Could new federal fuel mileage regulations kill sports-car specialists like Porsche? Probably not, but those companies may have to pay heavy fines as the cost of doing business or radically change their US product mix. That's AutoWeek's interpretation of new rules proposed by the Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Porsche traditionalists gripe that electronic aids—traction control, anti-skid stability platforms and suspension-management programs—increasingly make modern 911s “too easy to drive.” But with revised software for the all-new 2007 Turbo’s Porsche Stability Management system (PSM), Porsche’s engineers have restored a little naughtiness to this, the classic rear-engine, overpowere

It's heresy to 911 worshippers to say so, but the new Cayman S is suddenly the most beautiful car in Porsche's lineup. It's a Boxster coupe, basically a midengine two-seater with a fair amount of new body metal and interior appointments. But in reverse engineering a coupe from a roadster, Porsche managed to avoid both the slightly lumpy engine butt of the 911 and the too-symmetrical stance of the Boxster. The Cayman's high roofline swoops back and down between the gorgeous haunches of the rear fenders, and a walkabout reveals that the whole car is a fugue of aggressive curving lines.

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PS Technology Quotient: 39 (out of 50)




Powertrain: 9

Road Manners: 8

Safety: 7

Electronics: 8

Design: 7

If you want to push the 2002 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 -- and this car begs to be pushed -- I suggest taking it home. Not your home; its home: Bavaria, where the original Porsche was conceived and hundreds of miles of wide open, speed-limit-free autobahn now lie. Simply point toward the Alps, slide into the left lane, and go.