Porsche Confirms 911 Speedster As the 991 Series' Last Hurrah
Introduced over the summer as a way of showcasing Porsche’s digitized rendering capabilities, the 911 Speedster Concept appeared in the flesh at the Paris Auto Show this week. It won’t remain a concept for much longer. With the 991 Series on its way out, Porsche has decided to make the Speedster its swan song, putting it into limited production early next year.
Styled to evoke nostalgia for the hunch-backed 356, the new Speedster is said to be limited to just 1,948 examples — a reference to the original model’s birth year.
It would have been a colossal surprise, had AutoGuide not previously located a VIN decoder guide that included the model. But we’re still happy to see Porsche running the ball all the way to the end zone.
Based on the 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet, the two-seat Speedster comes with a unique back half and replaces the Carrera’s fenders, hood, and trunk lid with carbon fiber. The windshield is lowered, while the side windows have shrunk. Rain protection is provided via a very small tonneau cover that has to be snapped into place manually. We suppose Porsche felt a traditional convertible would have been too heavy or it simply didn’t want to bother designing one for this particular concept.
Details on the production model are slim. We’d expect it to keep the same overall shape and unique side mirrors, although maybe not the same talbot-style units found on this one. However, the red-tinted running lights and centrally mounted fuel cap might take a hike come production time.
All Porsche is willing to confirm is that the Speedster will go into production with a naturally aspirated flat-six and manual transmission as standard. The concept was said to produce 500 horsepower with a 9,000-rpm redline, but the automaker says the production model should be able to do a little better. With that kind of output, everyone seems to be in agreement that it will probably borrow the mighty 4.0-liter from the GT3.
Expect details to emerge over the next couple of months, followed by a pricing announcement that will leave you shrugging as all hope of driving one evaporates.
[Images: Porsche]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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I bet those side mirrors won't survive pedestrian safety regs.