Tom LaPointe's Exotic Car Lifestyle Notebook

Ramblings on exotic cars, the car market, and things with wheels overall. We especially love Rolls-Royce, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche, and all the events where you find them.

About Me

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Location: Dunedin, Florida, United States

I currently publish iParent Magazine in the Tampa Bay area and work as a freelance writer for Affluent Page Index, in NYC. I grew up in Michigan near the Motor City and finished high school in Fernley NV. After attending the University of Nevada as a music major, I joined the Marine Corps as a combat correspondent. As a writer and editor, I won many publishing awards for photography, writing and editing. What led me to the auto industry is simply this: I love cars. I have raced stock cars and sports cars and competed in Land Rover off-road competitions in Vermont and Colorado. I have been a pit official for the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring, and a pit crewman for Indy and a Hooters Pro Cup races. I've served as a manager of both sales and service for one the largest luxury car groups in the world. I'm still active as an off-road instructor for Land Rover and HUMMER dealers and owners. I enjoy crawling an off-road vehicle through the most severe obstacles as much as heel-toeing sports cars into hairpin turns! I am also a freelance writer for several automotive publications.

May 6, 2009

Panamera to Forge New Ground for Porsche





The design is undeniably polarizing - people either love it or hate it. But either way, it's pure Porsche, and thus engineered for performance.
After decades of starts and stops creating a sedan, and even a production SUV, the Stuttgart gang brings us the Panamera, ready to take on the likes of Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and even Maserati. The front-engine, rear-drive car resembles a stretched 911 and will be available with a host of powerplants from the Cayenne, including a 3.6-liter V6 (296 hp) and 4.8 liter V8s (395 hp in the S, and 493 hp in twin-turbo). All variants on United States shores will have a 7-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission.
Look for all the options and features in the coupe line, as well as more than a few admiring stares and "what is it" questions. Pricing of close to $90,000 for the V6 may be a bit optimistic, but the V8 versions will likely give established Euro sedans a run for their money.
We have access to early deliveries, so call today.

posted by Tom LaPointe | 11:23 AM