this extent; it’s more amazing when you see the completed transformation. Go big or go home, right, Mr. Whitlow?
Built by a small Spanish shop from Barcelona, Spain, the Tramontana R is a Formula One car for the road in terms of design.
Granted, it’s not as sleek and aggressive as a proper F1 monoposto, but it shares most features, including the pointy nose, the side pods, and the rear wing.
But unlike a Formula One car, it features clamshell fenders front and rear. Another major difference is the closed off cockpit, which looks quite cool thanks to a jet fighter inspired design. Another cool feature is the 5.2-liter V-10 engine borrowed from Lamborghini. The mill cranks out 651 horsepower, a massive amount given the curb weight of only 2,795 pounds, enabling a sprint to 62 mph of 2.7 seconds and a top speed of 202 mph.
Pricing varies between €800,000 and €1.1 million (around $870,000 to $1.2 million as of March 2020), depending on specs.
Tramontana R specifications
Engine
5.2-liter V-10
Horsepower
651 HP
Weight
2795 lbs
0 to 62 mph
2.7 seconds
Top Speed
202 mph
Price
€800,000-€1.1 million
While the Tramontana brings Formula One on public roads, the Carver One combines the features of a car with those of a motorcycle. It has three wheels, one in the front and two in the rear, but it features a steering wheel.
The company argues that the One offers the comfort and stability of a car and the dynamics of a motorcycle.
Only 130 inches long and 51 inches wide, the Carver One tips the scales at only 1,418 pounds. The engine is rather tiny at 0.66 liters, but its output of 65 horsepower and 74 pound-feet is enough to push the One from 0 to 62 mph in 8.2 seconds and up to a top speed of 115 mph.
The One is no longer in production due to Carver’s financial difficulties, but you can find a used one for around €30,000, which converts to about $32,700.
Upfront, the BAC Mono borrows a lot of design elements from the Mono R and looks largely similar to the Pagani Zonda R
BAC Mono is a more popular choice when it comes to street-legal race cars with just one seat. The Mono was introduced in 2011 and it has remained relatively unchanged all these years, despite some updates operated by Briggs Automotive Company. Also inspired by Formula One cars, the Mono is the result of a cooperation between engineers from Cosworth, Hewland, Sachs, AP, and Kumho Tires.
It features a carbon-fiber composite construction over a steel chassis and it tips the scales at less than 1,200 pounds.
Power comes from a 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine developed by Cosworth and Mountune and the latest update for 2021 increased output to a solid 332 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. The BAC Mono returns supercar-like performance with a 0 to 62 mph sprint of 2.7 seconds and a top speed of 170 mph.
It’s also very agile, the kind of car you can use to set new records on the Nurburgring. The Mono isn’t cheap though as pricing starts from £165,950, which is approximately $212,300.
Ford has quite a reach history in motorsports and at some point it decided to build a race car that could be legally driven on the streets. As the name suggests, it’s the kind of monoposto you could use to start a one-make formula racing series with your rich friends.
These were actually conceived for a handful of Formula Ford championships, but were also available as customer cars.
The Formula EcoBoost draws juice from a tiny, 1.0-liter, three-cylinder EcoBoost engine rated at 200 horsepower, but because it’s light as a feather, it can hit 60 mph in a little over four seconds and a top speed of 160 mph.
The Formula EcoBoost lapped the Nurburgring in just seven minutes and 22 seconds, which is quicker than many supercars. These cars retail from around $75,000 a pop.
Introduced in 2000 and based on the second-generation MX-5, the Miata Mono-Posto is essentially a sleeker Miata without a windscreen and a covered passenger compartment. It was inspired by cars like the Lotus Eleven and the Jaguar D-Type.
Sadly, the concept didn’t catch on and Mazda never put it into production. So this is a single-seater you can’t actually buy, but some enthusiasts built a few conversions over the years. If you’re lucky you might find one for sale now and then, but it will set you back in excess of $50,000.
SUB Three-Wheeler
The Sub Three-Wheeler is the third three-wheeled vehicle from our list, but it’s actually different than the Carver One. While the latter features two wheels at the rear, the Sub has two wheels in the front, just like the iconic Morgan 3 Wheeler. So instead of the motorcycle type steering, it’s more like a standard car.
The design of the Sub Three-Wheeler is as simple as it gets, with no windscreen, no headlamps and tiny clamshell fenders over the wheels.
Although it didn’t really catch on, its 1.0-liter engine rated at 135 horsepower and curb weight of only 730 pounds combine to offer a thrilling experience on the race track. The Sub was pretty expensive when it was launched back in the mid-2000s, with the company asking $80,000 for a three-wheeler.
Palatov D1
Don’t worry if you haven’t heard of Palatov, it’s a relatively unknown company from Oregon, led by Dennis Palatov. But it built this awesome lightweight car that resembles prototype race cars.
The spartan yet very aerodynamic racer features a bespoke, 3.0-liter V-8 engine that cranks out 430 horsepower and 220 pound-feet of torque.
It might not sound like a lot compared to modern supercars, but the D1 tips the scales at only 950 pounds. This translates into blistering sprint times and excellent agility on twisty race tracks.
The D1 costs $105,250 if you buy it as a fully assembled car, but you can also go for a kit at $57,500 and build it yourself. Palatov now offers a variety of sports cars, including the more normal looking D2 and D5.
Palatov D1 specifications
Engine
3.0-liter V-8
Horsepower
430 HP
Torque
220 LB-FT
Weight
950 lbs
Price
$105,250
Rinspeed Advantige R1
Rinspeed is a far more familiar brand. It has been around since the early 1990s and already launched a series of production sports cars and concepts, some of them electric.
The R1 is a lesser know model, most likely because of its one-seat layout and somewhat ugly design.
But it features a “floating” cockpit that shifts with every corner and, more importantly, it can be legally driven on public roads. Like most Rinspeed creations it’s quite fast as well. But this vehicle is hard to trace, let alone buy in 2020.
You probably know the Peel P50 from the famous TopGear episode when Jeremy Clarkson drove it into an office building and even an elevator. Yes, it’s that small! And unlike other cars on this list, the P50 isn’t a sports car. It’s a microcar that Peel Engineering Company, which used to operate on the Isle of Man, built between 1962 and 1965.
It’s often described as the smallest car in the world and it features a 49 cc engine rated at just 4.2 horsepower.
The brand was reactivated in 2011 by a couple of businessmen and the P50 is back into production with a four-stoke engine or an electric motor. Pricing starts from around £14,000, which converts to about $16,200.
Here’s another three-wheel, this time with two wheels in the front. But this one looks like a really tiny hatchback and I guess we can consider it a modern version of the P50. The design is actually nice, but the bad news is that this car is mostly road legal in Canada only.
Powered by a single electric motor rated at 82 horsepower and 128 pound-feet of torque and a 16-kWh battery, it provides a range of up to 100 miles and a top speed of around 80 mph.
Electra Meccanica Solo specifications
Powetrain
single electric motor
Horsepower
82 HP
Torque
128 LB-FT
Battery
16-kWh
Range
100 miles
Top Speed
80 mph
Price
$13,800
Pricing starts at just below CAD20,000, which converts to around $13,800.
