Autocar, which brought us the drifting London taxi in a previous newsletter, has gone one further and is trying to drift a hearse. Watch the video here.
Porsche is being investigated by German financial regulators over allegations that it manipulated the market when it made billions of dollars from hedge funds whilst buying up shares in Volkswagen. Porsche took the hedge funds by surprise by quietly buying up stock in VW at a time when hedge funds thought the stock was over-valued so were short selling the stock (borrowing shares from other parties, selling them with a view to buying back enough shares to refund their borrowing at a lower cost when the share price has dropped hence making money). Porsche had bought up such a massive proportion of VW that there was the unprecedented situation where there was not enough shares available on the open market for the short sellers to close their positions. Porsche then released shares to the market, the demand for which drove the price up from around €200 to a high of €1005. On paper this made Volkswagen the most valuable company in the world for a short while. It is estimated that Porsche made between €6Bn and €12Bn in the frenzied trading back in October.
I received an email yesterday which was sent to all Aston Martin employees informing them the company would be fielding a pair of LMP1 Prototype cars and challenging the diesel entries of Audi and Peugeot for the outright victory of the Le Mans 24 Hours in June. It is 50 years since they last took the overall victory although have won the GT1 category with the DBR9. The car will run in the historic colours of Gulf Oils (the light blue and orange, as seen on the Gulf Edition Carrera mentioned above.
Porsche is strongly rumoured to be on the verge of announcing a stripped out Cayman Clubsport model losing up to 100kg of weight lowering the 0-62 time from it's already quick 4.9 seconds. Road and race versions are expected, the latter being equipped with sports seats, harnesses, a rollcage and fire extinguisher system. Prices are expected to be around £4000 over the cost of a Cayman S.
Rumours are circling that Porsche may be working on a more focussed lightweight version of the 530bhp 997 GT2. Sources suggest the new car might be as much as 200kg lighter than a standard GT2 and power being raised towards 600bhp. We will of course bring you more information on this and other new launches as it becomes available. Pistonheads carries the story.
A revised version of the 997 GT3 has been unveiled to the motoring press. The new car features 20 BHP more power from the now 3.8 litre engine, PSM (Porsche Stability Management) which can be switched off, a higher downforce aerokit, bigger brakes and the option of ride height raising to allow the car to clear speed bumps easier. 911uk has the story.
911 & Porsche World this month will feature a shootout between three of our cars, a 944 Turbo, 944 S2 and 968 coupe.
As thieves become more and more professional when stealing prestige cars like Porsches fight back with a Tracker, available now at the special offer price of £295 +VAT fitted, saving you £55 +VAT over the usual price of £350 +VAT. You are likely to get a discount on your insurance if you have a Tracker fitted which will make it even more cost effective.
To keep your pride and joy in top condition over the winter months whether or not you are driving it Zymol can help protect the paintwork. We are offering special prices for a full Zymol applied by our trained detailers, starting at just £199. We can even come out to your house or office to Zymol your car, within 30 miles of Malton.
Whether you're going to be driving your car over winter or not why not book it in with our workshop for a Free Winter Check which will ensure your car is ready. Call me on 0844 7000 997 and choose option 2 and I will book your car in.
As you will know the level of VAT has been dropped by 2.5% to 15%. Here at Malton we are going one better and adding a 10% discount to this 2.5% drop meaning a massive 12.5% off services with us through to the end of March. The workshop is pretty busy so don't miss out, call me on 0844 7000 997 option 2 to book your car in. Please quote discount code JN when booking to take advantage of this offer.
We now have a presence on Facebook, the popular social networking site. Become a fan and get the latest news, event information and special offers from Malton quicker than ever before. Our page is here.
Our website has served us well over the past few years but is in need of a refresh. Top of the list of priorities is bigger photos of the cars in stock. What would you like to see in our website? If you have any suggestions please email me them, we want the views of the people who use the website, people like yourself, so would really appreciate your comments.
Here is an amazing opportunity for your company or business name to appear on Mike Johnson's front running Porsche racing car as he competes around the UK and Europe in the Porsche Open. As little as £500 will get your name on the car, larger graphics are available right up to sponsoring the whole season.
We are pleased to confirm the next Award Winning Yorkshire Big Breakfast Meet is to be held at Malton from 8.30am on Sunday 12thApril (Easter Sunday). Being a bank holiday roads will be quiet early on so why not arrange a run out with your friends and meet at Malton for a bacon sandwich and a cup of coffee. We have taken note of feedback from the October meet and will still be providing the breakfast free of charge but will ask for a donation to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance in lieu of payment. Around lunchtime we will be starting up one of the Formula One cars we have, an event not to be missed. All are welcome so invite your car enthusiast friends, relatives and colleagues and let's make this one even bigger than last time. In order to try and gauge how many people are coming I would ask anyone who is a member of Pistonheads to add their name to the list here.
We have a luxury American motorhome for sale, a little departure from our usual stock but ideal for Le Mans, the British Grand Prix or any other motorsport event, or just for holidays away in greater comfort than any caravan can provide. The motorhome even has its own shower and satellite TV system! Photos will be on our website shortly.
We have a gorgeous Gulf Edition Carrera, this is a car we have converted, some of you will have seen it in the workshop during its build. Now finished it looks resplendent in Gulf Blue with orange accents, orange BBS wheels and Gulf graphics. The car has lightweight interior, sports seats, quick release harnesses and a full colour coded rollcage.
We still have a number of customers looking for cars, if you have an RS, Carrera GT or 993 GT2 and would like to capitalise on the strong demand for cars from Europe give us a call or email.
Continuing the successful start to the year we have had a record week selling 10 cars worth a total of £856,000. Of the 10 cars 6 were 993s including a Supercup car, an RS Clubsport and a very rare GT2 in addition to a Carrera GT, Indy Car, 944 and a Vauxhall VXR8 (the 6 litre V8). Three of the ten are returning home to Germany, the weak pound against the Euro means good savings for European buyers. The Indy Car is heading to the USA where its new owner hopes to race it at Sebring in March. We wish him the very best of luck campaigning the car. We have subsequently sold another Carrera GT this week bringing the tally to 5 in the last 12 months!! January has ended being the best month in Specialist Cars 20 year history with sales totalling £1.1 million so thank you to all our customers, new and old.
We kicked 2009 off in style being crowned Independent Porsche Sales Garage of the Year by members of the 911UK forum. We are honoured to win this prestigious award which reflects the effort and passion we put into supplying and maintaining the best cars in the country. A big thank you to everyone who voted for us. We also won the Members Event of the Year for the Yorkshire Big Breakfast Meet but more of that later.