Almost everyone has asked Santa for a Porsche Boxster Spyder at Christmas at some point but with Nationwide Vehicle Contract’s latest reductions, your Xmas wish could become a reality!

Arguably the best Boxster in the range, the Porsche Boxster Spyder is sharp, sexy and full of power, making it one of the hottest convertibles on the road.

At just 1275kg, it’s the lightest car Porsche has ever made, while its 3.4i engine delivers a whopping 316bhp of power at 7200rpm, combining stunning performance with super-hot Carrera GT-inspired looks.

Nationwide Vehicle Contracts are pleased to announce some fantastic 2 and 4 year reductions on the Porsche Boxster Spyder and Porsche Boxster Spyder PDK.

Prices now start from just £701.95 + VAT a month for the Porsche Boxster Spyder 3.4i Spyder PDK on a 4 year deal, representing a saving of up to £16 a month.

To view the full Porsche Boxster range and to get an instant quotation on any model, simply follow the above links or call Nationwide Vehicle Contracts on 0844 482 9595.

Prices based on a 4 year contract and excludes VAT, initial payment and processing fee. Limited Stock Available. Terms & Conditions Apply.

If you’re thinking of treating yourself this Christmas, you’ll be pleased to hear that you can now save up to £36 a month on the stunning Porsche Cayman when you lease with Nationwide Vehicle Contracts.

Oozing a distinctive, sporty style with striking Bi-Xenon headlights and elegant rear wing, Porsche has taken the best bits of the Porsche Boxster and combined it with a superb drive, perfectly balanced chassis and surprising practicality to create the ultimate sportscar – the Porsche Cayman.

But it’s under the bonnet that the Porsche Cayman‘s true character comes to life, with the 2.9-litre engine delivering an impressive 265 bhp with 300 Nm of torque. The Cayman S 3.4-litre goes one step further, producing a whopping 320 hp with maximum torque of 370 Nm. Both offer outstanding performance with fuel consumption and CO2 emissions reduced by up to 15% and 16% depending on the model.

Nationwide Vehicle Contracts is pleased to announce reductions of up to £36 a month across the striking Porsche Cayman range. Prices now starting from just £534.95 + VAT a month for the Porsche Cayman 2.9. Standard features include:

• 3 Spoke Leather Steering Wheel
• Alcantara/Leatherette Seat Trim
• Automatic Air Conditioning
• Front Fog Lights
• LED Daytime Running Lights
• 17″ Cayman II Alloy Wheels

To find out more about the Porsche Cayman and to get an instant quotation on any model in the range, simply follow the above links or call Nationwide Vehicle Contracts on 0844 482 9595.

Prices based on a 4 year contract and excludes VAT, initial payment and processing fee. Limited Stock Available. Terms & Conditions Apply.

If you’ve ever fancied yourself behind the wheel of a new Porsche, you’ll be pleased to hear that Nationwide Vehicle Contracts has reduced the monthly leasing rates on the stunning Porsche Panamera by up to £90 a month.

Following in the trackmarks of the popular 911, Boxster and Cayenne, the new Porsche Panamera combines the space and flexibility of a luxury limousine with the power and performance of a true sports coupé.

Under the sloping bonnet, the Porsche Panamera boasts a 4.8 litre V8 petrol engine, delivering a whopping 400bhp. The all-new diesel model is also now available with the six-cylinder, common rail direct injection unit delivering 247bhp and 406lb ft of torque.

Nationwide Vehicle Contracts has reduced the monthly leasing rates across the Porsche Panamera range with savings of up to £90 a month on selected models. Our best deal is on the Porsche Panamera 3.0D V6 Tiptronic S available to lease from £804.95 + VAT a month. Standard features on this model include:

• High-Resolution 4.8-inch TFT Colour Display
• Porsche Communication & Navigation System
• Grey Tinted Heat Insulating Glass
• Cruise Control
• Park Assist System
• CD/DVD/MP3 player + 11 Speakers
• Bi-Xenon Headlights
• Auto Climate Control
• Heated Front Seats
• 18″ Panamera Light Alloy Wheels

To find out more about the Porsche Panamera and to get an instant quotation on any model, simply follow the above links or call Nationwide Vehicle Contracts on 0844 482 9595.

Prices based on a 4 year contract and excludes VAT, initial payment and processing fee. Limited Stock Available.  Terms & Conditions Apply.

The Porsche Cayman R has been given the title of Britain’s Best Driver’s Car for 2011 after winning the annual contest run by Autocar magazine.

The comparison test saw eleven of this year’s most exciting new cars up against each other on public road and racetrack to decide which one offers the greatest thrill for its driver.

The eleven cars tested were worth almost £900,000 in total.

The Cayman R’s competition included: McLaren MP4-12C, Mercedes CLS64 AMG, Vauxhall Corsa VXR, Renault Mégane Trophy, Caterham Supersport, Aston Martin Vantage S, Jaguar XKR-S, Lotus Evora S and BMW 1M.

For the six judges from Autocar’s experienced road test team, it was the £51,728 Cayman R’s completeness; steering and ride that made it stand out.

In second place was the Caterham Seven Supersport. Priced at £22,995, the Caterham was also one of the cheapest cars in the contest.

In third place was the Aston Martin V8 Vantage S, with the 911 GT3 RS coming fourth this time around.

The £168,500 McLaren MP4-12C only came sixth place in the test, one place behind the Lotus Evora S.

Britain’s Best Driver’s Car judge, and Autocar’s editor, Steve Sutcliffe, said: “The Porsche Cayman R’s steering is about as sweet as it gets and the ride is 150 times better than it has any right to be considering how little body movement there is when you’re really going for it.

“Right now this car is as good as it gets when it comes to pure driver satisfaction. And that’s saying something when the opposition is as good as it is.”

You can now save up to £121 a month on the stunning Porsche Cayenne with Nationwide Vehicle Contracts.

The super-hot Porsche Cayenne is one of the most stylish 4x4’s on the market, boasting an all-new style with sharper lines, modern headlamps and distinctive LED tail lights.

The latest generation Porsche Cayenne also doesn’t disappoint when it comes to power and performance. The 3.6-litre V6 engine with direct fuel injection (DFI) delivers an impressive 220 kW (300 hp), while top speed is set at 143 mph, sprinting the car from 0 to 62 mph in just 7.5 seconds. Even the fuel consumption has been reduced by 23% and CO2 emissions by 25% on selected models.

Nationwide Vehicle Contracts has reduced the monthly leasing rates across the Porsche Cayenne range by up to £121 a month on selected models. Prices now start from just £659.95 + VAT a month for the Porsche Cayenne 3.6 V6. Standard features on this model include cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, automatic headlights, front fog lights and on board computer with 5-inch high-resolution TFT colour display.

 To view the full Porsche Cayenne range and to get an instant quotation on any model, simply follow the above links or call Nationwide Vehicle Contracts on 0844 482 9595.

Above prices are based on a 4 year, 10000 miles per annum contract. Prices exclude vat, processing payment and initial payment. Terms and conditions apply.

He was known to many as the “King of Cool” and frankly he deserved the title. An icon of a generation, Steve McQueen embodied the anti-hero persona at a time when it was needed, launching him to the heights of stardom in the 1960’s and 1970’s.  An Academy Award winning actor, he starred in features like the Magnificent Seven, Bullit, and the fantastic Thomas Crown Affair. But while his films were awe inspiring, the actor’s vehicle collection was legendary. With such a lush background, it’s very much understandable that when one of his cars goes for sale it certainly brings with it a flurry of attention.

Being a man who did many of his own stunts and was known for using his own cars in the scenes, owning one of these cars is certainly quite an honour. The car under question this time round is a 1970 Porsche 911S which had a staring role in the 1971 film ‘Le Mans’ where it was part of an epic race scene.

The Porsche is a vintage that any car fanatic would greatly respect; so much so that it recently sold at RM Auctions in California for a cool $1.3 million. While this old Porsche was not perfect, with some specialists noting that the model’s handling was off due to the cars engine placement, nonetheless the ‘S’ models extra boost gained it some attention during its time.

With all the paper work done and other with, recent estimates have suggested that the price paid for the vehicle was well over its actual worth. The ‘McQueen Effect’ caused it to be worth nearly 40 times more than the convention 1970 Porsche. With an interior similar to a VW Bug in its time, the Porsche nonetheless was considered by someone out there to be worth that much.

The ‘Effect’ has been seen in an array of different cars owned by McQueen. One of the most famous examples was his Ferrari GT Lusso that went under the hammer a few years back for $2.3 million. Similarly, a 1971 Husqvara 400 bike sold for $144,000, a price almost 20 times more than usual because it was photographed in a cover of Sports Illustrated.

A man of many roles, all of them oozing with cool, it appears that the McQueen effect has not and will not dissipate. As the vehicles continue to be sold at earth shattering prices, it still seems that the only way is up. An investment not for the faint of heart as it may end up breaking the bank, one still thinks that it’s reason enough to drive around the countryside in a car once owned by Steve McQueen.

The Frankfurt Auto Show has been in the news quite a bit recently with the rumors concerning a new Jaguar model and now the latest 911 designs. At an event that debuts the best and brightest of the automotive industry, the Porsche looks like it will feel right at home.

Exact details are spars considering the 911 models, but recently leaked images show a car that is similar style to the previous ionic model. The codenamed “991″ car is one that is instantly recognizable, with a smooth shape and an engine placed where it’s supposed to be. However, the car has been altered in the bow and stern, with pictures showing a variety of details that the trained eye will instantly pick out. The first of these is the backs LED lights that appear to be a great deal wider than the previous model. They are integrated within the rear spoiler that pops out when it reaches a certain speed. It seems to be slimmed down to provide a fresher look while at the same time optimizing the airflow that would create a substantial amount of downforce.

At the front another key difference is revealed. The car appears to have new daytime running lights nearer to the air intakes that have also been moved down. The bumpers also seem to have a very different to last years model. Each of these additions have at their heart a singular purpose: creating an illusion that would extend the width of the car.

The inside also appears to have a few alterations made to it. Car magazine reporter Ben Pulman has noted that it looks a little like a shrunken Panamera or Cayenne. It will certainly be quite a step up from the previous model, providing greater luxury as well as legroom for rear seat passengers.

Initial reports suggest that the Carrera will be powered by a typical 3.4-liter flat six that will produce a whopping 345 bhp. The Carrera S is rumored to produce slightly more, producing an impressive 394 bhp. Due to fuel injection technology as well as a stop/start design, the car will save you a bit on fuel as well, with a top 30mpg range.

The car has kept much of the sexy iconic design that is known throughout the world. For those of us who wish to one day own one of these beauties, it is certainly a step forward. Porsche rarely, if ever, disappoints its customers and this model looks like it won’t be an exception. With further details being released at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September, let us hope that it continues to impress us.

An absolutely essential feature of any vehicle, the headlamps allow us to see further and drive much more safely on our roads at night. Their use to provide the driver with much needed light is all but axiomatic; yet, it has many unique and special features that have made it quite an innovative form of technology, constantly adapting. This article will examine the evolution of the headlamp system, showing how important and truly brilliant many of the ideas that surround it are, providing a very different interstation of a technology we take for granted.

Stretching quite far back in the 19^th century, headlamps were initially lamps made from various oils as well as acetylene. They were chosen for their flame resistance from nature’s fierce elements. Presented first in the Columbian Electric Car, it was inherently limited by a short life span. It was not until 1904 that the electric alternative was introduced and altogether replaced the old oil based forms. Low beams were soon introduced in 1915 during the height of the First World War and a foot switch dimmer was used with it up until the early 1990’s.

In the 1940’s the standard organization of lights came into being, making 7-inch steal beams the norm, spreading it all over the world. The next biggest achievement came in 1962 which saw the advent of halogen headlamps and in 1991 this was improved greatly with BMW’s High-intensity discharge ones. In recent times the dot lights have seen their way into Audi as well as Ferrari’s, providing a very unique aesthetic, albeit not very piratical, quality.

Headlamps come in a wide range of various styles, each speaking to the decade from which they came. While the standard round ones as seen on early Porsche’s were quite popular, their shapes began to change. Chrysler as well as Ford began to manipulate theirs, offering sharper and sharper curves. Hidden headlamps also became quite popular during the second half of the century with many iconic cars taking on the look.

All headlamps are put through a great deal of testing and standardization before they are placed on the market. The most well known of these methods are the SAE standard and ECE standard, dominating with dipping low and high main beams. Within the lamps themselves the cores speak to the different types of optics that have been standardized. Reflectors, where a light disperses vertically, as well as projectors, which condenses the light through a shield before inverting it through a lens, have proved the most popular.

Lights provide a very long and lush history of various styles and implementations. While they continue to evolve within new designs, their presence in our cars will forever be linked with their ultimate utility. It will be interesting to see what new and exciting shapes these lights take, guiding our way through life itself.