A couple of months ago, back during June’s 70th anniversary celebrations, Porsche took the covers off of a brand new Speedster concept model, based on the 991.2 chassis with a 500-horsepower GT3-based engine providing motivation. It was a properly good looking concept that was extraordinarily close to production ready. It used a lot of off-the-shelf components, and looked properly vintage Speedster-inspired. Today, Porsche announced it would be flipping the switch on the Speedster and turning it into a production model. It doesn’t have quite as many of the vintage throwback cues as the concept, but the low roof, speedster aero humps, and GT3 engine are retained, which was the important stuff. 1,948 units (a reference to Porsche’s birth year as a manufacturer) of the open-top two-seater 911 will be built for worldwide consumption.
The car unveiled in Paris is still being called a “Concept Study”, and retains the Talbot-style mirrors, hood-mounted fuel filler, and Tenax-fastened tonneau cover. It’s unlikely that any of these cues will hit the production car, as this guards red example is meant to invoke the original 911 Speedster of 1989. The fuel filler, especially, will be axed because of pedestrian crash safety standards.
When the production model does finally come to light, I expect it will retain the widebody Carrera Cabriolet body, as well as the hard tonneau, front trunk lid, and fenders crafted from carbon fiber. The GT3’s suspension components and drivetrain will also be retained. Porsche is still keeping pretty quiet about all of the details of the examples you can purchase through your dealer, but expect them to issue the full specs, price, and production ready example by the end of the year. If you want one, however, you’d better already be beating on the door of your local Porsche dealer.
