This photo by lkiller123 on Flickr. Check out his great photos of the LA Auto Show at http://www.flickr.com/photos/lkiller123/ Photo licensed under cc attribution only.

The Porsche 918 RSR is a different kind of green car.  Sporting a V8 that cranks out up to 563 horsepower, the car actually uses the hybrid system to enhance its power.  When the electric motors are engaged, the horsepower goes up to 767.

In the case of the 918 RSR, the traditional V8 supplies power to the rear wheels of the car.  The electric motors churn out additional power for the front wheels, allowing the car to combine the two types of power for better performance.

The 918 RSR is based on the 918 Spyder Hybrid concept, which turned heads in a big way at the Paris Motor Show.  The production model was unveiled at the North American International Auto Show this month.

512 HP lamborghini Gallardo is featured in dfw drive your dream's New One Hour driving experience

While it’s inspired by the 918 Spyder Hybrid concept, the 918 RSR includes a few significant changes.  Most notably, the production model features gull-wing cockpit doors and Porsche’s flywheel accumulator.

“Instead of the futuristic, ergonomically avant-garde centre console with touch-sensitive user interface from the 918 Spyder concept car, the 918 RSR’s cockpit is split by a minimalistic console with rocker switches,” Porsche said in a Rueters article on the 918 RSR. “Instead of a second seat, the flywheel accumulator is positioned to the right of the console.”

The flywheel accumulator is a power storage device similar to a generator.  It captures energy usually lost in braking and applies it to acceleration.  The dashboard of the car features a special pushbutton that provides an additional boost of power.

If you need to get your adrenaline fix but can’t wait for the Porsche 918 RSR to be released, consider participating in a Dallas exotic car tour.  Companies like dfw drive your dream give you the chance to get behind the wheel of a Porsche and other exotic vehicles for a half-day of driving excitement.

You can even sneak away for an hour in a lamborghini Gallardo. We won’t tell anyone at the Sierra Club!

Kate Miller-Wilson is a professional freelance writer who specializes in web content and editing.  She also writes about Texas insurance quotes.

Image from Wikimedia and created by Thomas Doerfer. Licensed under cc share alike 3.0

Insure.com estimates that insuring the 530-horsepower Carrera GT2 would run almost $3,000 per year.  While insurance rates vary depending on the owner’s driving record and other factors, this average gives potential exotic car buyers some idea of exotic car insurance costs.

According to the Insure.com study, the Porsche Carrera GT2 is the most expensive vehicle to insure among the cars on the market in 2010.  The least expensive is the Mazda Tribute.

The study did not include many of the exotic cars on the market, since data is not available for several models.  For instance, Lamborghinis and Bentleys were too rare to figure into the average auto insurance premium calculations.

As a general rule, more power under the hood translates to higher auto insurance premiums.  However, there are some things you can do to save:

• Choose a vehicle that is less expensive to replace if damaged.
• Compare auto insurance rates to get the best deal.
• Get your auto insurance policy from the same carrier as your home insurance or business insurance.
• Keep a clean driving record, and avoid making unnecessary insurance claims.
• Make sure your insurance coverage is adequate for your needs, but avoid being over-insured.
• Keep your credit history clean as well.  It’s common for insurance carriers to use past credit as a guideline for determining policy rates.

Still sure you want to drive a Porsche?  You can avoid the exotic car insurance altogether if you participate in a dream tour.  Automotive dream tours, like those provided by DFW Drive Your Dream, give exotic car enthusiasts the opportunity to drive several incredible cars.  One of those cars is a Porsche.

At less than $697 per person, the tours are a great deal, especially when compared to the many expenses and responsibilities that come with owning a high-end automobile.

According to the Insure.com study, the value of the automobile is also a major factor in determining the price of insurance.  When you drive the car without owning it, that’s just one more thing you don’t have to worry about.

Kate Miller-Wilson is a professional freelance writer, who specializes in web content, editing, and technical writing.

Top Useless Car Option: Overly Active Seats Bolster

Yahoo gave thumbs done to massaging driver’s seats and new active side bolsters on some Mercedes models.  The active side bolsters are supposed to help support drivers during sharp turns, but they can be distracting, especially during city driving.

Mercedes makes some fabulous luxury cars.  Rental rather than owning is becoming a more popular option among car enthusiasts uneasy about the current turmoil in financial markets. What we really need is an active seat bolster to help with the queasiness created by the plunging Dow.

C’mon Soccer Moms, Power-Sliding Doors Are a Useless Minivan Option
The newest minivans offer sliding doors that can be controlled from up to 30 feet away.  While this might sound like a great idea for busy moms, the option add significantly to the sticker price for a task that most people have managed to do unassisted.

If you’re more into driving exotic cars than tooling around in minivans, exotic car clubs are a great alternative to ownership.  The cost of buying and owning an exotic car is even more stratospheric than some of these dumb options.

Sports car enthusiasts who want to drive an unparalleled variety of exotic cars are turning to exotic car clubs such as DFW Elite Car Club in Fort Worth, TX and Club Ferdinand in Valle Crucis, North Carolina. Club Ferdinand specializes in Porsche sharing and allows drivers to drive a 911 Twin Turbo for a tiny fraction of the cost of owning one. To locate a car sharing club in your vicinity, consult a free online directory to clubs at http://www.exoticcarclubs.com.  

Useless Car Option #3: Soda Can Cool Zone
We’re all for keeping your soda cool, but air-conditioned drink compartments are just silly. Not that we begrudge anyone who wants one and can afford it, but for most the option rates as non-essential.

If you want cold soda, zip into a drive-through.  If you want a car that will make you the epitome of cool, no matter what you’re drinking, rent a Corvette Z06 in Dallas-Fort Worth

Many Motorist Elect Looking Out Window Over Useless Option of Rain-Sensing Wipers
These super high-tech wipers use infrared technology to sense moisture or grime on the windshield and turn on the wipers. Unfortunately, early reports indicate the technology isn’t ready for prime time.  No one wants their wipers turning on when they aren’t needed, or worse, failing to work at a crucial time. For the overwhelming majority, an utterly useless car option.

Kate Miller-Wilson is a freelance writer living in the Twin Cities.  Visit her website or email her for information about her freelance writing services.

STUTTGART, Germany — The next-edition Porsche Cayennes will receive a mild face-lift, as well as more powerful direct-gasoline-injection engines when they appear in showrooms starting in February.

Porsche says the powertrain enhancements will result in fuel savings of up to 15 percent under “real” driving conditions.

The base Cayenne gets a 40-horsepower boost and is now driven by a 290-hp 3.6-liter V6. The previous model had been equipped with a 3.2-liter V6. The torque on the base Cayenne has improved from 229 to 284 pound-feet. Acceleration time has improved, too. The previous model went from zero to 62 mph in 9.1 seconds; the new model goes from zero to 62 mph in 8.1 seconds and has a top speed of 141 mph.

The Cayenne S gets a bigger 4.8-liter V8 making 360 lb-ft of torque versus 310 on the previous model. Horsepower has jumped 45, to 385 hp. The Cayenne S now has a 0-62-mph time of 6.6 seconds and a top speed of 157 mph. The previous model went from zero to 62 mph in 6.8 seconds and had a top speed of 150 mph.

The Cayenne Turbo gets a 50-hp bump. The new eight-cylinder engine, driven by a twin exhaust-gas turbocharger, produces 500 hp and 516 lb-ft versus 457 lb-ft for the previous model. The Cayenne Turbo sprints from zero to 62 mph in 5.1 seconds and has a maximum speed of 171 mph. The previous model: 5.6 seconds and 165 mph.

Porsche only announced Euro-based prices on the Cayenne. The base model is the equivalent of $57,690, while the Cayenne S stickers for $74,340. The Cayenne Turbo starts at $90,200.

What this means to you: Porsche puts a premium on performance with the updated Cayenne.

I didn’t know it was possible to tame down a Porsche. It doesn’t look nearly nasty enough for all of the hype and horsepower they are adding to it. Who really wants an understated Porsche?
PRESS RELEASE:
TechArt Customizes the Porsche Models 911 Carrera 4 and 4S (997)

Powerful engine tuning and exclusive accessories that leave nothing to be desired: TechArt Automobildesign also offers an extensive customization program for the new 997-series models Porsche 911 Carrera 4 and 4S.

TechArt also provides engine tuning for both water-cooled six-cylinder engines of the Carrera 4 and Carrera 4S, coupe or cabriolet. The TechArt power kits TA 097/1 for the 3.6-liter version and TA 097/S1 for the Carrera S with 3.8-liter displacement each consist of a sport air filter and newly programmed engine electronics.

After the installation, which can be done directly at TechArt Automobildesign or by any authorized Porsche dealer, maximum power output for each model increases by 15 hp / 11 kW.

Read on.

Here we assume Bscher’s not talking about the upcoming targa variant of the Veyron, but a completely new model. We can expect that whether it’s a front-engined touring coupe, a CLS-style four-door coupe or a super-luxury saloon, the next Bugatti will share a great deal of the mechanicals with the Veyron so as to defer further development costs and better utilize the enormous amount of resources that went into the supercar.

Bugatti is moving ahead with plans for a new model to succeed the record-shattering, earth-moving, mouth-watering Veyron supercar. That’s what Thomas Bscher, chief of the Volkswagen AG subsidiary, contends, despite reported efforts by Porsche to derail the über-ultra-super-duper-premium-luxury carmaker.

More from AutoBlog

• 480 hp
• 505 lb.-ft. of Torque
• 3.6 liters
• 0-60 mph in 3.9 sec
• 192.6 mph Top Speed
• $122,900.00 M.S.R.P.