Porsche hasn’t offered an “S” version of the 911 since 2006. Sure there have been slightly hotter “S” versions of the Boxster and Cayman all along, but when it comes to the 911, that “S” is usually reserved for something really special. The 2011 911 Turbo S you see here definitely sounds like it deserves to wear that “S” proudly. This will be the first 997 S, and Porsche has waited just long enough to take advantage of the 2010 upgrades to the standard Turbo.

The car’s direct-injected twin-turbo flat-six gains 30 horsepower over the “base” Turbo with output now measuring a GT2-matching 530 hp. The extra power comes with no penalty in fuel consumption either. How does Porsche do that! The 3.8-liter turbo-six splits 516 pound-feet of torque between those four 19-inch, center-lug wheels, routed through Porsche’s seven-speed PDK dual clutch gearbox. Porsche’s torque vectoring system helps keep it pointed where the driver wants it.

The 0-62 miles per hour dash should clock in at just 3.3 seconds while top speed is quoted at 195 mph. That compares favorably to the 911 GT2’s 3.7 seconds and 204-mph terminal velocity, with the same amount of power. The European price has already been announced and it looks like the Turbo S will rival the GT2 there as well. The coupe will cost €173,241 including 19 percent VAT (the actual base price is €145,400), while the Cabriolet stickers for €184,546, also including the 19 percent VAT (base price €154,900). It should go on sale in Europe this May, following its official unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show next month. The U.S. market should get theirs soon after. Full press release from Porsche below.

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Extreme enthusiasts traditionally abhor the ideals and objectives of the Soft Roader – slash - Urban Assault Vehicle, but the BMW X5 has always been a (slight) exception to the rule: handling, performance, and rather brilliant drivetrains.

Though it hardly counts as a sports car, the X5 gets some extra cred for creating an all-turbo lineup for 2011, which debuts in April at the New York auto show.

The turbodiesel 53d remains the same, but the petrol engines are now forced to breathe. The bog-stock 35i houses the lovely 300hp turbocharged 3.0-liter straight six, while the 50i inherits the X6’s stonking 400hp twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8.

Mild facial lifts include body-coloured bumpers across the range with gaping air scoops no doubt inspired by the top-spec M. And it looks a helluva lot better in X5 form than the polarising X6…

The French are always on the cutting edge of style – even when it comes to cutting an entire roof from a car.

It was Peugeot actually started the currently-booming folding hard-top trend, way back in the 1930s, so the French marque is arguably the most experienced in the art of origami metal. And the newest member of the genre, Peugeot’s 308 CC (Coupe Convertible), further solidifies the French carmaker’s stake in the folding-top fold.

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The Ford Focus Rallye Sport is one of those cars that we’ve long admired from afar, mainly because Ford, in their infinite wisdom, has deemed it unfit for American consumption. Heck, the Blue Oval never even imported the degrees-of-magnitude-better European Focus in any guise for that matter. That makes it extremely unlikely that we’d ever see the rumored Clubsport model, the exclamation point set to cap off the long run of the current generation car.

That 350 horsepower ripper is propelled by Ford’s highly lauded 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder engine, and features lightweight racing seats, a lowered and stiffened suspension and stickier rubber at the corners. With a 0 to 60 run projected to be under five seconds, it sounded like just the ticket for a little WRX/Evo hunting. Although we’re saddened that we’ll likely never see one on these shores (perhaps at Cars & Coffee in ten years), there is a faint light at the end of the tunnel.

The latest web gossip says that a new version of the RS has been greenlighted by Ford, based on the new Focus platform that was recently unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show. With the new Focus being a global car, that would seemingly tell us that his model might have a much better chance of coming Stateside.

And as if that weren’t entertaining enough, there’s scuttlebutt indicating the car might the launchpad for a new high-performance Ecoboost Hybrid.  Built around Ford’s 2.0-liter Ecoboost four cylinder, the additional electric motor would apparently send torque to the rear tires while the petrol mill powers the fronts. That unique all-wheel drive arrangement could get the 0-60 run below five seconds and push the RS to a top speed of 155 miles per hour.

While this hybrid RS is likely a long way off, there’s also a slightly more probable 240-horsepower Ecoboost Focus ST in the works, That car could appear within the next 18 months. Fingers crossed…

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year (or are unfortunate enough not to have cable or be awake at 3am for the broadcast), you would know that the Intercontinental Rally Championship is the most exciting thing to hit the world rally scene since, well, the WRC.

lat year, the title was taken by a Brit called Kris Meeke in a Peugeot 207 hatch. And just like Citroen with Seb Loeb’s fifth world title, the carmaker is celebrating with a limited edition livery for the roadgoing version of the same car.

The 207 S16 edition is actually a Sport spec 1.6-litre 207, tarted up with a new mesh grille, small rear diffuser, unique alloys, full-sic dark tint, some badges, and a signature from Meeke himself. And, if you like, a wild red, white and blue Griffin-themed vehicle wrap.

A run of 250 cars in the UK will sell for £14,695 (US$23,375), which is barely £600 more than the standard mid-spec version. Which may be worth the spend for some French drivers who want to stick it to the Brits on their own roads…

Last month, Top Gear magazine published its 200th issue, and to celebrate, they “put together a haphazard ramble through 17 years of the world’s shiniest car mag, including the best and worst cars we’ve ever driven, the greatest journeys and the top jaw-breaking pictures. And now we’re putting them online - starting with this - the 20 cars since ‘93 that have kept us coming back for more…”

The list is a fun one, with a strong proclivity for European machinery. Some of the choices are quite obvious, while others are more in the “WTF?” category. The mighty McLaren F1 and Bugatti Veyron make the list as does the Ferrari F50, but they are one slot behind the Aston Martin V12 Vantage, Fiat 500 and Vauxhall Monaro respectively. Below is the list from 20 to 1, but click over to Top Gear to read their rationale for each selection. It’s almost as entertaining as the show itself.

• Caterham Superlight R500
• Ford Escort Cosworth
• Honda Civic Type-R
• Fiat Panda
• Lotus Exige
• Porsche 911 GT3 RS
• Lancia Delta Integrale
• Corvette ZR1
• Bugatti Veyron
• Vauxhall Monaro
• Honda NSX-R
• Ferrari F50
• Fiat 500
• Ford S-Max
• Audi RS2
• Renault Clio Cup
• McLaren F1
• Aston Martin V12 Vantage
• Volkswagen Golf GTI MkV
• Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4SV

When BMW announced that the new 2011 Alpina B7 sedan would be unveiled in Chicago, they didn’t tell us how much we’d have to shell out for the latest “M7 in all but name.” Well, now they have. And get ready to break open quite a few piggy banks. The standard wheelbase B7 will sell for $122,875, while the extended wheelbase version will go for $126,775.

Based on the current BMW 7 Series, the 2011 B7 will be powered by a twin-turbocharged, 4.4-liter, direct injection V8 that produces 500 horsepower (373kW) and 516 lb-ft (700Nm) of torque. That’s enough to propel the B7 from 0-60 mph in 4.5 sec. The Alpina will also feature an electronically-adjustable suspension with Active Roll Stabilization, an evolution of the traditional 20-spoke 21″ Alpina Classic wheels, and an aero package that includes front and rear spoilers.

The interior of the B7 gets blue illuminated door sills, Switchtronic heated steering wheel in hand-stitched Lavalina leather, Alcantara headliner, Heads Up display, and a Black-Panel LCD screen instrument cluster. That hand-stitched leather also covers the dashboard, door panels, center console, and front and rear seats. Those front chairs also feature heating and cooling, while the rears are merely heated.

While the signature Alpina Blue metallic paint returns for 2011, shoppers can also choose from several other standard BMW 7 Series exterior colors too, although we have no idea why they would. The full BMW presser is below.

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The road sign said ‘Achtung!’, a dramatic punctuation in the  bridge matched to a pair of reptilian eyes peeking out from the murky waters below.

The odd German tourist must have ventured too close to the water’s edge in the past - the countless rivers snaking through Kakadu in the Northern Territory, Australia, are home to some of the largest crocodiles in the world.

We didn’t stop to meet the locals. In fact, we did not stop; our German tourers were spurred on by a very different sign on the side of the road. There is no time for the sights on a derestricted road in the world’s fastest Porsche.

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Roger Becker, Lotus’ Director of Vehicle Engineering, is retiring from Group Lotus after a long career of 44 years.

Roger, 64, joined Lotus in 1966, working on the Elan assembly line at Cheshunt, but his natural driving and engineering skills came to the attention of Lotus founder Colin Chapman and Roger was quickly moved to the vehicle development team where he worked directly with Mike Kimberley (former Lotus CEO) on the Lotus Europa Twin Cam – his first Lotus car development project.

During his career at Lotus, Roger had been responsible for the development of every Lotus car, including the legendary Esprit, Excsel, Elan, Elise, Exige and the new critically acclaimed Lotus Evora. Roger has helped to maintain the philosophies laid down by Colin Chapman and has ensured that the essence and purity of Lotus is instilled in all new Lotus cars. He also has imparted his chassis engineering knowledge and development skills to many of the world’s major automotive manufacturers in support of Lotus’ consultancy engineering business.

On his retirement, Roger Becker said, “I have had a dream career at Lotus, with the honour of not only working directly for Colin Chapman but also working with some of the finest people in the motor industry. With the Lotus Evora successfully entering the market with unprecedented global adulation, and at 64 years of age, I feel now is the natural time to retire. The Evora has given me my finest hour at Lotus and I leave knowing it will be the foundation of all our next generation cars. The product engineering team will build on this to develop many more award-winning products and I wish them every success for what promises to be a very exciting future for Lotus cars and the Lotus brand.”

Dany Bahar, CEO of Group Lotus plc said, “On behalf of all the staff at Lotus, I would like to thank Roger for his contribution to Lotus over 44 years and we wish him well in his retirement.”