PORSCHE 911 GT3 DECLARED 2014 WORLD PERFORMANCE CAR

At a press conference hosted by the New York International Auto Show and Bridgestone Corporation, the Porsche 911 GT3 was declared the 2014 World Performance Car.

This is the third consecutive year that Porsche has won the prestigious World Performance Car title and the fourth overall. The Porsche Boxster / Cayman won last year’s award, the 911 won the award in 2012, and the Cayman was the recipient of the inaugural World Performance Car award in 2006.

This year’s winner was chosen from an initial entry list of twenty-six new cars from all over the world, then a short list of three finalists: the winner as well as the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and the Ferrari 458 Speciale.

“To be chosen as the winner of the World Performance Car by this global jury is extremely rewarding,” said Detlev von Platen, president and CEO of Porsche Cars North America. “Each generation of the 911 GT3 epitomizes our vision of the ultimate pure bred, track ready sports car. And our newest iteration is no exception. To be elected against such formidable competitors by a large number of auto experts pays a huge compliment to our designers and engineers.”

The World Car jurors observed that, “Essentially race-engineered cars are Porsche’s original bread and butter. The latest 911 GT3 is 100 percent at home on any track, with surprising buckets of fine balance and handling prowess even with the engine theoretically in the “wrong” place. Heavy aero work, the stripping down of the car’s weight, and 469 horsepower from the 3.8-liter flat-six engine, all help with lap times and launch time.”

Candidates for the World Performance Car award must demonstrate a specific and overt sports/performance orientation while satisfying the same availability criteria as for the overall World Car of the Year award. Candidates may be chosen from the World Car of the Year list of eligible vehicles, or they may be newly introduced variants that satisfy the same criteria, but are derived from existing rather than brand-new models. In all cases, they must have a minimum annual production rate of five-hundred (500) vehicles.

Previous World Performance Car winners were the Porsche Boxster/Cayman in 2013, the Porsche 911 in 2012, the Ferrari 458 Italia in 2011, the Audi R8 V10 in 2010, the Nissan GT-R in 2009, the Audi R8 in 2008, the Audi RS4 in 2007 and the Porsche Cayman S in 2006.

Vehicles are selected and voted on by an international jury panel comprised of sixty-nine top-level automotive journalists from twenty-two (22) countries around the world, including Auto Arabia editor Mohamed Sheta. Each juror was appointed by the World Car Steering Committee on the basis of his or her expertise, experience, credibility, and influence. Each juror typically drives and evaluates new vehicles on a regular basis as part of their professional work. Through their respective outlets they collectively reach an audience of many millions world-wide.

Now in their tenth year, the annual World Car Awards are now the number one awards program in the world based on Prime Research’s 2013 report. The awards were inaugurated in 2003, and officially launched in January 2004, to reflect the reality of the global marketplace, as well as to recognize and reward automotive excellence on an international scale. The awards are intended to complement, not compete, with existing national and regional Car of the Year programs.

The awards are administered by a non-profit association, under the guidance of a Steering Committee of pre-eminent automotive journalists from Asia, Europe, and North America. Peter Lyon (Japan) and Matt Davis (Italy) are the co-chairs; Jens Meiners (Germany), Mike Rutherford (U.K.), Eddie Alterman (USA), and Gerry Malloy (Canada) are the directors. There is no affiliation with, nor are the awards in any way influenced by any publication, auto show, automaker, or other commercial enterprise.

TS
17.04.2014
New York - Cairo - Dubai