It can get confusing trying to keep abreast of the variations within the Porsche range.
It’s a bit like trying to work out if you should upgrade an app to say, version 1.2.4 and still be able to avoid obsoleting compatible add-ons. The Porsche 991 is a designation of the 911. It replaced the 997 and sits on a new platform – only the third designation of the 911 to ever do so.
2020 should see the new Porsche 992 replace the 991. It’s still a 911 though. Confused? Well best avoid the nomenclature for the likes of BMW then. Less confusing is the news that the 991 will not go out with a whimper – the class will first of all give us a new 911 Speedster.
The Speedster name evokes nostalgia and excitement, yet it’s worth remembering that the Speedster was originally a sports car designed to offer Porsche to the masses for a little less money than the regular line-up.
It has superseded this notion of course, thanks to consistently fine design and a realisation that, for a sports car at least, many people crave the uncluttered simple looks that a Speedster can offer.
This will be a limited edition with only 1,948 being manufactured – a homage to the year that the 356 Nr.1 Roadster was conceived. Porsche has put their GT department on the case for this model, making sure that the Speedster name remains faultlessly iconic.
Using ample amounts of carbon fibre has kept the new 911 Speedster down to a fighting weight despite the torsional stiffening to cope with all the energy that this sports car has.
A combination of GT3 and the Porsche Carerra Cabrio gives us this sleek new Speedster, with the bulk of the hardware being similar to that of the Porsche GT3 Touring car.
The engine is the flat-6 4-litre with 502hp and 346lb-ft of torque that features in the Carrera Cup race car.
Depending on your outlook (and energy levels), you might be a bit peeved by having to get out of the car to enable the roof to come down – unlike the 997 Speedster, you will need to manually lift the rear cover out of the way before being able to close the roof. Think yourself lucky though should it rain – Porsche really did consider not giving it a roof at all before seeing sense.
Another retro aspect of the 911 Speedster is that there is no infotainment screen. Now in any other car this would potentially be commercial suicide, but here Porsche can get away with telling us that this harks back to the stripped-out feel of the original 356 Speedster design. Besides, this is a car built to be driven with no distractions.
If you need more convincing, then maybe the Heritage Pack will do it for you, especially if vintage racing cars are your thing. £15,300 will give 1960s-style white painted wheel arches reaching round to each other via a white painted front bumper.
It does offset the silver very nicely. Porsche name decals on each side along with white striping keep the theme going and Porsche Tequipment circular old-school racing numbers can be added to the bonnet and sides if required – you can forego these if you think it’s a bit much. Cognac (light brown to you and I) seat and dash upholstery is included as well as a vintage-style front badge. It’s a nice package.
If you opt for the luxurious Heritage Pack, then expect the new Porsche 991 Speedster to set you back around £226,000 – leave the Heritage Pack alone and you get the price down to around £211,599. Though you might regret not getting that vintage race car look should you decide not to go the full monty.
Images: topspeed.com, motor1.com
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