Window Regulator Front Left Acdelco Pro 11r751 on 2040-parts.com

Autoweek archives: Porsche, same as it ever was? Not quite

In July 1997, Autoweek introduced its readers to the next-generation Porsche 911, the Type 996. Hot off the Frankfurt motor show release of the redesigned Type 991 2012 Porsche 911, we thought it might be fun to look at how much the iconic German sports car has changed since then. While it looks like not much has changed, the Type 991 is a brand-new car.

New BMW 3-series bows, performance-oriented 335iS joins the lineup

A new performance-oriented 335iS model endowed with an M-sport styling kit and unique chassis settings heads the list of changes BMW brings to its facelifted 2011 3-series coupe and convertible. Set to slot into the lineup between an upgraded 335i and the M3 when it goes on sale in March as an exclusive for North America, the 335iS runs a tuned version of BMW's N54 engine, as found in the recently unveiled Z4 sDrive35iS, coupled to either a standard six-speed manual or an optional Getrag-engineered seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. The twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine of the 335iS adds a special software package to bump power to 326 hp and lift torque to 332 lb-ft--or to an even gutsier 369 lb-ft for short periods via an overboost function that unleashes added turbocharger boost pressure.

Mercedes-Benz Concept Style Coupe revealed ahead of China auto show

Mercedes-Benz is previewing its eagerly anticipated CLA sedan at an event in Los Angeles this week before providing a more detailed look at the Beijing motor show with the unveiling of the latest in a long line of concept cars, the 2.0-liter, 208-hp, four-cylinder-powered Concept Style Coupe. Pictured here officially for the first time, the heavily sculptured four-door reveals the dramatic appearance that the next junior Mercedes-Benz sedan will carry into North American showrooms in 2013. Advancing the look first established on the F800 Style concept wheeled out at the 2010 Geneva motor show, the Concept Style Coupe is clothed in a four-door body that makes extensive use of concave and convex surfaces to provide its exterior with what Mercedes-Benz design boss Gorden Wagener describes as “an almost fluid appearance and constantly altering depth.” The car has a large gaping grille known to insiders as a soft-nose treatment, striking headlamps with LED graphics, a heavily curved roofline, a shallow glasshouse, a high waistline, frameless doors and a trio of sharply creased lines along its flanks.