Porsche Essays - Sports Cars, Porsche 911 GT3, Porsche 911

Porsche Essays - Sports Cars, Porsche 911 GT3, Porsche 911 Porsche I have narrowed down my project to just Porsche vehicles. I am not going to talk about the man behind the car to much. I have found several web sites that have criteria about Porsche and their different models and their performance. I will discuss these subjects along with others. The history of Porsche will be discussed. I will also talk about some different models such as the 911 GT3. I will also discuss the GT1 and GT3 race seriesI will also discuss Porches latest press releases. History The early years (the 40's & 50's) 1948: The very first Porsche. The very first Porsche 356/1 developed by Ferry Porsche and his proven team is completed in the Austrian town of Gm?nd and receives technical homologation on June 8,1949: Presentation of the Cisitalia racing car.The Cisitalia racing car is presented at the Torino Motor Show, featuring a 12-cylinder dual-compressor boxer engine in mid ship arrangement, 1493 cc, 385 bhp at 10600 rpm, top speed 300 km/h (186 mph), four-wheel drive with individual drive activation of the front wheels. 1950: Porsche returns to Zuffenhausen Porsche returns to Zuffenhausen, near Stuttgart. Thus begins a new chapter in Porsche's history. In rooms rented from the Reutter car body factory, production facilities are set up. Porsche becomes an independent automobile factory. 1951: Porsche's first international success in Le Mans Professor Ferdinand Porsche Sr. dies, aged 75. The Porsche 356 scores its first international success in motor racing, winning the 1100-cc category in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. 1953: Porsche 550 Spyder Presentation of the Fuhrmann engine for the Porsche 550 Spyder: 1.5 liter four-cylinder, four camshafts, 110 bhp 1956: the 10,000th Porsche 356 Commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Company, the 10,000th Porsche 356 leaves the production hall. Porsche has already scored 400 victories in motor racing. The 1.5 liter 550 Spyder, driven here by Richard von Frankenberg, becomes the "shark in the pool of perch" in major races, where it competed against cars with more horsepower. 1958: Commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Company, the 10,000th Porsche 356 leaves the production hall. Porsche has already scored 400 victories in motor racing. The 60's and 70's 1961: Work starts on a new six cylinder engine Behind closed doors, work starts on a new Porsche with a six cylinder engine. The body is designed by Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, Ferry Porsche's son. 1963: Porsche 911.At the Frankfurt International Automobile Show, Porsche presents the 911. The underlying concept of an air-cooled flat engine in the rear is retained.1964: Production start of the Porsche 911.1969: Porsche 914-4 and 914-6. Presentation of the 914-4 and 914-6 mid-engine sports cars at the Frankfurt Motor Show.Porsche for the second time wins the World Championships for works cars. For the second consecutive year, the 911 wins the Monte Carlo Rallye. 1970:The Porsche 917 (4.5-litre 12-cylinder boxer engine) shown to the public for the first time in Geneva wins virtually all races the world over, including the World Championship of Makes and the Endurance World Championship. Work starts at the Weissach Research and Development Centre. 1972: Porsche goes public. Under the guidance of Ferry Porsche as Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Porsche goes public. 1974: The first 911 Turbo With the 911 Turbo a new era begins: exhaust: exhaust turbo charged autos. 1975: The first Transaxle sports car. Porsche introduces the 924, the first Transaxle sports car with the engine at the front, the transmission and drive wheels at the rear. Production of the "big Porsche", the 928, starts in Stuttgart: V8 light-alloy engine, Transaxle configuration, Weissach axle. To this day the only sports car in the world ever to win the title of Sports Car of the Year. The 80's & 90's 1982: The Porsche 956, the most successful racing/sports car of all times, begins its victorious career. 1985: Launch of the Porsche 959, a spearhead in new technology. A limited number are built. In 1986, it is the first sports car to win the Paris-Dakar Rally. 1988: Launch of the new 911 Carrera 4.1989: Introduction of Tiptronic four-speed automatic transmission operated either manually (as a function of load) or serving as a fully automatic transmission. Featured for the first time in the new 911 Carrera 2. 1993: Presentation of the first Boxster concept car at the Detroit Auto Show. Launch of

A Short History of the Chinese in Cuba

A Short History of the Chinese in Cuba The Chinese first arrived in Cuba in significant numbers in the late 1850s to toil in Cuba’s sugarcane fields. At that time, Cuba was arguably the largest producer of sugar in the world. Due to the diminishing African slave trade after England’s abolition of slavery in 1833 and the decline of slavery in the United States, a labor shortage in Cuba led plantation owners to search for workers elsewhere. China emerged as the labor source following deep social upheaval after the First and Second Opium Wars. Changes in the farming system, a surge in population growth, political discontentment, natural disasters, banditry, and ethnic strife- especially in southern China- led many farmers and peasants to leave China and look for work overseas. While some willingly left China for contract work in Cuba, others were coerced into semi-indentured servitude. The First Ship On June 3, 1857, the first ship arrived in Cuba carrying about 200 Chinese laborers on eight-year contracts. In many cases, these Chinese â€Å"coolies† were treated just as the African slaves were. The situation was so severe that the imperial Chinese government even sent investigators to Cuba in 1873 to look into a large number of suicides by Chinese laborers in Cuba, as well as allegations of abuse and breach of contract by plantation owners. Shortly after, the Chinese labor trade was prohibited and the last ship carrying Chinese laborers reached Cuba in 1874. Establishing a Community Many of these laborers intermarried with the local population of Cubans, Africans, and mixed-race women. Miscegenation laws forbade them to marry Spaniards. These Cuban-Chinese began to develop a distinct community. At its height, in the late 1870s, there were more than 40,000 Chinese in Cuba. In Havana, they established â€Å"El Barrio Chino† or Chinatown, which grew to 44 square blocks and was once the largest such community in Latin America. In addition to working in the fields, they opened shops, restaurants, and laundries and worked in factories. A unique fusion Chinese-Cuban cuisine melding Caribbean and Chinese flavors also emerged. Residents developed community organizations and social clubs, such as the Casino Chung Wah, founded in 1893. This community association continues to assist the Chinese in Cuba today with education and cultural programs. The Chinese-language weekly, Kwong Wah Po also still publishes in Havana. At the turn of the century, Cuba saw another wave of Chinese migrants – many coming from California. The 1959 Cuban Revolution Many Chinese Cubans participated in the anti-colonial movement against Spain. There were even three Chinese-Cuban Generals who served pivotal roles in the Cuban Revolution. There still stands a monument in Havana dedicated to the Chinese that fought in the revolution. By the 1950s however, the Chinese community in Cuba was already diminishing, and following the revolution, many also left the island. The Cuban revolution did create an increase in relations with China for a short time. Cuban leader Fidel Castro severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1960, recognizing and establishing formal ties with the People’s Republic of China and Mao Zedong. But the relationship did not last long. Cuba’s friendship with the Soviet Union and Castro’s public criticism of China’s 1979 invasion of Vietnam became a sticking point for China. Relations warmed again in the 1980s during China’s economic reforms. Trade and diplomatic tours increased. By the 1990s, China was Cuba’s second largest trade partner. Chinese leaders visited the island several times in the 1990s and 2000s and further increased economic and technological agreements between the two countries. In its prominent role on the United Nations Security Council, China has long opposed U.S. sanctions on Cuba. The Cuban Chinese Today It’s estimated that Chinese Cubans (those who were born in China) only number about 400 today. Many are elderly residents who live near the run-down Barrio Chino. Some of their children and grandchildren still work in the shops and restaurants near Chinatown. Community groups are currently working to economically revitalize Havana’s Chinatown into a tourist destination. Many Cuban Chinese also migrated overseas. Well-known Chinese-Cuban restaurants have been established in New York City and Miami.