A fire started by a spontaneously erupting Ford F-150 burned down a nearby warehouse full of millions of dollars of vintage Porsche parts and cars in California last week. The warehouse belonged to Benton Performance, a tuning shop specializing in vintage Porsches in Anaheim, California. According to Road Track, owner John Benton says he watched the fire grow on security footage, spreading from the 2016 Ford pickup to a diesel pickup which also exploded, sending flaming fuel onto a lumberyard next door and eventually igniting the warehouse.Inside, racks of Porsche racing seats went up in flames, along with stacks of highly flammable magnesium wheels, and boxes and crates of purposefully back-stocked parts including engine blocks, heads and more from 911s, 912s and 356s. The fire also took a museum-ready 912E and one of Benton’s personal cars — damages are estimated at over US$3 million in total. But in an interview with Road Track, Benton sounded almost as motivated by the fire as he did devastated. “The shop is open, but we’re a wounded beast,” Benton told the magazine. “You watch a Godzilla movie and he’s kicking everybody’s ass, but then he just gets totally fried — well that’s where we’re at right now.” “We’re trying to get back to the point where Godzilla emerges from the ocean again and just lays down the law.”The crew might be a bit cramped in the recently constricted working space, but Benton says they’ll continue to build and tune. Hopefully his insurers cut him a big fat cheque and Benton Performance gets resurrected better and stronger than ever.
Origin: California tuner loses US$3M in classic Porsche cars and parts in fire
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Texas tuner Hennessey to hit Porsche Taycan with style and performance upgrades
A rendering of the 2020 Hennessey Porsche TaycanHennessey Performance Hennessey Performance in Texas is known for adding gobs of horsepower to new muscle cars most people assumed already had more output than they needed.But the tuner is planning to tackle its first electric vehicle next year in the form of the 2020 Porsche Taycan sedan.While past efforts have seen them crack the 1,000-hp mark with a 1,200-horse Shelby Mustang GT500; or add an extra axle to the Chevrolet Silverado Trail Boss, were not certain you should expect any of those enhancements on the battery-driven Hennessey Taycan.All we know for certain is that theyll throw some wheel, tire and interior enhancements on the thing, reports Car and Driver, as well as new front and rear fascias. But it wouldnt be a Hennessey if the firm didnt also bump up the wattage coming out of the Taycans motors, right? Like some other electric performance vehicles, the Taycan is already plenty darn quick, so well see what one can do once it passes through Texas.Development of the Hennessey Taycan will begin in earnest once the first cars hit the U.S. in early
Origin: Texas tuner Hennessey to hit Porsche Taycan with style and performance upgrades
This tuner is building 100 new GMC ‘Syclone’ trucks with 455 hp
The 2019 GMC Syclone by Specialty Vehicle EngineeringSVE A New Jersey-based tuner is bringing back one of the most hallowed names in sport truck history, Syclone, and fixing them to 100 new GMC Canyons each boasting a healthy 455 horsepower. Specialty Vehicle Engineering may be better known for its modern Yenko/SC Chevrolet Camaros, but it apparently wants to continue building its reputation on nostalgia with these new 2019 GMC Syclones. Based on a extended-car midsize Canyon, reports CNET, the trucks come in either 2WD or 4WD, and trade the stock 308-horsepower six for a supercharged 3.6-litre unit that now churns out 455 horsepower, which we’d call more than adequate. The exhaust note growls out of a new set of pipes, and the pickup’s been lowered, too, by two inches in front and five out back, for handling less akin to a work vehicle and more akin to a performance car. Front brakes have been upgraded with six-piston discs, and the suspension’s been tricked out with new sway bars, traction bars and shocks, too. The 2019 GMC Syclone by Specialty Vehicle Engineering SVE To let people know what you’re running, there’s Syclone badging on the doors and tailgate; a power bulge on the hood; rocker panel extensions; and colour-keyed grille and bumper pieces. Four 20-inch wheels round out the look, along with a set of custom-trimmed seats. While the Sonoma-based Syclone of 1991 was famous for being made available only in black – well, and for being able to pull off zero-to-100 km/h sprints under 5.0 seconds, which is good for a truck even today – the 2019 resurrection comes in any stock Canyon colour you would ask for. Though, really, you’re going to want it in black, let’s be honest. SVE will be making the 2019 GMC Syclone available through U.S. GMC dealerships, though you might not like the price. The firm is charging US$39,995 for the conversion, which means when you include the price of the donor truck, you’re looking at at least US$70,000 or so. GMC built 2,995 Syclones back in ’91, but Specialty Vehicle Engineering is limiting its production run to just
Origin: This tuner is building 100 new GMC ‘Syclone’ trucks with 455 hp
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