Auto News 5

Leipzig, Germany. It is raining cats and dogs from the pewter skies that brush Porsche’s test track adjoining the marque’s second assembly site. Tension, excitement, uncertainty, and suspense describe the atmosphere in the pit lane. A squadron of Porsche engineers, test drivers, and helpers is mingling with eighteen journalists who gather around two cars: one battered series-one mule and one almost production-ready prototype -- a hand-built, matte-black Weissach edition model worth around 3 million euros (production cars with the Weissach package will start at $929,000; base 918 Spyders start at $845,000). Towering above the crowd is the lanky posture of Walter Röhrl, an icon in his own right. “Anyone ready for a ride?” he asks. Sure. Walter’s race taxi is a white Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 fitted with a roll cage and semi-slicks. The hoarse and hairy howler hates wet weather: power oversteer, lift-off oversteer, aquaplaning-induced no-more-steer. After only one lap, we’re back in the paddock. First, they close the bus stop chicane (inspired by Spa), and then the Corkscrew (inspired by Laguna Seca) is coned off. Go or no go? Just before lunch, the chiefs give us the thumbs up. At last, the countdown is running.

Frank Stephenson has been the design director at McLaren Automotive since 2008. Born in Casablanca, Morocco, in 1959, Stephenson was raised in Europe, including stints in Turkey and Spain. He speaks seven languages. After finishing high school, Stephenson successfully raced motocross bikes in Europe for six years. He graduated from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, in 1986.

As our feelings for the 2013 Subaru BRZ warmed up, we apparently heated the car enough to cause some condensation. That's right; trapped condensation once again forced us to have the taillight replaced. At least this time we didn't have to wait several months for the part, and it's still covered under the warranty. We hope that the third time's the charm for this taillight problem.