Because the 1998 fifty year anniversary events held at Laguna Seca and Watkins Glen were such emotional, artistic and financial successes Porsche wanted to do more, so along with Brian Redman they scheduled what they called the Porsche Rennsport Reunion. The Reunion was this past weekend and Porsche Cars North America and Brian Redman put on a spectacular event at Lime Rock. While not as grand in total number of cars the Lime Rock Porsche Rennsport Reunion was a wonderful event with lots and lots of wonderful Porsches. Because it was not held in conjunction with something like Steven Earl鈥榮 historic weekend it was a much more intimate event. It was more like Brian鈥檚 50/50 held at the Glen in 1998. There were many 956s and many 962s鈥?maybe more than at Laguna Seca in 1998, I don鈥檛 know. But at least they got more of them on the track than they did at Laguna Seca. They claimed that they had 23 of these cars at Lime Rock and that this is the largest gathering ever.
The Turbo we spent most of our time driving wears similar six-pot calipers with larger 15.35-inch two-piece rotors - the rear rotors on all models are only slightly smaller in diameter, although clamped with four-piston aluminum calipers. As is the case with the rest of the automaker's lineup, Porsche's formidable "PCCB" carbon ceramic brakes (above) are optional. The standard wheel package includes 18-inch alloys wrapped in 255/55R18 tires on all four corners (all are "square" setups - none staggered). The Turbo is shod with 19-inch alloys wearing 265/50R19 tires (the one we drove on the track was fitted with optional 21-inch wheels wearing 295/35R21 tires). The 2011 Cayenne S is fitted with a 4.8-liter V8, the same direct-injected 32-valve unit as last year's model, but minor tweaks have improved the engine's power slightly so it's now rated at 400 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. The 2010 Cayenne Turbo bolts twin turbochargers to that direct-injected 4.8-liter V8 to produce 500 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque.
Both powerplants share a new slick-shifting eight-speed "Tiptronic" automatic transmission with sliding shift levers on the steering wheel spokes. While all of this sounds rather enticing on paper, the assemblage of German SUVs currently sold in North America includes not only the Porsche Cayenne, but the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz ML-Class - heavy hitters. Masterfully blending luxury, sport and utility, each of the fierce competitors is brimming with technology and innovation, not to mention volumes of excess poundage. Realizing that weight is the Achilles heel in this segment, the team at Porsche decided to get up off the sofa and do something about the problem. Porsche's engineering team didn't just accept minor liposuction, they axed the fat off. The weight was shed from the body structure and wheels (lots more aluminum), but most of it was lifted when the Cayenne received a new electronically-controlled all-wheel drive system. All told, Porsche shaved roughly 400 pounds off the Cayenne's curb weight (yes, the weight loss works out to 4,177 Twinkies).
On the scale, the new Cayenne S weighs 4,553 pounds while the Cayenne Turbo is 4,784 pounds. For comparison, the BMW X5 xDrive48i spins the dial to 5,335 pounds and the flagship X5 M simply flattens the gauge at 5,368 pounds. The Mercedes-Benz ML550 is 4,883 pounds, while the ML63 AMG weighs in at 5,093 pounds. Low mass translates to better performance. Porsche says the 2011 Cayenne S model needs just 5.6 seconds to hit 60 mph (top speed is 160 mph) while the Turbo rockets to 60 mph in a conservative 4.4 seconds (top speed: 172 mph). Fuel economy numbers have not been released, but the automaker says we can expect double-digit percentage improvements. As previously mentioned, our introduction to the all-new Porsche Cayenne was, interestingly enough, at the racetrack. This is no ordinary circuit - Barber Motorsports Park is a huge racing facility just outside Birmingham, Alabama. Opened in 2003, it features a beautifully manicured 16-turn, 2.3-mile road course that shames our West Coast facilities (if the Four Seasons hotel chain inexplicably dove into auto racing, this would be its inaugural facility).
In addition to the very visible main circuit, hidden within the surrounding woods are countless off-road courses on the 740-acre property, which provided plenty of mud, ruts, hills and water obstacles. And yes, it's home to the Porsche Sport Driving School. We've driven the Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG and BMW X5 M (and X6 M) on the track more than once. Although all were plenty fast, the excitement level of driving 2.5-ton SUVs, even those "race-prepared" models, around a road circuit is akin to shooting glass bottles with a Nerf gun. It simply doesn't get our adrenalin flowing. Minutes later, we are strapped into the bolstered front left seat of the Cayenne. Maneuvering through the corners, we expect body roll, squealing tires and understeer, but the Cayenne fails to deliver the bad news. Instead, it seems to land on its feet with the competence of a luxury sport sedan (it felt like we were driving a BMW 5 Series). Flat in the corners, the center of gravity feels two feet lower (it isn't) as we smoothly flow around the track. This is crazy; the Cayenne has forgotten that it is a sport utility vehicle.