Tax-favored savings accounts help drive wellness program engagement

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2014 Cadillac CTS First Drive

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now By now, you've probably seen our first test of the smoking twin-turbo CTS Vsport and you know it's got what it takes to run with the Germans should you encounter them on the street or track. If you're not the sort of person who enters into races, impromptu or planned, you might wonder how the rest of the line -- including the CTS -- manages. Keep reading to find out. The short answer: very well. I was given the opportunity to drive the complete new CTS range in the rolling hills and valleys around Santa Barbara, California, and I can confidently say that the rest of the CTS line is as competitive as the Vsport. Given my experiences with the smaller ATS, I wasn't too concerned about the mid-range 3.6-liter V-6 model, but I was apprehensive about the 2.0-liter turbocharged base model. In the ATS, it needed a little work, and the whole turbo-four-in-a-big-car thing didn't make for an especially engaging BMW 5 Series. Did Cadillac get the formula right? Yes it has. I'd be perfectly happy driving the base CTS around with its little turbo four-cylinder humming away under the hood all day long. Torque is ample at throttle tip-in and increases through the mid-range. Past 5000 rpm the horsepower hits its peak right as the torque falls off and really pulls the car to redline. It's no screaming street racer, but it'll never leave you wanting on a freeway on-ramp or when trying to make a pass. View the original article here

2014 Alfa Romeo 4C First Drive

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now Do you even care? Honestly, if I told you the 2014 Alfa Romeo 4C drives like a 1983 Dodge Diplomat on bald tires, would it really make a difference? After all, Alfa told us that the 4C has “more to do with the heart than with the brain.” I believe they mean that girls this gorgeous can be Miss Teen South Carolina dumb, because just look at her! I have teeth marks on my fist after a full day spent gawking at the car marking Alfa Romeo’s return to the U.S. after the brand packed up the espresso machines back in 1995. The 4C’s so hot that if the Fiat Group had decided to slap “Dino 246” on the rump next to a yellow shield filled with a prancing horse, car enthusiasts the world over would still be nodding their collective heads yes. She’s a total dreamboat, my friends, and I even dig the headlights. As for the rest of the car, keep reading. View the original article here

2014 Volkwagen Jetta 1.8T First Drive

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now Volkswagen has taken plenty of ribbing in recent years for its 2.5-liter I-5 engine, offered as a lower-cost alternative to the more favorable 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4 in the SE and SEL trims of the Jetta (as well as Golf and Passat models). With a reputation for being somewhat rougher than more modern I-4s and lacking low-end torque, the 170-hp, 177 lb-ft five-cylinder black sheep just hasn't gotten much love since its U.S. introduction in 2005. Why couldn't the cut-rate engine behave a little more like the 2.0T? Well, now it does. For 2014, among other improvements to the Jetta range, Volkswagen has ousted the 2.5-liter mill in favor of a 1.8-liter turbocharged I-4, based on the new third-generation 2.0 TSI engine, code-named EA888. Essentially the same engine, just downsized, the new 1.8T gets all the benefits that the larger 2.0T does, including the trick integrated exhaust manifold which, in addition to being more efficient, also aids in engine warm-up and weight savings. While skeptics may note that the new engine makes the same horsepower as the old I-5 and torque is only up 7 lb-ft, the full 184 lb-ft comes in at a measly 1500 rpm, improving drivability greatly. View the original article here

2014 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG S Model First Drive

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now The moment I crested 200 kilometers per hour, I realized how ridiculous the new S63 AMG is. (That's about 125 of our superior miles per hour.) I was on a rain-slicked section of unrestricted autobahn near Munich, though for all the car cared I may as well have been parked at the beach. Minutes earlier I'd set my seat massage to program number 2 (I believe that one's called either Hot and Dirty, or Quick and Shameful). While the hot stone massage is a very welcome luxury, I am totally averse to heat in all forms. So I turned on my seat AC to cancel out the sizzling stones. Yes, you can run hot and cold at the same time -- like a mixed water tap. The S63's cabin perfumer was emitting some sort of citrus scent, and just for giggles I'd activated the cabin air ionizer. Next on my agenda was selecting the perfect ambient interior lighting. The blue was too "Fast and Furious" for Bavaria, while the pink was too Virgin America for me. Tangerine -- why yes of course, tangerine. Not only do I like that color, but it matched the cabin perfume. But here's the real reason why the S63 turned ridiculous: Above 200 km/h the DTR+ Steering stops working. DTR+ Steering is Mercedes-ese for the semiautonomous driving mode that uses built-in stereo cameras to keep the big limousine centered between the lines. Suddenly, as the cruise control took us beyond the metric double-ton, I had to start paying attention to the actual act of driving. Ridiculous, right? 2014 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG S Model Front-engine, AWD, 4-door, 4-5-pass sedan 5.5L/577-hp/664-lb-ft twin-turbo DOHC V-8

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2014 Rolls-Royce Wraith First Drive

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now Wraith. The name conjures images of something moving swiftly along damp and misty Mayfair roads at four in the morning; a half-seen apparition momentarily visible in the yellow glare of the streetlights before disappearing into the darkness with a hiss of rubber on wet tarmac. It's the perfect name for the sportiest Rolls-Royce in history. In simple terms, the Wraith is the coupe version of the Ghost, the so-called "small" Rolls-Royce built using some basic architectural hardware shared with the F01/F02 BMW 7 Series. Compared with the standard-wheelbase Ghost, the wheelbase is 7.2 inches shorter, and overall length has been trimmed 4.2 inches. The dash-to-axle ratio is the same as the Ghost sedan, but the front overhang is longer. Overall height is 1.7 inches lower.

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2014 Ram ProMaster First Drive

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now Back in September 2009, after Mercedes-Benz cut ties with Chrysler, Mercedes announced it would no longer license its Sprinter commercial van to its ex-partner, which had sold them under Dodge's Ram division. Several things happened between then and now. Chrysler entered bankruptcy and emerged under Fiat control; Ram was split off into its own brand, separate from Dodge; and the commercial van competition heated up with the launch of the new Nissan NV and an all-new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. From this whirlwind, Chrysler has launched the vehicle that will return it to the commercial van game: the Ram ProMaster. Essentially a re-badged Fiat Ducato, Americanized for your convenience, the ProMaster reaps all the benefits of a commercial van that has matured and evolved over three generations. (Fiat claims more than 4.5 million Ducatos have been sold since the model's inception in 1981.) Though the styling might strike some as similar to the Sprinter's, the vehicle distinguishes itself from the competition in one big way: its front-wheel-drive architecture. View the original article here

2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel First Drive

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now Diesel engines are a stalwart of the heavy-duty pickup truck segment. But the light-duty segment? Not so much. In fact, the 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is the only diesel light-duty truck sold in the United States. Responding to what Ram chief engineer Mike Cairnes describes as big demand, the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel uses the same 3.0-liter, turbocharged V-6 diesel engine and eight-speed TorqueFlite transmission found as optional equipment in the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The engine was designed by the Italian firm VM Motori and produces the same power in the Ram as it does the Jeep: 240 hp at 3600 rpm and 420 lb-ft at just 2000 rpm. Ram is quick to remind us that's more torque than the original heavy-duty Cummins diesel Ram produced in the late 1980s. Compared to the standard Pentastar 3.6-liter V-6 engine, the EcoDiesel is down 65 hp but up 151 lb-ft, and while even further down on horsepower to the 5.7-liter Hemi V-8, the EcoDiesel even beats that brutish engine's torque rating by 10 lb-ft. Furthermore, the Pentastar and Hemi both require roughly 4000 rpm to hit their torque peak -- more than double the engine speed needed in the EcoDiesel. View the original article here

2014 Porsche 911 Turbo First Drive

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now It's the midrange. That eye-opening, grip-tightening, "My God"-inducing midrange. Pick an rpm level and open the throttle. Doesn't matter where, the expletives will come — quickly. The last 911 Turbo S we tested barely eked its way into the 10-second quarter-mile club. This one, with its 560 horsepower? Comfortably there, we estimate. "Comfortably" is the operative word. The Turbo is Porsche's all-season, all-road, all-anything sports car, one that unflinchingly putts to work, drifts on the track, eats up bracket races, and dashes through the snow. You could do all of it in a weekend. This bizarre mix of sheer capability and performance takes a while to wrap your head around, and I spent a day doing said wrapping in a Turbo S at a new racetrack in northern Germany called Bilster Berg. The track is notable for its constant elevation changes, blind crests, and a barrage of dips that make it seem determined to upset your car -- there's even a big dip just before the braking point on the back straight, the fastest part of the track. The Turbo S feels unflappable here, the direct result of numerous and clever hardware solutions. The water-cooled, elecro-hydraulic Haldex all-wheel drive system can supply more torque to the front axle. A rear steering system turns the back wheels opposite the fronts below 31 mph and with the fronts above 50 mph, and this virtual shortening and lengthening of the wheelbase helps reduce the turning circle to 34.8 feet (1.6 feet shorter than Carrera 4) while improving high-speed stability. It's also good for 2 seconds at the Nürburgring, according to Porsche. The rear wing deploys at speed and is matched with a rubber air dam that folds out via an air-filled bladder behind it (another 2 seconds at the Nürburgring). Fully extended, the clever air dam sits lower than the GT3's nose, but, at low speeds, it's flush against the bottom of the bumper, so drivers don't have to worry about scraping against driveways. The resulting downforce is 291 pounds at 186 mph, and the 197.6 mph top speed (achieved in sixth gear) is electronically limited because of the tires. In the Turbo S, this comes on top of a suite of standard Porsche goodies: active anti-roll bars, ceramic brakes (16.1 in front and 15.4 in rear), an electric locking rear-differential, and a seemingly telepathic, seven-speed, twin-clutch transmission. View the original article here

2014 Mercedes-Benz E250 Bluetec First Drive

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now Shortly after Mercedes-Benz launched the new four-cylinder 2014 E250 Bluetec twin-turbodiesel in Portland, I borrowed one for a longer jaunt to better assess whether this four-banging oil-burner was up to the task of lugging three adults and their abundant luggage up and over mountains, and to test the veracity of that newly announced 28/45-mpg EPA fuel economy claim. Actually those EPA figures drop to 27/42 mpg for my AWD 4Matic model. We left Portland airport with a full tank and headed straight up to Astoria and the mouth of the ferocious Columbia River, steering clear of the faster I-5 route in favor of the two-lane byway hugging the river's left bank. Peak speeds in the 60-mph range are good for economy, but climbing additional hills and slowing for towns and scenic overlooks is not. The engine's lusty 369 lb-ft of torque make effortless work of maintaining set cruise-control speeds without constantly pestering the seven-speed automatic for ratio changes, but the 195 horses don't exactly make quick work of passing semis. This car is great at illustrating the difference between torque and horsepower -- that big torque number means there's plenty of brute force to get any job done, but the modest horsepower figure means you can't hurry those jobs along much. Our indicated average at the end of day one: 37.9 mpg over 115 miles. 2014 Mercedes-Benz E250 Bluetec Front-engine, RWD/AWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan 2.1L/195-hp/369-lb-ft twin-turbo DOHC 16-valve I-4 28/45 mpg (RWD); 26/42 mpg (AWD) 137/85 kW-hrs/100 miles; 147/91 kW-hrs/100 miles

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Watch this Volvo truck drive up a quarry road using hamster-powered steering

'THE HAMSTER STUNT': CHARLIE THE HAMSTER STARS AS TRUCK DRIVER IN NEW VIDEO FROM VOLVO TRUCKS

"I know it's hard to believe a hamster could drive a truck, but Charlie the hamster did it. What you see in the film is the real thing" says Lars Terling, Vice President Marketing Communications, Volvo Trucks.

Exactly a year after launching viral film 'The Ballerina Stunt', Volvo Trucks is back with a series of new stunts. Last week Volvo Trucks released teaser-video 'The Hook', which has already claimed over 2 million views on YouTube. Today premiers the next daring film: 'The Hamster Stunt'.

The film features Charlie, a tiny hamster, steering a Volvo FMX construction truck up and out of a hazardous quarry – demonstrating how easy it is to manoeuvre the 15-tonne construction truck.

"We were highly sceptical to begin with, but at the same time we could see it was a fun way to show how easy it is to steer with Volvo Dynamic Steering" says Lars Terling.

Charlie was chosen in a careful casting procedure and had undergone several weeks of training prior to the test. The supporting role is played by precision driver Seon Rogers, who has his feet on the pedals and a carrot to keep Charlie from driving them over the edge.

"It was a big challenge. The driver had to hold the carrot in just the right way so he could lead the hamster. If he held it too high or too low Charlie would lose interest," explains animal trainer Grace Dickinson

The film was shot in a closed-off quarry at Los Tres Cunados, Spain, and was directed by Jamie Rafn, known for his one-take spot 'Walk'. #TheHamsterStunt is part of a live-test strategy to dramatise the technical innovations of Volvo Trucks.

"More films are on the way this autumn that show our trucks undergoing tests in conditions that are unusual, to say the least," reveals Claes Nilsson, President of Volvo Trucks.

See the film 'The Hamster Stunt': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N87uxyDQT0

See the film 'The Hook': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jf_wKkV5dwQ

See the film 'The Ballerina Stunt': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zXwOoeGzys

Follow 'The Hamster Stunt' on Twitter: #TheHamsterStunt and @VolvoTrucks

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Eagles pull within seven after quick-strike drive

Posted by Mike Florio on September 19, 2013, 11:12 PM EDT

Getty Images

The Eagles’ go-go offense may not be good at holding leads, but it’s pretty effective at erasing deficits.

Down 23-9 in the fourth quarter, the Eagles drove 78 yards in 1:21 to cut the margin in half.

The drive was capped by a 41-yard touchdown sprint from LeSean McCoy, who appeared to injure his leg late in the first half but returned in the third quarter.

The Eagles would be in position to win the game by a point if they hadn’t tried a goofy “swinging gate” fake after their first touchdown of the game.  As it stands, they need seven to tie.

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Watch this Volvo truck drive up a quarry road using hamster-powered steering

'THE HAMSTER STUNT': CHARLIE THE HAMSTER STARS AS TRUCK DRIVER IN NEW VIDEO FROM VOLVO TRUCKS

"I know it's hard to believe a hamster could drive a truck, but Charlie the hamster did it. What you see in the film is the real thing" says Lars Terling, Vice President Marketing Communications, Volvo Trucks.

Exactly a year after launching viral film 'The Ballerina Stunt', Volvo Trucks is back with a series of new stunts. Last week Volvo Trucks released teaser-video 'The Hook', which has already claimed over 2 million views on YouTube. Today premiers the next daring film: 'The Hamster Stunt'.

The film features Charlie, a tiny hamster, steering a Volvo FMX construction truck up and out of a hazardous quarry – demonstrating how easy it is to manoeuvre the 15-tonne construction truck.

"We were highly sceptical to begin with, but at the same time we could see it was a fun way to show how easy it is to steer with Volvo Dynamic Steering" says Lars Terling.

Charlie was chosen in a careful casting procedure and had undergone several weeks of training prior to the test. The supporting role is played by precision driver Seon Rogers, who has his feet on the pedals and a carrot to keep Charlie from driving them over the edge.

"It was a big challenge. The driver had to hold the carrot in just the right way so he could lead the hamster. If he held it too high or too low Charlie would lose interest," explains animal trainer Grace Dickinson

The film was shot in a closed-off quarry at Los Tres Cunados, Spain, and was directed by Jamie Rafn, known for his one-take spot 'Walk'. #TheHamsterStunt is part of a live-test strategy to dramatise the technical innovations of Volvo Trucks.

"More films are on the way this autumn that show our trucks undergoing tests in conditions that are unusual, to say the least," reveals Claes Nilsson, President of Volvo Trucks.

See the film 'The Hamster Stunt': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N87uxyDQT0

See the film 'The Hook': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jf_wKkV5dwQ

See the film 'The Ballerina Stunt': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zXwOoeGzys

Follow 'The Hamster Stunt' on Twitter: #TheHamsterStunt and @VolvoTrucks

View the original article here

9 CT Shoreline Fire Departments to host a Major Food Drive for the Shoreline Soup Kitchen & Pantries

Old Saybrook -- Free-Press-Release.com-- Apr 12, 2013 -- 9 Connecticut Shoreline Fire Departments to host a Major Food Drive on Saturday, April 27, to collect much-needed food items for the Shoreline Soup Kitchens & Pantries.

The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the following fire stations: Old Saybrook Fire Department, Clinton FD, Essex FD, Killingworth FD, Niantic FD (Grand Street and West Main Street), Old Lyme FD (Lyme Street Station), East Lyme FD & Westbrook FD.

“The need remains great to help the Shoreline Soup Kitchen replenish pantries and provide food to those who rely on its services to help make ends meet,” said Max Sabrin, Food Drive Coordinator and Old Saybrook Fire Department spokesperson. In the past, the shoreline community has always been extra generous, and we hope residents and businesses will turn out to help those in need,” he said.

Sabrin thanked the owners and management of the ShopRite supermarket in Clinton for kicking off the OSFD food drive by donating a 'starter package' of six bags stuffed with non-perishable food items for the Shoreline Soup Kitchens & Pantries.

The need has never need been greater across its 11-town coverage area including Essex, Chester, Clinton, Madison, Old Saybrook, East Lyme, Lyme, Old Lyme, Killingworth, Westbrook and Deep River. With the holiday season over, food donations are typically lower, and with most people attending the pantries weekly, food donations are more critical.
Among the critical non-perishable foods needed: soups, tuna, meals-in-a-can, juice, canned fruit, white rice/pasta, breakfast cereals, peanut butter and Spam.

Those donating non-perishable food are reminded that firefighters cannot collect cash or non-food items during the Saturday, April 27 event.

For more information, including fire station locations or to volunteer please visit www.shorelinesoupkitchens.org

# # #

Old Saybrook Fire Dept
Max Sabrin
860-857-5300
http://www.shorelinesoupkitchens.org

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Iomega 35538 EZ Media & Backup Center 1TB NAS Network Hard Drive

Languages: User interface localized for English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish, Swedish, and Polish

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1964 Porsche 901 Prototype Classic Drive

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1964 Porsche 901 Prototype Classic Drive

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now Home  >  Classic  >  1964 Porsche 901 Prototype Classic Drive Our number seven (#13 327) went into suspension testing service in February 1964 with the nickname Barbarossa ("red beard" in Italian -- the nickname of Frederick I, duke of Swabia, later king of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor). It also spent time in the wind tunnel at an automotive research institute in Untertuerkheim. Frequently updated with production-intent parts, Barbarossa helped sort many suspension, braking, aerodynamic, and heating/ventilation problems uncovered during those early test runs. After completing almost 44,000 kilometers, Barbarossa was still in presentable shape, so the somewhat cash-pressed company sold the prototype to a "friend of the family," Porsche race driver and automotive journalist Richard von Frankenberg. Perhaps best known for surviving a horrific somersaulting crash at Avus in Berlin while racing a 550A, he ultimately perished in a road accident in 1973, after which Barbarossa's ownership history gets murky until it surfaced in December 1984 as a derelict hulk for sale to settle a mechanic's lien in New York City. Don Meluzio got his first taste of Porsche's rear-engine magic during his Army service in Germany by riding shotgun in his 1st Sergeant's 911 to watch the races at Hockenheim and the Nuerburgring (his lieutenant drove a 356C). After returning stateside, he started autocrossing a 911 in 1980 and graduated to road racing in '85. He eventually found his way into a 924 D-production ex-works car. It was these deep roots in the Porsche collector and racing communities that helped him identify the battered rusting hulk with the strange forward-sliding vent sunroof, the crashed front corner and the mechanic's lien as the oldest known surviving prototype of the venerable 911. Obtaining proof from the factory wasn't easy. Meluzio mounted an expedition to Zuffenhausen in 1985 to consult with a cadre of engineers armed with photos of all the design peculiarities of his "garage find," things like the torsion-bar struts that support the luggage-compartment lid, the coil-springs that hold the engine lid open, the circular (instead of oval) fuel-filler door, missing trim strips below the doors, the 356 steering wheel attached to a column with an ignition switch mounted to it, and the two large gauge clusters instead of five. Barbarossa's fuel filler lid is indeed circular, not oval. The ignition/steering lock is on the steering column. Then there's the wacky hand-cranked sunroof that retracts only partway forward, but incorporates drain tubes positioned within the structure -- hardly a hot-rod shop job. Oh, and of course there's the serial plate with five digits --13 327. After a call to a retiree from Porsche's body shop who recalled the peculiar sunroof, the car's provenance was confirmed. As Don and expert Porsche restorer Denny Frick set about their extensive research into how to return the vehicle to its original factory-prototype condition, they gradually discovered that very few 911 parts interchange with this handbuilt 901. Dimensionally it's 2 inches shorter and a half-inch narrower than a '64 911.

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1964 Porsche 901 Prototype Classic Drive

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now Home  >  Classic  >  1964 Porsche 901 Prototype Classic Drive Our number seven (#13 327) went into suspension testing service in February 1964 with the nickname Barbarossa ("red beard" in Italian -- the nickname of Frederick I, duke of Swabia, later king of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor). It also spent time in the wind tunnel at an automotive research institute in Untertuerkheim. Frequently updated with production-intent parts, Barbarossa helped sort many suspension, braking, aerodynamic, and heating/ventilation problems uncovered during those early test runs. After completing almost 44,000 kilometers, Barbarossa was still in presentable shape, so the somewhat cash-pressed company sold the prototype to a "friend of the family," Porsche race driver and automotive journalist Richard von Frankenberg. Perhaps best known for surviving a horrific somersaulting crash at Avus in Berlin while racing a 550A, he ultimately perished in a road accident in 1973, after which Barbarossa's ownership history gets murky until it surfaced in December 1984 as a derelict hulk for sale to settle a mechanic's lien in New York City. Don Meluzio got his first taste of Porsche's rear-engine magic during his Army service in Germany by riding shotgun in his 1st Sergeant's 911 to watch the races at Hockenheim and the Nuerburgring (his lieutenant drove a 356C). After returning stateside, he started autocrossing a 911 in 1980 and graduated to road racing in '85. He eventually found his way into a 924 D-production ex-works car. It was these deep roots in the Porsche collector and racing communities that helped him identify the battered rusting hulk with the strange forward-sliding vent sunroof, the crashed front corner and the mechanic's lien as the oldest known surviving prototype of the venerable 911. Obtaining proof from the factory wasn't easy. Meluzio mounted an expedition to Zuffenhausen in 1985 to consult with a cadre of engineers armed with photos of all the design peculiarities of his "garage find," things like the torsion-bar struts that support the luggage-compartment lid, the coil-springs that hold the engine lid open, the circular (instead of oval) fuel-filler door, missing trim strips below the doors, the 356 steering wheel attached to a column with an ignition switch mounted to it, and the two large gauge clusters instead of five. Barbarossa's fuel filler lid is indeed circular, not oval. The ignition/steering lock is on the steering column. Then there's the wacky hand-cranked sunroof that retracts only partway forward, but incorporates drain tubes positioned within the structure -- hardly a hot-rod shop job. Oh, and of course there's the serial plate with five digits --13 327. After a call to a retiree from Porsche's body shop who recalled the peculiar sunroof, the car's provenance was confirmed. As Don and expert Porsche restorer Denny Frick set about their extensive research into how to return the vehicle to its original factory-prototype condition, they gradually discovered that very few 911 parts interchange with this handbuilt 901. Dimensionally it's 2 inches shorter and a half-inch narrower than a '64 911.

View the original article here

Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo Concept First Drive

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now By Jonny Lieberman | Photos By Jessica Walker, Jim Fets | December 04, 2012  |  

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1964 Porsche 901 Prototype Classic Drive

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now Home  >  Classic  >  1964 Porsche 901 Prototype Classic Drive Our number seven (#13 327) went into suspension testing service in February 1964 with the nickname Barbarossa ("red beard" in Italian -- the nickname of Frederick I, duke of Swabia, later king of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor). It also spent time in the wind tunnel at an automotive research institute in Untertuerkheim. Frequently updated with production-intent parts, Barbarossa helped sort many suspension, braking, aerodynamic, and heating/ventilation problems uncovered during those early test runs. After completing almost 44,000 kilometers, Barbarossa was still in presentable shape, so the somewhat cash-pressed company sold the prototype to a "friend of the family," Porsche race driver and automotive journalist Richard von Frankenberg. Perhaps best known for surviving a horrific somersaulting crash at Avus in Berlin while racing a 550A, he ultimately perished in a road accident in 1973, after which Barbarossa's ownership history gets murky until it surfaced in December 1984 as a derelict hulk for sale to settle a mechanic's lien in New York City. Don Meluzio got his first taste of Porsche's rear-engine magic during his Army service in Germany by riding shotgun in his 1st Sergeant's 911 to watch the races at Hockenheim and the Nuerburgring (his lieutenant drove a 356C). After returning stateside, he started autocrossing a 911 in 1980 and graduated to road racing in '85. He eventually found his way into a 924 D-production ex-works car. It was these deep roots in the Porsche collector and racing communities that helped him identify the battered rusting hulk with the strange forward-sliding vent sunroof, the crashed front corner and the mechanic's lien as the oldest known surviving prototype of the venerable 911. Obtaining proof from the factory wasn't easy. Meluzio mounted an expedition to Zuffenhausen in 1985 to consult with a cadre of engineers armed with photos of all the design peculiarities of his "garage find," things like the torsion-bar struts that support the luggage-compartment lid, the coil-springs that hold the engine lid open, the circular (instead of oval) fuel-filler door, missing trim strips below the doors, the 356 steering wheel attached to a column with an ignition switch mounted to it, and the two large gauge clusters instead of five. Barbarossa's fuel filler lid is indeed circular, not oval. The ignition/steering lock is on the steering column. Then there's the wacky hand-cranked sunroof that retracts only partway forward, but incorporates drain tubes positioned within the structure -- hardly a hot-rod shop job. Oh, and of course there's the serial plate with five digits --13 327. After a call to a retiree from Porsche's body shop who recalled the peculiar sunroof, the car's provenance was confirmed. As Don and expert Porsche restorer Denny Frick set about their extensive research into how to return the vehicle to its original factory-prototype condition, they gradually discovered that very few 911 parts interchange with this handbuilt 901. Dimensionally it's 2 inches shorter and a half-inch narrower than a '64 911.

View the original article here