It’s official – the Porsche Taycan now owns the Guinness World Record for the longest continuous vehicle drift for an EV on ice.

The record, which was set in mid-January at Porsche’s Arctic Center in Levi, Finland located about 93 miles (150 km) north of the Arctic Circle, was a controlled drift for 17.053 kilometers (10.59 miles) using only throttle and steering inputs. The distance is equivalent to 132 laps of the 59-meter (193.5-foot) drifting circle used for the attempt. 

The car, a Taycan GTS sedan, was driven by Porsche instructor Jens Richter who bested the old record of 14.809 kilometers (8.75 miles). The car was outfitted with Michelin tires with one-millimeter spikes and was equipped with a professional GPS measuring device to track the route precisely. In addition to the car’s movements, the GPS tracker recorded steering wheel inputs, acceleration, braking and G-forces.

Guinness World Records officials were on site to oversee the attempt, and they presented Richter and Christian Lehwald, Managing Director of the Porsche Arctic Center with an official certificate afterwards.

The Taycan now holds four Guinness World records. In 2023, a Taycan Cross Turismo set the greatest altitude change record for an EV at 5,573 meters (18,284.1 feet) while driving a route from Xinjiang to Tibet. In 2021, racing driver Leh Keen hit 165.1 km/h (102.5 mph) at an exhibition hall in New Orleans in a Taycan Turbo S, setting the record for the fastest speed driven by a vehicle in an enclosed building. Lastly, in 2020 Dennis Retera, a Porsche instructor, set the record for the longest continuous drift in an EV when he did 210 laps in a Taycan at the Porsche Experience Center in Hockenheimring, Germany. The record covered 42.171 kilometers (26.2 miles) in 55 minutes.

While they have been a long time coming, 2025 is expected to be the year when both Porsche 718s, Boxster and Cayman, will officially become EV only. Next generation models have been in development for the past few years, and the company’s CEO, Oliver Blume, said back in 2022 that both cars would be EV only for their next generation. 

Full electrification for these cars follows the path of the compact Macan SUV that went EV only when second generation models went on sale last year. The 718s would be the third pure EV models to join Porsche’s lineup, following the Macan and Taycan mid-size sedan and wagon. 

While it’s too early to know about power units and performance numbers, spy photos of the next gen 718 prototypes testing in the wild are easily found on the Internet so it shouldn’t be too long before we know more.

But if EVs aren’t your bag, Porsche still sells a full roster of gas-powered 718s available, including the 493 horsepower Spyder RS, and Cayman GT4 RS. 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds!

It’s time again for another entry in the cool cars that aren’t coming to North America file. This time around the entrant, BMW’s M3 CS Touring, is a gorgeous wagon recently revealed that is truly breathtaking.

Powering this hot wagon is a 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline six-cylinder engine that produces 550 horsepower and 650 lb-ft. of torque. With those numbers you’d assume the M3 CS Touring is quite fast, and your assumption is correct. BMW’s official 0-100 km/h (62 mph) time is 3.5 seconds. 

The M3 CS Touring features technology derived from racing, according to BMW. In a press release, the company states the 3.0-liter inline six has, “an extremely rigid crankcase with a sleeve-free, closed-deck construction, a forged lightweight crankshaft and a cylinder head with a 3D-printed bore.” Designed to save weight, the cylinder bores also feature a wire-arc sprayed iron coating to reduce friction loss. 

Other highlights include unique engine mounts with increased spring rate, M-specific exhaust system, M adaptive suspension with electronically controlled dampers, and available carbon ceramic brakes. Oh, and those carbon ceramics are available in red or matte gold. As for wheels and tires, the M3 CS Touring runs a staggered set up with 19-inchers up front and 20s at the rear. These alloys come in matte gold, bronze or black. As for tires, BMW didn’t list the brand in the release, but did reveal sizing and said they’re track rubber. Up front they’re 275/35 ZR19, and 285/30 ZR20 at the rear.

As for transmission and layout, the M3 CS Touring is 8-speed automatic / xDrive AWD only, with no manual available. The Active M Differential is rear-biased, however, and there are drive modes that will send more power to the rear wheels. A 2WD mode, with stability control off, is also available. 

As we said at the top, the countries getting this limited-run model has been revealed and the U.S. and Canada aren’t on the list. But if you happen to live in Europe, Australia, Japan, or South Korea, you’re in luck. Deliveries are set to begin in March. For the rest of us, there’s always the M3 sedan.  

Even though it’s a concept that’s still in active development, Toyota says the GR Yaris M Concept it revealed at the Tokyo Auto Salon will compete in the Super Taikyu Series, a domestic Japanese endurance racing series. What got our attention when the M Concept was revealed its engine configuration, which is “mid-ship mounted” according to Toyota, which means its located behind the driver. The engine in question is a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder.
Mid-engine cars are not usually subcompacts, but Toyota says the car is going to be “driven to failure”, and then repaired, in racing so that knowledge gained in racing can further aid in its development.
Obviously, a car like this could be of great interest for tuners, but there are two big obstacles in the way. One, the M Concept hasn’t been greenlit for production, and two, the GR Yaris is not currently sold in North America.

Easily bolt on up to 12 whp and 13 lb-ft of torque for your 2.5L Mazda 6 (2018-2021) with Injen's newest release - the SP Aluminum Series intake for Mazda 6, part number SP6074. The intake piping is manufactured from lightweight, mandrel-bent 3.25-inch diameter 6061-T6 aluminum. Direct fitment design ensures you don't need to drill, cut, or modify the engine bay, and the intake affixes via stock mounting points. A dry filter media filter captures particles down to 1 micron, and is easy to clean. The SP6074 is tuned to stay within OEM fuel trims and air/fuel ratios, so no tuning is required to make a little bit of extra power safely.

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The APR 4.0T EA825 intake system is here for the Audi (C8) RS6 and RS7! The APR intake system is a substantial upgrade for the 4.0T EA825 engine. It offers significant horsepower and torque gains through a high flow design that greatly increases airflow while reducing pressure drop. There was no component overlooked in the search for performance; the airbox, filter, couplers, and turbo inlets were each extensively analyzed and modified for maximum flow.

1,499.95 | GoAPR.com

Unitronic® is pleased to release its Intake System for the MK7 Jetta® and MK7.5 Golf/GSW® equipped with the 1.4 TSI® Gen2 engine. This Intake System is a direct bolt-on upgrade which is designed to optimize airflow, improve throttle response, enhance turbo induction sounds, and increase air flow by up to 55%. It also provides seamless integration, perfect fitment and an aggressive presence in the engine bay.

Consistent with all of its performance products, Unitronic utilizes only the latest industry leading tools, equipment and computer aided design software that are packed with the latest technology from our technology partners at Creaform® and Stratasys®. These tools and technology help to achieve a design that not only optimizes airflow and speed, but also eliminates airflow restrictions that are present with the factory components, while fitting within the engine bay constraints.

At Unitronic, development begins with setting the objectives; performance, efficiency, aesthetics and quality. Operations start with 3D scanning the 1.4 TSI Gen2 engine bay and OEM components with it’s in-house 3D scanner. Once 3D scan data has been collected and processed, Unitronic Hardware Engineers then interact with the 3D models to identify fitment constraints, mounting locations, other component locations, etc. to ensure the final product fits perfectly within the “envelope”.

As the initial designs develop; evolution begins with rapid prototyping, utilizing its in-house Stratasys 3D printer. Within hours, Unitronic Engineers are able to have a complete working printed prototype, allowing for test fitments to be performed on the vehicle, functional testing to be completed, and flow data collected to further validate the designs.

Unitronic engineers studied what the Engineers at VW® had intended for the stock unit. The first aspect considered, was how to make it more efficient, yet effective. The result is a design that exhibits smooth volumetric transitions. Every facet of this design is effectively executed for form and function.

Unitronic Engineers further validated designs to ensure that the Unitronic Intake System performed better than the OEM unit with its in-house Superflow SF-1020 Flow Bench in a variety of different conditions. The OEM intake yielded a peak flow rate of 420 CFM at 28” of H2O (Aq), while the Unitronic Intake System achieved 652 CFM for a gain of 55% more flow.

Our pursuit for perfection is applied even in the most minute areas of product design and in this case, Unitronic identified that allowing for ample tolerance for engine movement on an item that is both affixed to a dynamic engine and a rigid chassis. Rather than using traditional silicone for its hose connections, this Unitronic Intake System uses a high-quality, extremely durable EPDM material for its couplers.

This offers a superior amount of flexibility over traditional silicone, while still offering, with its clever design, the rigidity and strength to be highly reliable on the 1.4 TSI Gen2 engines. Taking the design and engineering one step further, Unitronic engineers created a design that allows for smooth, laminar airflow on the inside walls, while maintaining flexibility through the means of a non-collapsing structural rib profile. Unitronic EPDM couplers are designed to perfectly align with the bead rolls on the intake tubes, to ensure a perfect and seamless connection; hose clamp guides ensure perfect alignment.

As with all Unitronic Performance Hardware, this Cold Air Intake System is precisely engineered to offer a direct bolt-on fitment which retains all factory mounting locations in order to simplify the installation process using our very own mounting grommets.

FEATURES

• Proven airflow gains
• Smooth airflow transitions
• High-quality transition tubes and stainless steel hose clamps
• Direct bolt-on fitment with OEM Mounting Locations & EPDM mounting grommets
• Large heat shield to keep intake air temperatures low
• High Quality EPDM couplers

APPLICATIONS

• 2019-2021 VW Jetta 1.4 TSI Gen2
• 2019-2021 VW Golf 1.4 TSI Gen2
• 2019 VW Golf Sportwagen 1.4 TSI Gen2

MSRP (USD)

• $299.99

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