2007 Porsche RS Spyder review

Porsche RS Spyder review:

Porsche Cars North America is getting really racy for the 2007 Chicago Auto Show, where the automaker's stand in McCormick Place will feature an all-out racecar as well as the second
generation Porsche Cayenne sport utility vehicle, which for the 2008 model year will be available with as much as 500 horsepower and with new dynamic technologies that allow the vehicle that put the "sport" into sport utility to perform like a nimble sports sedan while being fully capable of carrying five people,
towing a trailer and blazing over unpaved terrain and through inclement weather.

The Porsche display also will feature the full lineup of 2007 Porsche models, including the Boxster, Cayman, and 911, and featuring the new 911 Targa 4, Targa 4S and 911 GT3.

RS Spyder wins American Le Mans Series championships

The Porsche RS Spyder is a purpose-built racecar, an LMP2 prototype, that made its full-season debut in 2006 by winning three American Le Mans Series championships. The car won the constructor's championship as well as the driver's title for Sascha Maassen and Lucas Luhr (Porsche drivers who tied
for the championship) and also team honors for Penske Motorsports.

With a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR taking honors in the GT2 category, it marked the first time in ALMS history that one manufacturer won constructor and driving titles in two classes in the same season.

Competing in the LMP2 competition marked Porsche's return to factory prototype racing for the first time since the 1998 season. The RS Spyder took class honors in seven of 10 races, but posted a remarkable 1-2 overall finish at Mid-Ohio, the only time that LMP2 cars have achieved such an accomplishment in the history of the series.

Porsche now has claimed nine manufacturers titles and eight drivers' championships in the eight years of ALMS racing. Porsche racers also have won 71 class victories, far outdistancing all other manufacturers.

Updated RS Spyder makes debut at Chicago Penske Motorsports returns to the ALMS to defend its titles in 2007 with an updated Porsche RS Spyder that makes its debut on the Porsche stand in Chicago.

Commissioned by Porsche Cars North America, Inc. and Porsche Motorsport North America for racing customers who compete in the LMP2 class of the ALMS, the Porsche RS Spyder features a completely new Porsche engine, transmission and chassis, all incorporating the latest in Porsche automotive technology and created to conform to rules and regulations of the Automobil Club de l'Quest, organizer of the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

Penske Motorsports Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Penske Racing, Inc., will field a pair of new Porsche prototypes in a season that opens March 17 with the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring. Dyson Motorsports, another racing team with a long and proud prototype racing history, also will field a pair of RS Spyders in the ALMS in 2007.

The heart of the car is a newly designed 3.4-liter V8 engine that is restricted to 480 horsepower by ACO rules. The engine is mated to a Porsche-engineered sequential six-speed constant mesh transmission operated by a paddle shift system that is attached to the steering wheel.
The RS Spyder chassis is light but strong, comprised of carbon fiber reinforced by Kevlar composites