Courtesy fast-zi-nation.de
Factory tour.
http://img426.imageshack.**/img426/6718/tafeinsight015gy.jpg
That's TechArt's show room. Hmm? Seems there's not too much of it in the photo. However it is perfect as an introductory picture for this photo tour.
http://img426.imageshack.**/img426/2746/tafeinsight028ri.jpg
This one was a troublemaker. But the TechArt crew knows how to cope with disobedient patients like this. Even though it pretends to be a Ferrari with its colour.
http://img426.imageshack.**/img426/2492/tafeinsight032cx.jpg
In terms of colours, customers can get anything they want, interior and exterior. That's why the Porsche tuners have a large collection of cow skins available as you can see here.
http://img426.imageshack.**/img426/1424/tafeinsight041cf.jpg
This is how steering wheels get more grip. In the tuner's workshop, standard wheels start a career as sports steering wheels by means of better gripping rims.
http://img426.imageshack.**/img426/1268/tafeinsight057md.jpg
TechArt is amongst the most reputed Porsche tuners in the world, however the company is not as old as the 356 here. Nonetheless, they know it very well, just as other classic Porsche cars. Restoration is amongst the tuner's talents.
http://img426.imageshack.**/img426/6039/tafeinsight064jb.jpg
This Cayenne engine is waiting for a special treatment, in TechArt's motor sports division. Maybe we should ask about straightening the flag in the background next time.
Driving experience.
http://img425.imageshack.**/img425/1157/tafedriving026lu.jpg
The first impression on country roads was that the suspension setup of the car was firm and taut due to the benefits of the sporting road manners, matching the loud exhaust sound and of course the car's performance. Whereas when we were piloted to the track by the TechArt PR manager, we were placed behind the wheel to expose ourselves to the tuned sports car's immense acceleration, after a presentation of its power with the electronic assistant systems switched off.
http://img425.imageshack.**/img425/5232/tafedriving016bl.jpg
The GT Street naturally appreciates unleashing its full performance without any restrictions by converting tyres into white smoke, loudly begging for grip at the same time, even though the four wheel drive transmits power to both axles. But even half the GT Street's horses are too much for two tyres. For best acceleration times, the service of the traction control is consequently necessary. From a standstill to the rev range between 3000 and 4000rpm, TechArt's 911 Turbo pushes forwards incredibly but then, mainly thanks to larger turbo's, it increases performance in a way that is really hard to believe.
It behaves the same in second gear. The Porsche was gorging the airfield's grey concrete with equal appetite, and again produced an astonishing raise from the mid-range.
The 911 started to eat up the runway in front of it with the ravenous hunger of a glutton after a 3-month crash diet. In the following gear, the notion rose that our physics teacher was wrong in telling us about air drag.
But because noises at the cabrio's windscreen become increasingly noticeably at higher speeds, its existence was confirmed nevertheless.That's also part of the most significant difference to last year's 600hp experience with the Kleemann E-class.
The Danish Benz was soft, comfortable and unspectac-
ular, except in braking and accelerating. And apart from a fine exhaust sound, TechArt's 911 bi- turbo boxer's tune is a symphony of another kind.
Its loud mechanical sound is accompanied by hefty wind noises - an orchestral composition that raise a sensation which makes you feel small in amongst the noise of its physical forces.
In addition to that, the car directs ones attention to its tight sport seats, as occupants get very intense contact with them at full throttle. It's really hard to find words to describe all that. Most striking would be comparing it with an open top jet fighter.
http://img425.imageshack.**/img425/5695/tafedriving064ge.jpg
But the driver only takes note of this as long as the tachometer's swivel-happy hand demands a gear change, which happens very soon. And that takes a lot of concentration. Using the sports clutch is tricky and needs precise operation. But when the right spot is hit, it's no problem - just a question of practice.
Since we could only use a section of the runway, attention was soon drawn to braking distances because the car is addicted to tarmac and ate up our part of the track. Thus we don't know which the top speed of our acceleration test was. Nonetheless, we can give away that the conflict of air and windshield gets increasingly annoying, beyond 200kmh.
http://img425.imageshack.**/img425/6707/tafedriving057bz.jpg
And as 150 feels like 70kmh, the risk of underestimating the required distance to reduce speed for a U-turn at the end of the airfield seems high. Er, the TechArt accelerating machine handles braking equally masterfully. Not only does the brake lining bite disks sufficiently, immense lateral acceleration is also possible with the GT Street and allows rapid turning.
http://img425.imageshack.**/img425/879/tafedriving087tq.jpg
So we took the chance to gather new speed in the opposite direction. Really, it's hard not to get addicted to that.
Acceleration alone is amazing enough, however motor and wind noises, taut suspension, direct steering response and the sports clutch make a clear difference to other fast cars we have driven so far.
Being under the influence of all that, you think the car takes off when the two turbos set in and provide the extra push. And that has nothing to do with the airfield; it gave just the same impression on country roads.
Perhaps it's caused by the turbo hole - since a further increase of the acceleration of this amount appears simply incredible.
This also means that the mighty rear wing is not just for show, it makes sure the TechArt 911 Turbo remains what it doesn't feel like inside: An earthbound vehicle.
Drift experience.
http://img425.imageshack.**/img425/8595/tafedrift011cg.jpg
Apart from a few exceptions, TechArt's press photos are taken in front of a grey wall. This might be suitable to present the latest products without any distracting details in the background, but way too many tuners have started following that trend and believe they have found good scenery in their company's yard and are way off-track indeed. TechArt might be amongst those who have got a perfectly matched scenario, but since we're a magazine more exciting photos are a must, aren't they!? That was why we dared to take pictures of moving cars for the first time.
Since PR manager Ralph Niese knows the car's behaviour much better then we do and crashing one of these beautiful cars is a sin, he did some drifts for us. The only problem was it was pretty hard to capture these shots. Shutter release delay had never been a problem for moving objects before but in this situation it was tricky because a drift is not a linear movement along one axis. More disastrous were experiments with the Speed Burst Mode. It manages three shots a second, actually a good frequency for a digital camera, but unfortunately the scene isn't displayed on the monitor.
http://img425.imageshack.**/img425/8513/tafedrift026fu.jpg
Understandably, it is hard to take photos of an unevenly moving object that you cannot see on the screen. Another option will display it, but that mode manages one photo less in the same time. Capturing the shot is just a matter of practice, which sadly we did not have. So we produced numerous blurred pictures of the Swabian landscape with a runway in the foreground but the car was out of sight, or running in and out of the photo. Thank god for Ralph?s patience, there were some good ones in the end, showing the full vehicle including dissolving rubber. And they were worth all the trials. Hope you agree with us.
Factory tour.
http://img426.imageshack.**/img426/6718/tafeinsight015gy.jpg
That's TechArt's show room. Hmm? Seems there's not too much of it in the photo. However it is perfect as an introductory picture for this photo tour.
http://img426.imageshack.**/img426/2746/tafeinsight028ri.jpg
This one was a troublemaker. But the TechArt crew knows how to cope with disobedient patients like this. Even though it pretends to be a Ferrari with its colour.
http://img426.imageshack.**/img426/2492/tafeinsight032cx.jpg
In terms of colours, customers can get anything they want, interior and exterior. That's why the Porsche tuners have a large collection of cow skins available as you can see here.
http://img426.imageshack.**/img426/1424/tafeinsight041cf.jpg
This is how steering wheels get more grip. In the tuner's workshop, standard wheels start a career as sports steering wheels by means of better gripping rims.
http://img426.imageshack.**/img426/1268/tafeinsight057md.jpg
TechArt is amongst the most reputed Porsche tuners in the world, however the company is not as old as the 356 here. Nonetheless, they know it very well, just as other classic Porsche cars. Restoration is amongst the tuner's talents.
http://img426.imageshack.**/img426/6039/tafeinsight064jb.jpg
This Cayenne engine is waiting for a special treatment, in TechArt's motor sports division. Maybe we should ask about straightening the flag in the background next time.
Driving experience.
http://img425.imageshack.**/img425/1157/tafedriving026lu.jpg
The first impression on country roads was that the suspension setup of the car was firm and taut due to the benefits of the sporting road manners, matching the loud exhaust sound and of course the car's performance. Whereas when we were piloted to the track by the TechArt PR manager, we were placed behind the wheel to expose ourselves to the tuned sports car's immense acceleration, after a presentation of its power with the electronic assistant systems switched off.
http://img425.imageshack.**/img425/5232/tafedriving016bl.jpg
The GT Street naturally appreciates unleashing its full performance without any restrictions by converting tyres into white smoke, loudly begging for grip at the same time, even though the four wheel drive transmits power to both axles. But even half the GT Street's horses are too much for two tyres. For best acceleration times, the service of the traction control is consequently necessary. From a standstill to the rev range between 3000 and 4000rpm, TechArt's 911 Turbo pushes forwards incredibly but then, mainly thanks to larger turbo's, it increases performance in a way that is really hard to believe.
It behaves the same in second gear. The Porsche was gorging the airfield's grey concrete with equal appetite, and again produced an astonishing raise from the mid-range.
The 911 started to eat up the runway in front of it with the ravenous hunger of a glutton after a 3-month crash diet. In the following gear, the notion rose that our physics teacher was wrong in telling us about air drag.
But because noises at the cabrio's windscreen become increasingly noticeably at higher speeds, its existence was confirmed nevertheless.That's also part of the most significant difference to last year's 600hp experience with the Kleemann E-class.
The Danish Benz was soft, comfortable and unspectac-
ular, except in braking and accelerating. And apart from a fine exhaust sound, TechArt's 911 bi- turbo boxer's tune is a symphony of another kind.
Its loud mechanical sound is accompanied by hefty wind noises - an orchestral composition that raise a sensation which makes you feel small in amongst the noise of its physical forces.
In addition to that, the car directs ones attention to its tight sport seats, as occupants get very intense contact with them at full throttle. It's really hard to find words to describe all that. Most striking would be comparing it with an open top jet fighter.
http://img425.imageshack.**/img425/5695/tafedriving064ge.jpg
But the driver only takes note of this as long as the tachometer's swivel-happy hand demands a gear change, which happens very soon. And that takes a lot of concentration. Using the sports clutch is tricky and needs precise operation. But when the right spot is hit, it's no problem - just a question of practice.
Since we could only use a section of the runway, attention was soon drawn to braking distances because the car is addicted to tarmac and ate up our part of the track. Thus we don't know which the top speed of our acceleration test was. Nonetheless, we can give away that the conflict of air and windshield gets increasingly annoying, beyond 200kmh.
http://img425.imageshack.**/img425/6707/tafedriving057bz.jpg
And as 150 feels like 70kmh, the risk of underestimating the required distance to reduce speed for a U-turn at the end of the airfield seems high. Er, the TechArt accelerating machine handles braking equally masterfully. Not only does the brake lining bite disks sufficiently, immense lateral acceleration is also possible with the GT Street and allows rapid turning.
http://img425.imageshack.**/img425/879/tafedriving087tq.jpg
So we took the chance to gather new speed in the opposite direction. Really, it's hard not to get addicted to that.
Acceleration alone is amazing enough, however motor and wind noises, taut suspension, direct steering response and the sports clutch make a clear difference to other fast cars we have driven so far.
Being under the influence of all that, you think the car takes off when the two turbos set in and provide the extra push. And that has nothing to do with the airfield; it gave just the same impression on country roads.
Perhaps it's caused by the turbo hole - since a further increase of the acceleration of this amount appears simply incredible.
This also means that the mighty rear wing is not just for show, it makes sure the TechArt 911 Turbo remains what it doesn't feel like inside: An earthbound vehicle.
Drift experience.
http://img425.imageshack.**/img425/8595/tafedrift011cg.jpg
Apart from a few exceptions, TechArt's press photos are taken in front of a grey wall. This might be suitable to present the latest products without any distracting details in the background, but way too many tuners have started following that trend and believe they have found good scenery in their company's yard and are way off-track indeed. TechArt might be amongst those who have got a perfectly matched scenario, but since we're a magazine more exciting photos are a must, aren't they!? That was why we dared to take pictures of moving cars for the first time.
Since PR manager Ralph Niese knows the car's behaviour much better then we do and crashing one of these beautiful cars is a sin, he did some drifts for us. The only problem was it was pretty hard to capture these shots. Shutter release delay had never been a problem for moving objects before but in this situation it was tricky because a drift is not a linear movement along one axis. More disastrous were experiments with the Speed Burst Mode. It manages three shots a second, actually a good frequency for a digital camera, but unfortunately the scene isn't displayed on the monitor.
http://img425.imageshack.**/img425/8513/tafedrift026fu.jpg
Understandably, it is hard to take photos of an unevenly moving object that you cannot see on the screen. Another option will display it, but that mode manages one photo less in the same time. Capturing the shot is just a matter of practice, which sadly we did not have. So we produced numerous blurred pictures of the Swabian landscape with a runway in the foreground but the car was out of sight, or running in and out of the photo. Thank god for Ralph?s patience, there were some good ones in the end, showing the full vehicle including dissolving rubber. And they were worth all the trials. Hope you agree with us.