Porsche Tuning Specialist TECHART Opens U.S. Subsidiary in California

Good news for Porsche owners in America who'd like to have their sports cars and SUV models tuned by Techart as the German company has finally opened a US headquarters in Irvine California. "The new subsidiary ensures a faster product supply to all its customers and sales partners," Techart said in a statement.

The company said that it its US subsidiary has been staffed with specially trained sales and engineering employees, some of which have been sourced from the company's central headquarters in Leonberg, Germany. Techart will offer American clients its full range of products from light alloy wheels and sport exhaust systems to full blown performance and styling kits as well as individual interior treatments.

"The North American automobile market is one of our most important sales markets in the world," said Techart CEO Thomas Behringer. "The foundation of TECHART USA, our own US-subsidiary, underlines the central significance of this market," he added/

New Porsche Boxster S Black Edition Adds More Power and Value

After the 911 Carrera Black Edition, Porsche today announced that it is launching a similar limited run version of the Boxster S as well. The new model will be produced in just 987 units, and aside from the upgrades in the styling and equipment departments, the Boxster S Black Edition also benefits from a small power boost.

As one would expect, almost every part of the body is finished in black, including the model lettering, mirror housings, rollover bars, air intake grilles and twin tailpipes. Black 19-inch wheels, shod in tires size 235/35 at the front and 265/35 at the rear, complete the exterior changes.

The dark theme is continued inside, complemented by discrete metallic accents found on the doors, sill plates, air vents, steering wheel and gear selector. Other than that, black dominates the dashboard, door panels and partially leather seats.

To mark its special status, the Boxster S Black Edition comes as standard with the “Comfort”, “Infotainment” and “Design” equipment packages. That means customers don’t have to pay extra for features such as the wind deflector, anti-dazzle mirrors, cruise control, rain sensor, climate control, navigation, bi-xenon lights with cornering function and LED daytime running lights. The list of special options includes among other things, the Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB), Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) and adaptive sports seats with memory function.

The Black Edition uses the same 3.4-liter six-cylinder boxer engine as the Boxster S, but after some minor tweaks it delivers ten more horsepower, for a total of 320HP and 370 Nm (273 lb-ft) of torque.

Fitted with the 6-speed manual transmission, the Boxster S Black Edition needs just 5.2 seconds to complete the 0-to-100 km/h (62 mph) dash and can reach a top speed of 276 km/h (171.5 mph). According to the NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) test cycle, average fuel consumption is 9.8 lt/100 km (24 US mpg).

Customers can also opt for Porsche’s 7-speed twin-clutch transmission, dubbed PDK, in which case the roadster is even faster and more frugal. It sprints to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.1 seconds, (0-60mph in 4.8") while the top speed is 274 km/h (170 mph). With the PDK, the Boxer returns a combined fuel consumption of 9.4 lt/100 km (25 US mpg).

The Boxster S Black Edition will go on sale in March 2011 for a base price of €63,404 in Germany, including VAT and country-specific equipment.

In the U.S. prices start at $65,200, with Porsche claiming saving of around $3,200 over a comparably equipped Boxster S.

Porsche Boxster Images Gallery

When it debuted in the late '90s, the Porsche Boxster ushered in an era of the more affordable Porsche convertible. Featuring a finely balanced midengine layout, sublime handling and steering, and the performance of a proven, sophisticated flat-6 engine, the Boxster quickly became part of the Porsche legend and one of the best-selling cars in the luxury roadster class.

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There are several big-name competitors with equivalent cachet, but one drive in a Boxster is often all it takes to end a sports car shopping trip. Several evolutionary updates and detail changes through the years have kept the Boxster generally competitive in the face of faster and newer rivals. The latest version is the most powerful ever, with almost 300 horsepower available.
Porsche Boxster

Inside, the quality of materials used has improved over the years and late-model Boxsters certainly project the aura of a premium sports car. With two ample cargo holds front and rear, the Boxster is a mostly practical daily driver, too. Though its competitive breeding can manifest an edgy nature that's sometimes a bit much around town or during lengthy commutes, our editors believe the Porsche Boxster is the quintessential top-down, high-speed weekend getaway device for two.
Porsche Boxster

After a decade in production, the classically styled Porsche Boxster also remains a serious, purpose-built midengine sports car designed to travel hard and fast -- sometimes demanding a driver's undivided attention but rewarding the skilled pilot with razor-sharp feedback and unmatched thrills and satisfaction behind the wheel. If that's what you're after and you can swing a sometimes pricey bottom line, you couldn't convince us of a more compelling choice, new or used.