2012 Porsche 911: First Official Photos of the 991 Hit the Web

It was bound to happen; the very first official press photos of the new 2012 Porsche 911 were leaked onto the internet today well ahead of the sports coupe's world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show in mid-September.

If you're having a hard time spotting the styling changes we won't blame you as the 991 was closely modeled after the outgoing 997.

And while there may be more differences than we care to mention, the most eye-catching alterations concern the concave front LED daytime running lamps, the door-mounted exterior mirrors and the much thinner and more futuristic looking LED tail lamps that adorn the more heavily sculpted rear end.

As anticipated, the new 911's interior blends the two styling worlds of the 997 and the Panamera into one. A key highlight is the pronounced lower part of the center console that hosts a number of buttons.

Move away from the styling and you'll find a larger platform with a 4.0-inch longer wheelbase as well as a new pair of engines, with the basic Carrera sporting a 3.4-liter boxer delivering 350HP, and the Carrera S, a 3.8-liter flat-six producing around 400-horsepower.

In both models, power is channeled to the driving wheels through a new 7-speed manual gearbox or an optional PDK transmission.

Stay tuned on CoolPictures for more news on the new Porsche 911, as it won't be long before the German automaker comes out with a full release.

Photos via Topspeed

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Porsche Unveils 2012 MY 911 GT3 Cup Racer

The all-new 911, code-named 991, may be just around the corner with its debut coming next month at the Frankfurt Motor Show, but that doesn’t mean that Porsche is done with the soon-to-be-replaced 997.

At least not with its racing version, the GT3 Cup, which with more than 2,200 units sold, is the number one preference for customer racing teams worldwide.

Now, Porsche has unveiled the 2012MY 911 GT3 Cup. It is based on the 991 (997) GT3 RS, with the 3.8-liter flat-six engine producing an identical 450HP at 8,500 rpm.

However, it does get a race exhaust system that features a controlled catalytic converter to reduce CO2 emissions.

The new GT3 Cup has a larger 100-liter FT3 safety fuel tank, which is filled via an opening in the hood. According to Porsche, this change makes the car more suitable for a wider range of endurance racing.

The Porsche racer rides on 18-inch wheels shod in 25/64-18 front and 30/68-18 Michelin racing tires.

Both the front and rear anti-roll bars are adjustable in seven positions in order to achieve a customized set-up for each occasion.

In addition, the Porsche Mobil1 Supercar racers, which support the F1 championship, get exclusive use of the PCCB Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes that, compared to the composite cast units used in other race versions of the 911, reduce overall weight by 20 kg.

Deliveries of the new 911 GT3 Cup will start in September and the car will be available in this specification for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. Pricing starts from €161,750 (~ US$228,700) not including local taxes.

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MRS Racing Team gives Porsche 911 GT3 R a New Look

This weekend's ADAC GT Masters racing series at the Red Bull Ring circuit in Austria will see team MRS show off their latest Porsche 911 GT3 R in new colors.

The MRS racing Porsche was prepared by German car wrapping specialist, Cam Shaft, which went for an eye-catching three-tone color theme. You can check out more photos of the car in our gallery after the jump.

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2012 Porsche 911 Makes a Brief Appearance on "Need for Speed: The Run" Trailer

While checking out the latest preview trailer for Electronic Art's [EA] limited edition racing game "Need for Speed: The Run", we noticed that among the new cars included in the special package are the Lamborghini Aventador, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and the 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S.
Since we've already seen the other cars, the surprise here is the new Porsche 911 which makes a very brief appearance in the trailer at around 59 seconds into the video. EA's trailer only shows the 991's rear air vent and the headlamps.
According to Electronic Art's press bit, the "Need for Speed: The Run" will be available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC with sales set to start in North America on November 15 and in Europe on November 19.

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RUF Unveils Updated CTR3 with 750-Horses

Four years after the presentation of the CTR3, and it's time for Porsche tuning specialist RUF to tweak its mid-engine supercar.

The newest CTR3 continues to use the Porsche 911-derived 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged six-cylinder boxer engine, but thanks to a series of modifications, output has been boosted from 691bhp and 890Nm (657 lb-ft) to 750bhp and 960 Nm (708 lb-ft) of peak torque.

The more powerful CTR3 accelerates from standstill to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.2 seconds and to 125 mph (200 km) in 9.6 seconds, and can reach a top speed of 236 mph (380 km/h).

Power is channeled to the rear wheels through a sequential shift 6-speed transmission and limited slip differential.

The supercar's chassis is a space frame with a modular construction while the company's RUF Integrated Roll Cage protects the passengers. Apart from the doors and the front hood, which are made from aluminum, the rest of the body is made out of Kevlar-carbon composite.

The CTR3 also gets 380 mm brakes with 6-piston calipers all around and a specially designed Bosch ABS, while it rolls on 255/35 ZR19 front and 335/30 ZR20 rear tires.

Pricing of the updated CTR3 has not been announced.

Power 552 kW (750 bhp) at 7,100 rpm
Torque 960 Nm (708 lb-ft) at 4,000 rpm
Displacement 3,746 cc

Performance
0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) 3.2 seconds
0-125 mph (0-200 km/h) 9.6 seconds
Top speed 236 mph (380 km/h)

Fuel consumption
Urban 20.0 lt (11.8 mpg)/100 km
Non-urban 9.9 lt (23.7 mpg)/100 km
Combined 13.5 lt (17.4 mpg)/100 km
CO2 emissions 311 g/km

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