Qatar thinking of buying stake in Porsche!!

The worst secret in the universe is that there's a lot of money in the Middle East and the Gulf states are looking all over the world for places to put it. Abu Dhabi's Aabar investment spent €1.95 billion on a 9.1% stake in Daimler (around $2.5B USD), and now the state of Qatar is eying what could be a double-digit stake in Porsche. Qatar hasn't floated any potential investment sums, but said one sheikh, "we are looking into this issue."

The deal likely wouldn't be a bad one for Porsche either. The Stuttgart maker has some cash intensive plans on the horizon, including a €3.3 billion credit payment ($4.3B) and upping its stake in VW another 25% to 75%. Porsche refinanced €10 billion ($13.2B) of its debt just last month, and now wants to raise €2.5 billion ($3.3B) to keep things moving. Having gone from a couple of models to five different lines in 28 variations, it is likely that Porsche will be looking for all of the investment monies it can get.

[Source: Auto News, sub req'd]

PORSCHE TYPE 64 BERLIN-ROME CAR, 1939!!

In autumn 1938, the plans for the high-speed Berlin-Rome road race announced by the National Socialist regime for 1939 were going full steam ahead. For this event, several automobile manufacturers designed special racing versions based on series cars and with streamlined bodies.

The Porsche design studio received approval from Berlin to build three racing coupes named Type 64 or VW 60 K 10 for Volkswagen. Coachbuilder Reutter manufactured the aluminum bodies. In order to permit a narrow hard top, the driver’s seat was virtually in the middle of the vehicle, so that the passenger had to sit on an emergency seat offset obliquely behind. All four wheel-arches were covered and those at the front had rollers on the inside so that they could be pushed out by the wheels, when the driver turned the steering wheel.

Two spare wheels were located at the front of the car, one behind the other, whereas engine and gearbox were mounted as a rear engine like the VW Beetle and the later Porsche 356 Series.