MAY 15, 2024
Sunday, May 12, 2024 at 08:14AM 
The original - and still our favorite - Autoextremist logo.
The AE Quote of the Century: Everybody loves The High-Octane Truth. Until they don't. -WG
The Porsche 911 Hybrid Era is upon us. Following an extensive development and testing program, the new 911 – complete with a performance-focused hybrid system – is ready for series production. “For the first time in our icon’s 61-year history, we are installing a hybrid drive system in a roadgoing 911. This innovative performance hybrid makes the 911 even more dynamic,” Frank Moser, Vice President Model Line 911 and 718 said. “We left nothing to chance during development and tested the new 911 under all sorts of conditions all over the world from the freezing cold to scorching heat, as was the case during the final stages of testing in Dubai. Whether at a high drivetrain load in the demanding conditions of mountain passes or in the stop-and-go traffic of an urban environment, the new 911 has mastered even the most difficult challenges with aplomb. All in all, our engineers and test drivers clocked up more than 3.1 million miles of development driving." Porsche brand ambassador Jörg Bergmeister completed a lap of the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7:16.934 minutes, 8.7 seconds faster than the corresponding version of the predecessor model. (The test car was equipped with standard road tires, plus the aero kit with a fixed rear wing that has been available as an option previously, providing increased downforce at high speeds.) “We have more grip, significantly more power, and the spontaneous response of the performance hybrid is a great advantage,” Bergmeister said. The digital world premiere of the new 911 Hybrid will happen on May 28 at 9 a.m. EST in the Porsche Newsroom at newsroom.porsche.com, and on the Porsche YouTube and LinkedIn channels. It will also subsequently be available to watch on demand.
The all-new 2025 BMW M4 CS will make its world debut on Friday, May 10, simultaneously in the US at the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race at Laguna Seca and in Europe at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps World Endurance Car race. With its 3-liter M TwinPower Turbo inline six bumped to 543HP, unique chassis tuning, and targeted weight reduction through the extensive use of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP), the special edition M4 CS is tuned for high-performance without sacrificing the four-seat layout and everyday practicality. The CS will be produced alongside the other BMW M4 variants at BMW Group Plant Dingolfing beginning in July 2024. The highlights? Lighter weight and more power; CS-specific chassis enhancements produce even sharper handling; and all-wheel drive traction launches the M4 CS to 60 mph in an estimated 3.2 seconds. The base MSRP is $123,500 plus $1,175 destination and handling.
No tucks or silicone
She's touch, smell, sight, taste, and sound
But somehow I can't believe that anything should happen
I know where I belong and nothing's gonna happen, yeah
'Cause she's so high
High above me, she's so lovely
She's so high
Like Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, or Aphrodite
Da-da-da-da
She's so high
High above me
First class and fancy-free
She's high society
She's got the best of everything
What could a guy like me ever really offer?
She's perfect as she can be, why should I even bother? Ah-ha
'Cause she's so high
High above me, she's so lovely
She's so high
Like Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, or Aphrodite
Da-da-da-da
She's so high
High above me
She comes to speak to me
I freeze immediately
'Cause what she says sounds so unreal
'Cause somehow I can't believe that anything should happen
I know where I belong and nothing's gonna happen
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
'Cause she's so high
High above me, she's so lovely
She's so high
Like Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, or Aphrodite
Oh yeah, yeah
She's so high
High above me
*Bachman is the son of Canadian rocker Randy Bachman, who is famous for his work in The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive. This was Tal's first single - his sound is much more mellow and mainstream than his father's. Tal told MTV News in 1999 that it's about an experience he had at Semiahoo Secondary School in South Surrey, British Columbia. "I attempted to bribe the hottest girl in our high school to go out on a date with [my stepbrother], Bachman said. "So as the conversation between me and what I thought was this godly, exalted woman progressed, I began to feel more and more uncomfortable and awkward, and so I just remember that feeling... I don't want to say fear, but just kind of being in awe of her." In 2003, Kurt Nilsen's cover version became Norway's best-selling single ever. Nilsen is the answer to a great trivia question: who won the only "World Idol" competition? He won the one-off show in 2004 competing for Norway against the Idol winners from other countries, including Kelly Clarkson, who came in second. This song was used in the movies Loser (2000) and She's Out of My League (2010), and in episodes of Charmed ("Wicca Envy" - 1999) and Girls ("All I Ever Wanted" - 2017). (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)
Editor's Note: You can access previous issues of AE by clicking on "Next 1 Entries" below. - WG