Porsche’s First All Electric Vehicle

Discovered in an old Austrian shed…where it sat for over 100 years, the first Porsche ever made turns out to be an AEV.  Created by Ferdinand Porsche himself in 1898… it was nicknamed the “P1” but properly called the “Egger-Lohner electric vehicle, C.2 Phaeton model”.  Ferdinand Porsche actually raced the P1 at a Berlin electric vehicle expo…taking home first place…and finishing the almost 25-mile course 18 minutes faster than the 2nd place competitor.  Shortly thereafter, it seems the P1 was abandoned for some reason…and hidden away in that Austrian shed in 1902, until just recently when it was recovered.


But the P1 was moved earlier this year to Stuttgart, Germany, where it debuts at the Porsche Museum.  All that remains of the vehicle is its wood and metal frame and front, which holds its steering wheel and a century-old dashboard that measures voltage and amperage. A true all electric vehicle…the vehicle’s motor weighed 287 pounds, but it relied on a 1,000 pound battery for power….delivering 3 horsepower during usual performance with bursts of up to 5 horsepower at maximum speed.  With a travel range of nearly 50 miles, the 3000 pound vehicle had a max speed of about 22 miles per hour.

Read More – USA Today

 

Auto Body Gilroy News: 5-23-12

Mazda, Fiat partner for new roadster: Autoweek TV

Also in this episode: We lap the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 pace car, the new Porsche 911 GT3 is caught testing on public roads and Ford Motor Co. gets its logo back. [Read More]

 

2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 dyno video shows 609 hp at the wheels

Ford seems to be playing a fun little game car enthusiasts like to see: under-rating.

Exhibit A is this video from 5.0 Mustang and Super Fords via Hooniverse, which shows the all-new 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 taking pulls on a dyno. [Read More]

 

Jaguar pokes fun at General Motors, stays on Facebook

Jaguar took a little jab at General Motors on Tuesday, poking fun at the company’s decision to stop advertising on Facebook. Jaguar put out a release with eight statements about its current and future plans, which we will now translate.

1. Jaguar WILL advertise on Facebook and welcomes other car companies to “Like” us. [Read More]

 

Porsche Expansion Pack now available for Forza Motorsport 4

Turn 10 Studios and Forza have released the Porsche Expansion Pack for the racing video game Forza Motorsport 4. [Read More]

 

2012 Hyundai Accent SE: Autoweek Autofile car review

The Hyundai Accent is not particularly fast, nor is it the first thing that comes to mind when we’re looking for an autocross car. [Read More]

Auto Body Gilroy News: 5-16-12

American Le Mans Monterey: Über Gallery [Car Porn]

The six hours of racing at Laguna Seca this weekend didn’t make for any surprise wins in the prototype classes, but we got some classically close GT competition. Laguna Seca veteran Brad Fox caught the unmitigated grandeur of modern racing cars flooding through the corkscrew. More »

Take A Peek Inside Porsche’s Time Machine [Video]

Porsche doesn’t need a flux capacitor to turn back time. It’s got a shop where the most haggard, wrung-out and beaten-down members of the vast Stuttgart diaspora can be rebuilt and rejuvenated. Welcome to Porsche Classic. Don’t step on any 959s, please. More »

More Than 10% Of Corvettes Have Been Stolen At Least Once [Car Crime]

Americans love Corvettes and, unfortunately, so do a few unsavory characters. The National Insurance Crime Bureau found that, since the fiberglass two seat debuted in 1953, more than 90,000 have been stolen. That’s 6 percent of the 1,526,747 ‘vettes ever built, or one in 10 over the past 30 years. More »

Ford to replace U.S. models fastest through 2016, report says

Ford Motor will lead the industry in introducing new or refreshed vehicles in the United States at the fastest rate for model years 2013 through 2016, according to a Bank of America Merrill Lynch report today.

Fiat Strada could find a niche in U.S.

Maybe I’m crazy for even thinking it, but if I could bring one Fiat-based vehicle to the United States that’s not yet here, I wouldn’t hesitate in my choice: The Fiat Strada.

BMW sees record 2012 sales, profits despite economy worries

BMW predicted record sales and profit in 2012 boosted by eight new and updated models.