Latest news with #912

IOL News
04-06-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Jailed for two decades: How Larrisa Vern stole R2. 8 million from Delmas Primary School
Former Delmas Primary School financial officer, Larrisa Vern, has been sentenced to 25 years behind bars after she was convicted on charges of fraud and money laundering. Image: Hawks The Delmas Regional Court has sentenced 52-year-old former Delmas Primary School financial officer, Larrisa Vern, to 20 years behind bars after she was convicted on charges of fraud and money laundering. 'This came after the Hawks Secunda-based serious commercial crime investigation (unit), priority crime specialised investigation (unit), Hawks asset forfeiture investigation (unit), and National Prosecuting Authority proved criminal activities against Vern,' said Mpumalanga spokesperson for the Hawks, Lieutenant Colonel Magonseni Nkosi. Vern was appointed to her position at the school in December 2021 and assumed her duties in January 2022. 'In less than two years, her criminal activities were exposed after a whistleblower notified the authorities regarding two bonus payments made by her to her bank account,' said Nkosi. The matter was referred to the Hawks for investigation. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. The team of investigators managed to secure a warrant of arrest on 6 February 2024. Vern was arrested three days later, on 9 February 2024. 'Investigation continued, and more dirty linen was uncovered as it was established that Vern caused an actual loss of R2,792,912 to the school,' said Nkosi. Vern paid money to four different bank accounts using different references before transferring the money to her main account. In court, the state successfully proved 94 counts of fraud and 555 counts of money laundering. Vern pleaded guilty on all charges before the Delmas Regional Court on 21 May 2025. 'Vern was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment for fraud, of which five years is suspended for five years on the condition that she is not involved in fraudulent activities during the time of suspension. She was further sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for money laundering,' said Nkosi. The court ruled that both sentences will run concurrently. Vern is expected back in court on 5 June 2025 to allow the Asset Forfeiture Unit to present its case. Meanwhile, provincial head of the Hawks in Mpumalanga, Major General Nico Gerber has commended the team of investigators and the prosecution team for the 'excellent manner in which they dealt with the case'. 'The next step is to seize the proceeds she accumulated through her criminal activities. Gone are the days that you can benefit from your criminal deeds,' said Gerber. In 2023, a Limpopo woman was arrested by the Hawks on allegations of stealing R1.5 million from her employer, the Thabazimbi Christian School. At the time, provincial spokesperson of the Hawks in Limpopo, Lieutenant-Colonel Matimba Maluleke said Pretorius was arrested by the Limpopo Hawks serious commercial crime investigation unit for allegedly embezzling R1.5 million from the Thabazimbi Christian School. [email protected] IOL News
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Porsche 912 Has A Cool Family Story
⚡️ Read the full article on Motorious Many people dream of one day owning a Porsche. They're not cheap cars, but those who do own them swear they're worth every penny. Anders Warming certainly seems to feel that way about his Bahama Yellow Porsche 912, a car that journey across the globe with him and his father, representing the journey he's made in life. That's at the core of what makes cars special, because they're that companion which sticks with you through thick and thin. You can't get behind the wheel without all those memories flooding into your mind. Like a lot of people, Anders and his father really wanted a Porsche, but it was out of financial reach. They settled instead for a couple of classic British cars they'd wrench on during the weekends. It was a bonding activity for father and son, something many of you can identify with as we can too. Then, one day they tracked down a Porsche 912 that was barely within their financial means. Stretching to buy it, the car was like a dream come true. Achieving any goal that's lofty feels amazing once you reach that summit, and owning a classic Porsche certainly qualifies. As life took the father and son to different parts of Europe, the elder Warming held onto the 912. Sadly, the father passed away, leaving the car to his son, who at the time was living in Germany. He took the car back home using the autobahn, and that's when he realized just how much work it needed. It was time to do the Porsche 912 the justice it deserved. Warming had by that point owned a few Porsches, so he had a trusted shop he could use for the work. After all, you don't want to send your family heirloom to just anywhere for a restoration job. The goal was to keep as many original parts as possible. You'll have to watch the video to learn more about the restoration process – it's definitely worth your time.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
KAMManufaktur's Porsche 912 Tribute Commemorates Car's 60th Anniversary
Here's a restomod Porsche based on the oft-overlooked . The appeal here isn't huge power, but a feathery curb weight. It's expensive, but you get a power-to-weight ratio close to a modern 911. 911? As Police Chief Clancy Wiggum once said, "You've got the wrong number, this is 91... 2." Launched in 1965 as the budget-friendly version of Porsche's classic 2+2, the 912 was intended to paper over some of the gap left by the last of the four-cylinder 365s with which it shared a powerplant. Instead of a flat-six, it was powered by an air-cooled 1.6-liter four-cylinder boxer, which made around 100 horsepower. However, the car was very light, and it is now coming into its own as a collectible. And, as you might have expected, there's also a company building a high-performance restomod version. KAMManufaktur is a Hungarian company established a couple of years ago by Miklós Kázmér, a successful commercial and film director. Genesis came about almost accidentally, as Kázmér originally bought a 912 as a donor car for a 911 build, but fell in love with the four-cylinder's underdog charms. Together with a team of engineering specialists, he founded a company and set about giving the 912 the love it deserved. The firm's creation is called the 912c, and that lower-case "c" stands for carbon fiber. A lot of carbon fiber. Just as the original 912 made the most of its modest power by being lighter and a bit better balanced than the 911, the 912c is unlike the big-bore restomodded Porsches made by other specialists. The now 2.0-liter flat-four is up in power, from 170 to just above 190 horsepower depending whether it's running carburetors or fuel injected, but the big story with the 912c is that, according to the company's claims, it weighs just 1650 pounds and has nearly perfect 50/50 weight distribution. As the 912 turns 60 this year, KAMManufaktur is building a couple of motorsport-themed 912cs to celebrate the car's somewhat overshadowed history. The first of them is painted red like the 1967 912 driven by Poland-born Porsche factory driver Sobiesław Zasada, who won his class in the European Rally Championship three times. The other car is yellow, and based on a 912 used in Swedish rallying in period. Both cars look fantastic, much more discreet than a 911 from Singer or Gunther Werks. Less power, less weight, and less ostentation goes against the flow somewhat in 2025, but KAMManufaktur's 912c looks extremely tempting. As the cars are low-production, buyers can slightly change the specification from a more track-oriented build with stiffer suspension to a more road-friendly experience. They've even built a targa version complete with roof rack and surfboard. The cost for all this lightness is, unfortunately, somewhat weighty at over $400,000. Even so, perhaps this too is a long overdue tribute to the 912. For too long it was considered the poor cousin to the 911 or the "wrong" Porsche. That KAMManufaktur can build and sell such a desirable creation proves that the 912 was special all along. You Might Also Like Car and Driver's 10 Best Cars through the Decades How to Buy or Lease a New Car Lightning Lap Legends: Chevrolet Camaro vs. Ford Mustang!
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
13 Years On, Zelectric Is Still Converting the World to Electricity
Zelectric has been converting VW Beetles and Porsche 911s and 912s for 13 years in sunny San Diego. I got to drive their Irish Green 1968 912 for a bit and loved it. Prices start at $78,000 for a Beetle conversion, minus the cost of the Beetle; the 912 I drove was $195,000 all-in. Two-year waiting list abides. The Porsche 912 EV from Zelectric in La Jolla, California, that I got to drive was just fantastic. That's the gist of this whole story. They can build one for you, if you can wait two years. They also have some other finished cars that maybe you'd like to buy right now. All that's clear. The rest, it's all still being sorted out. Even how to build these cars is still being fine tuned. 'No one has it figured out,' said Zelectric's co-founder David Benardo, as he rattled off a list of competitors and their parts sources. Theoretically, you can buy everything you need online, but putting it together and making it work without burning down your garage still requires some know-how and creativity. You can go to an authorized Chevy dealer and get an eCrate electric motor with the battery and all the necessary parts and have an authorized shop install it in your electric car conversion right now, if you can reach the three authorized Lingenfelter shops in the upper Midwest. You can also order a Ford Performance Parts Eluminator Mach-E electric crate motor and basically do it yourself, hoping and praying you don't electrocute yourself in the process. Ford has sold a few hundred of them. Chevy, too. But even experienced shops like Zelectric are still figuring out this electric vehicle conversion business. We're all still in the early days of independent EV conversions. But Zelectric has done a good job on this Irish Green 912. Benardo and wife Bonnie Rodgers first got the idea to convert their ragtop VW Beetle to electricity in 2006. They sat on the idea for six years. Then in 2012, they got a team together. Two and a half years later, they had completed the electric conversion of their perfectly good electric Beetle. They kept going from there. Since that first Beetle, Zelectric has made more than 70 conversions of Volkswagen Beetles, Things, and Karman Ghias, as well as a selection of older Porsche 911s and 912s. And each product has been better than the last. They buy drivetrain parts from suppliers that guarantee the parts, then they assemble them into converted pure electrics. The 912 I drove had a Tesla Model S rear motor, a battery pack from a Chrysler Pacifica, and a controller from EV-Controls, because those were the components that worked best for that particular car. The problem, if there is a problem, is that Zelectric keeps wanting to branch out into new models instead of picking one model and perfecting the conversion process for it. With components sourced from EV West, EV-Controls, and other suppliers, much work has to be done to make each set of components hum reliably and forever as Zelectric keeps playing around with new car models. Why not pick just one and focus on that? I suggested the 901 911s from 1963 to 1973. Why not perfect that kit and make lots of money cranking those out? There's no good answer. A lot of this is Benardo doing what he wants to do. Squirrel! And what he's done with the 912 I drove was just about perfect. From the outside—and even from the inside—you can't tell it's electric. The only real difference inside is the single screen that operates the 'transmission:' forward, neutral, reverse, all appear as tabs on the touchscreen. Start the car, hit D for Drive, and off you go. The car is quiet, with no gear whine. It's powered by a 400-kW (536-hp) Tesla Model S drive unit from the rear of a Tesla Model S. The battery pack is an LG Chem 32-kWh pack from a Chrysler Pacifica because that works best in a 912. Range is 120-145 miles depending on how you drive. Charging comes from dual 5-kW chargers at Level 1 or Level 2. The braking and suspension systems are from a 1977 RS upgraded by Wayne Baker Racing. It rolls on 195/65R-15 Michelins in front and 205/65R-15 rears wrapped around Fifteen52 Magnus Walker Outlaw wheels. With one battery pack in the front trunk, weight distribution is improved to 42/58 front/rear. The car feels light. Benardo says it weighs 2,505 pounds. That's 4.67 pounds per hp, which is close to supercar territory. There's no traction control, stability control, or ABS, so be careful how quickly you step on the accelerator. 'You have to do all the work,' he said as we rolled off into eastern San Diego county. But it's not work, it's fun! The acceleration is just short of what would scare you, but more than you're likely to need. I got to go around a couple of corners and it felt flat, no roll to speak of. The rear end never stepped out like older 911s are famous for. The steering was very light; I might have wanted just a little more feel through the wheel but this was a highly enjoyable car. The regenerative braking is adjustable, and this one was cranked up just the way I prefer. It just so happened I drove an Everatti 911 conversion a month or two before this one. The Everatti is a 1991 Porsche 964 911 making 500 hp. It's sporting the company's 964 carbon-widebody RSR homage. It came with a 62-kWh battery, good for 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds in this car. It weighed 3,230 pounds in this specification, which compares favorably to the 3,241 pounds for a 964. The Everatti weighs more and has approximately the same performance but wrapped in a carbon-fiber body. You can spend over a half million dollars on an Everatti. The Zelectric 912 is just $195,000. Which brings us to price. A Zelectric conversion typically starts at around $78,000 for a Beetle or Karmann Ghia; a Microbus conversion starts at $85,000; a Tesla-powered Porsche 911/912 can cost significantly more, reaching upwards of $98,000 for the conversion alone. Prices vary depending on what you want done. And everything takes two years. Which would I prefer? I might be completely happy driving off with the 912. Call Zelectric and get yourself on the waiting list. Are you going to buy one? Let us know below.