Aurelia Butler

Porsche has unveiled the 911 Carrera GTS Le Mans Centenaire Edition, celebrating 100 years since the first running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.The silver paint and number 46 racing number reference the 1951 356 SL, while the gold wheels and red seatbelts are callbacks to the 1998 911 GT1.The Centenaire Edition is only being offered in France, and Porsche didn’t specify how many copies of the special 911 will be built.This year, 2023, marked 100 years since the first running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The centenary edition of the iconic race drew a record-setting crowd and displayed dramatic racing among the new Hypercar class and the GTE cars. To celebrate the anniversary, Porsche has revealed the 911 Carrera GTS Le Mans Centenaire Edition, a limited production model that takes cues from two Le Mans–winning race cars, the 356 SL and the 911 GT1. Unfortunately, this slick-looking special edition is destined only for the French market.PorscheThe Centenaire Edition starts off with a GTS-spec 911, packing a rear-mounted twin-turbo 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine that produces a healthy 473 horsepower. Both a seven-speed manual and the eight-speed PDK automatic transmission are offered. Based on the lack of a “4” in the name, we presume the special edition will not be available with all-wheel drive, so all 420 pound-feet of torque are sent to the rear wheels. The color scheme draws heavily on the 1951 class-winning 356 SL, painted Le Mans Silver Metallic and featuring a roundel on the door with the number 46. Inside, the bucket seats are upholstered in Graphite Blue leather and corduroy, emulating the 356 SL’s cabin. The same blue leather adorns the steering wheel, with a 12-o’clock marker in Cayon matching the accents on the dials, SportChrono clock, and stitching.PorscheThe cabin also features an outline of the Circuit de la Sarthe on the center armrest and “24h” embossed into the headrest, while the red seatbelts are a stylistic reference to the 911 GT1 that took the overall victory in 1998. The GT1’s influence can also been seen in the wheels, painted in a gold color called Aurum with the outer ring finished in Le Mans Silver Metallic. The Centenaire Edition also features a decorative decal on the small rear side windows that imitates the louvers worn by the ’98 GT1.The special 911 is further distinguished by unique badges, including one with the “24h Le Mans” logo enclosed in a laurel wreath with the Porsche script on the rear grille. The grille also includes a decal reading “Born in Le Mans, Manufactured in Zuffenhausen,” while the B-pillar sports an emblem with a track outline in the French tricolor. The doorsill trims mark this 911 as a special edition.PorschePorsche gifts every buyer a key pouch and car cover in Graphite Blue. There’s no word on price or how many will be built, but the Le Mans Centenaire Edition is likely a fair chunk more expensive than a normal GTS, which starts at $144,050 in the U.S.More Special 911sThis content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Associate News EditorCaleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan. More

Ferrari has unveiled a more extreme edition of its SF90 supercar—the SF90 XX—intended to blur the lines between a racing car and a grand tourer.More horsepower has been squeezed from the car’s plug-in-hybrid powertrain, and Ferrari claims a zero-to-62-mph time that’s 0.2 second quicker than the SF90’s, which would put it below the 2.0-second mark to 60 mph. Both a Stradale coupe and a Spider convertible will be built, but in limited numbers; both body styles are already sold out.Against the backdrop of the famed Pista di Fiorano racetrack, Ferrari has launched its latest performance icon, the SF90 XX, which invokes the double-X moniker that’s typically applied to the brand’s most high-performing track-only models. Lighter, more powerful, and with revised aerodynamics, the special-edition SF90 is the first XX variant that’s street legal and sits at the extreme edge between a racing car and a roadgoing Ferrari sports car. A Higher Level of PerformanceThe SF90 XX models are powered by the same plug-in-hybrid powertrain as the standard model, which comprises a twin-turbocharged V-8 engine and three electric motors. But for the SF90 XX, Ferrari engineers have tweaked the twin-turbo V-8 engine to squeeze more power out of it. The V-8’s inlet and exhaust ports have been polished, new pistons have been swapped in, and the compression ratio has increased. Peak power is 786 horsepower, an increase of 17 hp. Combined with a new Extra Boost feature for the electric motors, total system output is 1016 horsepower, a gain of 30 hp.Extra Boost is limited to the Qualify drive mode and works to quickly get the car back up to speed upon exiting a corner. The feature is actuated when the driver floors the throttle and can be used up to 30 times before the battery is depleted. When not in Qualify mode, the SF90 XX should still be able to drive for about nine miles on battery power alone. More Double-X Ferraris Ferrari Models to Drool OverChanges have been made to the car’s eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox too. New shift logic is borrowed from the Daytona SP3, and gearchanges are accompanied by a snarling exhaust note with a lift-off overrun at higher RPM. The raspier sound, which is piped into the cabin via a redesigned tube connecting the intake to the cabin, gives the SF90 XX the auditory experience of a race car—and we’re here to tell you that it is both loud and goosebump-inducing. Ferrari’s official claim is a zero-to-62-mph time of 2.3 seconds, which is 0.2 second quicker than the SF90. When we tested the standard SF90 Stradale back in 2021, we recorded a blistering and record-breaking 2.0-second time, which would put the XX’s time into the 1s. Downforce Is SupremeBeyond the giant fixed rear wing, Ferrari has redesigned much of the SF90’s aero elements to increase downforce. The company claims the SF90 XX can create a maximum of 1168 pounds of downforce at 155 mph, which is a huge leap compared with the 860 pounds of the SF90 Stradale. The XX retains the active rear spoiler from the SF90, which has been redesigned to work with the fixed wing and switches between low-drag and high-downforce positions.The hood is punctuated by two nostrils that serve as an exhaust for the air passing through the front radiators. The hot air flows from these ducts are directed up and over the roof of the car while cooler air is directed around the cockpit to the large side apertures that serve to cool the V-8. In addition, the radiators used to cool the electrical components are flipped upside down in the SF90 XX to allow for a flusher underbody. Ferrari has also enhanced the SF90 XX’s electronic systems in the name of better performance and lap times. A new chassis-control system, borrowed from the 296 GTB, uses three yaw sensors to better triangulate the car’s real-time dynamics to maximize braking performance. Looks Like a LongtailThe more complex engineering has spurred several changes to the car’s design. Integrating the large fixed rear wing, for example, meant altering the rear end of the SF90 XX, which has been elongated to give it a sort of longtail silhouette. The new outlets on the hood are beautified with a contrasting paint color, and the fender-mounted air inlets serve as inspiration for the interior door-panel design.Speaking of the interior, Ferrari has stripped out carpeting and created new monocoque bucket seats made from carbon fiber to save weight. Although they appear to be fixed, the seats are adjustable, relying on cleverly integrated elastic trim materials to maintain the fixed-back look. The center console also sports less material, and rather than leather or plastic it’s covered in a lovely matte-finished carbon fiber. The eight-speed transmission’s chrome gear selector has been moved forward on the center console, and the power window switches have been relocated further back. Only 799 SF90 XX Stradale coupes and only 599 SF90 XX Spiders will be made, and all are already spoken for. The coupe’s price is about $844,000 at current exchange rates. The Spider costs even more at around $932,000. Ferrari wouldn’t say how many of each would wind up in North America, but one thing is for certain: these will be collectible no matter where they end up.Managing Editor, Buyer’s GuideDrew Dorian is a lifelong car enthusiast who has also held a wide variety of consumer-focused positions throughout his career, ranging from financial counselor to auto salesperson. He has dreamed of becoming a Car and Driver editor since he was 11 years old—a dream that was realized when he joined the staff in April 2016. He’s a born-and-raised Michigander and learned to drive on a 1988 Pontiac Grand Am. His automotive interests run the gamut from convertibles and camper vans to sports cars and luxury SUVs.       More

This Mercedes 450SEL 6.9 is claimed to have finished second in the 1979 Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash. The car shows 45,000 miles and benefits from a good bit of recent service.The auction ends on Sunday, July 2.Car and DriverFor a time, the Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 was the fastest sedan in the world. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, then, that one would have ended up running the Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash. And now, your hard-earned scratch could put an (alleged) little slice of automotive-counterculture history in your garage.Bring a TrailerUp for auction on Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is a part of the Hearst Autos group—is a 1978 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 with an interesting pedigree. According to the seller, this car allegedly finished second in the final running of the Cannonball in 1979. There’s no paper trail to link it to such an achievement, but according to an account of the final race, a 6.9 did finish in second place, some eight minutes behind the winning Jaguar XJ-S.Regardless of the veracity of these claims, this isn’t the first time this specific 6.9 has crossed BaT’s virtual auction block. The car was posted in 2017, but the final bid of $26,000 failed to reach the reserve. Given how classic-car prices have reached the ionosphere over the last few years, we wouldn’t be surprised if the current go-around commands an even higher floor.6.9? Nice.Despite the 6.9 badge on the back, this 450SEL gets its motive force from a 6.8-liter V-8 that, when new, was good for 250 horsepower and 360 pound-feet of torque—numbers that were sufficient to push the big Benz to 140 mph in its day. Since this vehicle was acquired by its current owner in 2020, the eight-cylinder has picked up new gaskets and cooling-system components, in addition to a new battery and an air conditioning compressor. A three-speed automatic transmission handles the shifting, and it too has been serviced. The 6.9 also came equipped with a hydropneumatic suspension, and again it’s recently been attended to.Bring a TrailerThe 6.9’s black leather interior looks well maintained, although its factory Becker stereo is now hooked up to aftermarket speakers. Some work has been done in here since 2020 as well, including service on the vacuum-operated door locks and a freshening-up of the wood trim. The post notes that the cruise control doesn’t work, so hopefully your right foot still does.Senior EditorCars are Andrew Krok’s jam, along with boysenberry. After graduating with a degree in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2009, Andrew cut his teeth writing freelance magazine features, and now he has a decade of full-time review experience under his belt. A Chicagoan by birth, he has been a Detroit resident since 2015. Maybe one day he’ll do something about that half-finished engineering degree. More