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Category: Highlight

  • Porsche 914 restomod hides Cayman S flat-6

    At the end of the 1960s, Porsche was on the hunt for a model that could slot into the family lineup below the 911. Working with Volkswagen to make this happen, it came up with the 914, a car that proved to be quite popular.

    Despite this popularity, the 914 today isn’t exactly lighting up the classic car market like other Porsches of the era, though that could change if we see more companies like the United Kingdom’s Fifteen Eleven Design spring up.

    The company is a division of World Rally Championship team Mellors Elliot Motorsport and is focused on the classic car side of things. While it traditionally performs restorations, it has also dabbled in the world of restomods, and its latest is based on a 1975 Porsche 914.

    1975 Porsche 914 restomod by Fifteen Eleven Design

    1975 Porsche 914 restomod by Fifteen Eleven Design

    The design features several tweaks inside and out but the biggest changes will be in the areas you can see. We’re told extensive chassis updates are planned, including for the suspension and brakes.

    Fifteen Eleven will also install a modern engine, in this case a 3.4-liter flat-6 from a Porsche Cayman S. It will be mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. Interestingly, Porsche originally offered a flat-6 in the 914/6 model, though it didn’t sell well, with most customers preferring a flat-4.

    Fifteen Eleven plans to show its first completed 914 restomod later this year. The company is currently accepting orders, for both left- and right-hand-drive cars, and it hasn’t said if build slots are limited. It also hasn’t said how much the restomod will cost.

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  • Bentley picks Audi designer as new design chief

    Bentley on Tuesday named Andreas Mindt as its new design chief.

    Mindt is currently head of exterior design at fellow Volkswagen Group brand Audi and starts his new role on March 1.

    He replaces Stefan Sielaff, himself an ex-Audi designer, who is leaving Bentley after a six-year stint to pursue other opportunities.

    In his new role, Mindt will be in charge of a team of 50 designers and report to Matthias Rabe, head of engineering at Bentley. One of the first models he is likely to be tasked with designing is Bentley’s first electric vehicle, which is due in 2025.

    Fortunately, Mindt has plenty of experience with EVs as the 25-year VW Group veteran was pivotal in devising the design direction for Audi’s expanding EV portfolio, including the E-Tron and upcoming E-Tron GT. Now he will do the same at Bentley which is committed to offering a full-EV lineup by 2030.

    “Designing a car, and a future, is always a process based on the performance of many, not one, and so I look forward to working with my colleagues to help define the next phase for Bentley, into an electrified future,” Mindt said in a statement.

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  • Driverless cars will race at Indy

    The famed Borg-Warner Trophy features the images of every driver who has won the Indianapolis 500-mile auto race. But a new race is scheduled for October 2021 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway featuring cars without drivers, at least without a human driver sitting in the cockpit.

    The inaugural Indy Autonomous Challenge, which unveiled its Dallara IL-15 racing car January 11 on the opening day of CES (formerly known as the Consumer Electronic Show), will offer $1.5 million in prizes to teams from colleges and universities around the world racing cars using student-created software that enables autonomous racing.

    Think DARPA Grand Challenge for motorsports, with a goal of developing software that “can ensure precision control of vehicles at high speeds during the competition and reduce fatalities and pollution on public roadways afterwards.”

    Open-cockpit Indy-style autonomous race cars for virtual challenge

    Open-cockpit Indy-style autonomous race cars for virtual challenge

    While DARPA Grand Challenge vehicles traveled off pavement at perhaps 5 mph, the Indy Autonomous Challenge racers, powered by specially prepared 4-cylinder engines, should be capable of nearly 200-mph speeds.

    “If we can go- 240 mph and keep cars from colliding on the track, surely we can make highways safer,” said Mark Miles, president of Penske Entertainment, which owns the Indy track and the Indy Car racing series.

    Speedway president Doug Boles noted that the Brickyard originally was constructed as a site for technology testing and development, and that the Wright Brothers set an aircraft altitude record at the facility in 1910, a year before the first 500-mile auto racing.

    Open-cockpit Indy-style autonomous race cars for virtual challenge

    Open-cockpit Indy-style autonomous race cars for virtual challenge

    “Our history has led us to today and to the IAC,” he added. “We can’t wait to see the best and brightest minds from around the world competing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.”

    Those minds will come from nearly 40 colleges and universities from 14 states and 11 nations, said Paul Mitchell, president of Energy Systems Network, the Speedway’s partner in the project.

    He said he expects the software development for the race to “accelerate technology commercialization and to solve real-world (public transportation system) programs.”

    Open-cockpit Indy-style autonomous race cars for virtual challenge

    Open-cockpit Indy-style autonomous race cars for virtual challenge

    “Self-driving cars are the next challenge in automotive technology and a major leap needed to be taken,” he added. “What better way than a high-speed race at the world’s best race track?”

    Software simulation racing is scheduled for late May with practice days for the race cars at the Speedway in early June and early September. Pre-race practice starts October 19 with the final 20-lap race on October 23. All teams retain the rights to their software and the winning team gets a $1 million prize.

    For more information, visit the IAC website.

    This article, written by Larry Edsall, was originally published on ClassicCars.com, an editorial partner of Motor Authority.

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