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Porsche 918 Spyder laps Nurburgring in under 7 minutes

The Porsche 918 Spyder (pictured) laps the Nurburgring in under 7 minutes When the McLaren P1 was first revealed, Ron Dennis told us it would lap the Nurburgring in under 7 minutes. But it seems the best the McLaren P1 has managed so far is a 7:04, so it’s no surprise McLaren hasn’t officially declared its time as they probably knew it wasn’t enough, but also knew that Porsche has managed to take the new 918 Spyder round the ‘Ring in just 6:57s. That 6:57 by the Porsche 918 Spyder isn’t quite as quick as the Radical, but as the Radical has only single type approval, Porsche are justifiably claiming the 918 Spyder’s time as the quickest by a proper production car, beating the previous record of 7:11s set by the Gumpert Apollo.

Former General Motors CEO Robert Stempel dies

Former General Motors CEO Robert Stempel, who led the automaker during a turbulent period of recession and restructuring in the early 1990s, has died at the age of 77. "Bob was a very popular chairman with employees, and his many accomplishments as a visionary engineer included leading the development of the catalytic converter, one of the great environmental advancements in auto history," GM said in a statement. "His knowledge of battery development led to the push for the EV1 electric car, and Bob continued to build his expertise in the electrification of the automobile after he left GM in 1992." Stempel died Saturday in Florida, the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press reported Monday night.

GM completes sale of Saab to Spyker

General Motors today completed the sale of its Swedish Saab brand to Dutch luxury sports car maker Spyker Cars NV, marking the first successful sale of one of its four unwanted U.S. brands. The transaction combines Saab Automobile and its 3,400 employees with Spyker Cars and its 110-plus workers.