The current-generation Porsche 911 is set to bow out with this retro-licious Speedster concept
PORSCHE IS JUST WEEKS away from unveiling the next-generation 911, codenamed 992 – but before that hits the showrooms you can expect one final flourish from the current 991-gen car. It will be closely based on this Speedster concept, unveiled at Porsche’s 70th anniversary bash at Zuffenhausen and then shown at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Officially, no decision has yet been made on whether or not it will go into limited production, but it’s clearly ready to get some numberplates screwed on in place of that elegant gold ‘Concept’ script.
It joins a long line of Porsche Speedsters, united by a short, sharply inclined windscreen and lowslung profile. There’s no roof, just a tonneau cover that can clip over the parked car’s cockpit to keep the rain off that lovely brown upholstery. Behind the seats there’s a transparent wind deflector engraved with a ‘70 years of Porsche’ logo and a carbonfibre double-bubble cover for the rollover bars. Carbonfibre is also used for the front bonnet and wings.
There’s a neat retro fuel filler cap in the centre of the front bonnet, and bullet-style door mirrors. The interior’s adherence to that lightweight ethos sees the sat-nav, audio and air-con removed, although you can expect those to reappear – perhaps as options – in the production car. The seats are carbonfibre.
The broad body is borrowed from the 911 Carrera 4 Cab- riolet, but painted in silver and white to echo early Porsche racing cars. The headlights too join the fancy dress party with a cross pattern that apes the tape used on period racecar headlights. The 21-inch wheels are a familiar Fuchs design, but finished for the first time with centre locks.
Under the skin there’s a 911 GT3 chassis. Porsche isn’t giving any details about the engine, beyond saying that it’s a 500bhp+ flat-six with a six-speed manual gearbox and titanium tailpipes. It revs to 9000rpm, implying a 4.0-litre unit closely related to that of the 991.2 GT3 – happy days.
Heritage highlights BLAST FROM THE PAST
Our pick of the eight previous Porsche Speedsters
356 Speedster
Debuting in 1954 and based on the 1948 coupe, the first Speedster had bucket seats and a removable windscreen911 (930) Speedster
Arriving in 1989, at the end of the 930 era, the first 911 with a Speedster badge had a Turbo-look bodykit and black alloys911 (997) Speedster
As a nod to the original Speedster, 2011’s 997 special edition was limited to just 356 examples