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New £212k [991] 911 Speedster arrives with 4.0l 510hp

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A 510hp Speedster based on the 'GT3 Touring' meeting the latest Emission Euro 6d-Temp (with a GPF) regulations with the option of a Heritage Design package.

The Porsche 911 Speedster caused a sensation when it was presented as a concept vehicle last year. The 911 R (2016) and 911 GT3 served as a basis for development. Now, series production begins and 1,948 units will be manufactured from mid-2019 at the Porsche plant in Zuffenhausen, Germany.



As a concept, the 911 Speedster celebrated its world premiere in 2018 at the ceremony for the '70 Years of Porsche Sports Cars" anniversary in Zuffenhausen. Other public appearances followed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, England, the Rennsport Reunion VI in Laguna Seca, California as well as the Paris Motor Show in October. Numerous Speedster elements that characterised the concept vehicle can be seen in the same or similar design on the production car.

Taking centre stage is the distinctively-shaped convertible top compartment lid with its double-bubble streamlined headrest cowls – a quintessential feature of this sports car type since the 911 Speedster from 1988. Made of a single piece of carbon-fibre reinforced plastic, it is the largest and most complex component to date that Porsche has used in a road model. Two trim elements in the double bubbles make room for the roll-over protection system, which is included in the two-seater as a standard feature like the 911 Carrera Cabriolet.

A weight-saving roof structure replaces the basic tonneau cover of the concept vehicle. In contrast to its pure design appearance, the fabric convertible top is suitable for everyday use. Together with the shortened window frames with their lowered cowl top panels and the smaller side windows, it gives the 911 Speedster an athletic profile. This low roof profile 'fly line' hints at the design language of historic models such as the Porsche 356 Speedster from 1954.

The convertible top takes no effort to operate: the central locking hook at the windscreen frame and both the side fins of the fabric roof are released at the push of a button. The lightweight carbon fibre rear lid is electrically unlocked and slides back a short distance, is then positioned by hand and makes room for the fabric roof, which folds into a Z-shape behind the front seats. The cover can then be closed again effortlessly once the roof has folded into position. The roof is closed again in the same way – only the roof fins on the left and right of the streamliners have to be pressed by hand into their holders until they perceptibly engage.

Rear spoiler and rear apron of the 911 GT3 Touring

Principles of lightweight design also dictate other body components of the Speedster. The carbon-fibre composite bonnet – which is two kilograms lighter than that used on the 911 GT3 – and the carbon-fibre composite wings originate from the 911 R. The front apron was borrowed from the GT3, but the front spoiler lip is a completely new development. Instead of the Talbot mirrors used on the concept vehicle, the production version of the new Speedster features electrically adjustable and heated Sport Design exterior mirrors. The extending, aerodynamically tuned rear spoiler and rear apron have been adopted for the Speedster from the 911 GT3 Touring.

The interior is distinguished by black leather elements for the side bolsters and head restraints of the carbon-fibre composite full-bucket seats, the armrests in the door trims and the shortened gear lever. The centre panels of the seats are upholstered in perforated leather, while the lightweight door panels with black door pulls and stowage nets reduce the overall weight.

'Speedster" logos adorn the head restraints and the visible carbon door sills as well as the central rev counter. Like the other instruments, it has black dials with white needles as well as green digits and scales – features reminiscent of its famous forebear, the 356 Speedster. A unique badge on the cross structure behind the front seats shows the serial number of each car, limited to just 1,948 units.

Customers can also order a Heritage Design package.

Created by Style Porsche and implemented by Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur, this equipment reinterprets classic elements from the 1950s and '60s. This includes a Black and Cognac interior colour scheme with golden details. Special 'spears" paintwork in White for the front fascia and front wings is applied to the basic vehicle paintwork, which is GT Silver Metallic.

Historic-inspired motor sports decals for the doors and front lid complete the picture. Owners can in turn select their own maximum two-digit start numbers as shown in the photos. The Porsche crests and the gold-coloured logos correspond to the designs used in the 1950s and '60s. The Heritage Design package costs £15,302.00 inc VAT.

High-revving engine with 510 PS

The heart of the new Speedster is adopted from the revered 911 GT3. The naturally aspirated six-cylinder boxer engine with four-litre displacement is a pure GT engine. The peak power of 375 kW (510 PS) is reached at 8,400 rpm, with the maximum engine speed at 9,000 rpm. The engine delivers a maximum torque of 470 Newton metres at 6,250 rpm. Thus, the new 911 Speedster accelerates from zero to 62 mph in 4.0 seconds and where permitted can reach a top speed of 192 mph (310 km/h). The Combined fuel consumption is 20.6 mpg in accordance with WLTP (317 g/km CO2 NEDC equivalent).

Compared with the previous 911 GT3, the engine in the Speedster is fitted with two gasoline particulate filters (GPF) and complies with the emission standard Euro 6d TEMP EVAP-ISC (EU6 DG). However, the four-valve engine still develops a further ten horsepower on top. Following detail improvements such as the high-pressure fuel injectors with optimised spray pattern, the engine develops an additional ten horsepower.

On top, a modified intake system with individual throttle valves enables a more spontaneous response to throttle input. And the new lightweight stainless steel sports exhaust system is now 10 kilograms lighter - including the two particulate filters.

Befitting its status as a driver's car, Porsche only offers the 911 Speedster with a manual six-speed sports transmission. It features an auto-blip function which precisely and independently compensates differences in engine speed between the gears when downshifting through automatic throttle blips. Auto-blip can be activated at any time, in other words also independently from the chosen PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management) variable damping system setting.

The GT philosophy behind the new Speedster is also reflected in its chassis tuning. With its rear-axle steering and dynamic engine mounts, the responsive chassis is based on the technology of the 911 GT3 and 911 R. Control systems such as Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV) with a mechanical rear limited slip differential, Porsche Stability Management (PSM) and PASM with sports tuning - lowered by 25 mm - have been precisely adapted to the requirements of the new Speedster model. The open-top two-seater runs on 20-inch forged Speedster alloy wheels with central locking nuts, and the standard equipment also includes PCCB braking system (Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake).

The new 911 Speedster is available to order from Porsche Centres in the UK from today, priced from £211,599.00 RRP including VAT.

Customers will also be invited to explore the potential of their new car, and further develop their own skills behind the wheel, by participating in a bespoke driving experience around the unique tracks at the Porsche Experience Centre, Silverstone.

Porsche Design Timepieces has also produced a special chronograph for the new 911 Speedster, likewise limited in number to 1,948 examples: the Porsche Design '911 Speedster chronograph" and the '911 Speedster Heritage Design chronograph" can be ordered exclusively by future owners of a new Speedster at Porsche Centres from May 2019. The recommended retail price is £9,900.00 inc VAT.
 

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It's not my cup of tea but I'm sure that Porsche won't have any trouble finding homes for all 1948 despite it not being a particularly 'exclusive' car.

As a car rather than as a collectors item it seems far better value than its predecessor from 2010. The 997 Speedster 'only' had 408 hp and cost over £144k but the limited run of 356 cars meant that they change hands for over £300k now.

 
Great that it exists. But £211k is an almighty jump from the £144k list of the 997 speedster. The speedster is certainly the 'cash in compilation" now.

Edit. You beat me to it T8.

And for your £211k you get a semi automatic roof :floor: weren't they a thing in the 80's. Manual faffing cos we cannot be bothered to design the roof properly..
 
G2 said:
Great that it exists. But £211k is an almighty jump from the £144k list of the 997 speedster. The speedster is certainly the 'cash in compilation" now.

I guess it makes more sense for Porsche to profit from demand than the speculators.
 
Robertb said:
G2 said:
Great that it exists. But £211k is an almighty jump from the £144k list of the 997 speedster. The speedster is certainly the 'cash in compilation" now.

I guess it makes more sense for Porsche to profit from demand than the speculators.

True. :thumb:
 
Looks OK to me, I wouldn't kick her out of bed anyway :grin:

:thumb:
 
Before I started typing my thinking on the new Speedster, I watched Chris Harris` assessment of the 992 to try to get a feel for the direction of Porsche design and that which younger folk than I have adopted as their ideals in terms of a sports car.

It seems to me that there will ever be a propensity for fundamentalist thinking amongst those who consider themselves to be true enthusiasts of the Marque, Chris comes across as a Porsche enthusiast, and to his credit it seems he has adopted a very balanced attitude to the inescapable evolutionary pressures that regulatory "advances" place upon sports car design. So now that I may be a little more up to speed with just how high cup holders are in the minds of Porsche enthusiasts I can feel confident to ramble on a bit relative to the new Speedster..?..(-:

The original Speedster might be more suited to the sort of subliminal influences which seem to inhabit my mind at the moment, though I did rather like the way that the 80`s version as it was then was more in tune with my desires and expectations at the time when I owned my SC. One of the South of England members who was a semi regular on our Spring and Autumnal Porsche weekend jaunts in Scotland had a then new Speedster, in silver.. of course.. (-: Unfortunately, from a poor memory he had issues with it relative to the quality of the paintwork on the fibreglass rear section which acted as a cover over the hood, as it had small bubbles appearing on it`s surface and apparently growing in number over time, which may have been a paint issue, or the sort of fiberglass issue that boat owners may know of as osmosis.. but regardless of the actual cause it seems he was right to be less than impressed as was I, to add to that it seems he had hood issues too though I can not remember if it was fit or stitching related.... How much might an 80`s Speedster be worth today..compared to a similar age/mileage SC cabrio...?

The new Speedster has a lot of nice little design elements that Porsche enthusiasts (like others) seem happy to pay somewhat over the odds for, just as it seems style concious ladies are too when they can justify to themselves paying out £2k for a handbag with just THE essential subtle branding.....woman maths perhaps ..? (-: Yup it seems many of us are just suckers when it comes to the influence of marketing relative to our choices. I can`t claim to have been immune to it in my time but somewhat less so as I gained in age and acquired...err..a broader outlook.. (-: At least with Porsche there are bound to be engineering upgrades, more BHP and more powerful computing to help handle it all as safely as possible... hmm..

Practicality..? Well how practical does a new... sports car... aimed predominantly at "collectors" have to be..? Sure, it has to be something that the marque enthusiasts would drool over to some degree and there would seem to be enough linkage to that...? Sports cars as they were during my more formative years were not looked upon as in any way as requiring to be practical transport, though in more recent years perhaps practicality may have become a tad more of a necessity that it may have been back then....Thinking cup holders is perhaps showing too much in the way of my Luddite tendencies..?.. (-: However having noted the seemingly exponential increase in these parts of the number of vehicles on the road over the last 20 years or so and in the very recent past having driven around parts of Hertfordshire I can well see the advantages of any automatic car, even a sports car, and thus that which was ever thought to be the list of prerequisites in a REAL sports car by way of a heavy clutch, lousy tick over due to the high lift cam, and so much more that in no way would be considered as any kind of ideal in today`s average traffic situations...!!!! Gone are the hairy chested sports car drivers priorities of past times it seems given my wife drove my 911`s on occasion ..(-: I suspect she would be even far more comfortable driving a really modern Porsche today, in fact I now remember her finding the then new 964 with it`s new improved manual gearbox, much easier to drive than my SC, when given the opportunity to drive one, which was supplied as a demonstrator for PCGB members on one of our Porsche weekends while staying at Dunkeld House Hotel in Perthshire...hmm.!

What is likely to be the usage of an average Speedster I wonder, and how many of them are or will be in the hands of those who are more likely influenced by their current/future financial value and prioritise maintaining that aspect of the car as opposed to enjoying the sheer driving pleasure it might provide..hmm..? Well I guess in reality even the term sheer driving pleasure as some sort of categorisation may not be as simple to define as one might initially think..? As I have typed it seems logical(?) that modern expectations of a sports car are very different from my own though it seems that those who created the important priorities for the new Speedster have chosen a manual transmission, perhaps prioritising linkage to past times over the real practicalities of driving today..? BUT then perhaps if setting out design criteria of a potentially iconic Porsche likely to be a rarely driven, a manual might match the ideals of of the more..err.. fundamentalist Porsche enthusiast...(-:

I do wonder how much more difficult it must be to design anything that might appear in some way a meaningful improvement over the average and very expensive sports car market..compared to the time when the first E type emerged into a world at a time when string backed gloves, flat cap, leather elbowed sports jacket and perhaps a pipe denoted a real sports car driver...(-: .. I never drove the first of the E types though did have the pleasure of a week or so feeding many gallons of petrol into the last of the breed at the time thinking it`s V12 engine was so very smooth, causing me to make mental comparison with driving an electric vehicle, all be it so very different in every other respect.... At the time while I was still impressed with much that an E type was/is, my Lotus Elan seemed to closer fit my ideals relative to what a real sports car should be, with it`s four cylinders gasping for breath through the twin Weber carbs and the of course it`s fruity exhaust system, but being a Lotus it had other of the less than desirable Lotus traits....

I doubt I will ever have the opportunity to drive one of the new Speedsters but then I suspect I have no need feel alone in that..(-: In truth I feel I have enjoyed more than may fare share of Porsche related privileges over the years... :wink:
 
The big chap @supercarnigel has just ordered one with OPC Sheffield. July build slot.

He must be their best customer given the cars he's had from them. His 'latest' to add to the fleet a 981 Spyder he decided after 2 days he didn't like it because of the manual roof :dont know: so I guess this will be chopped in.

Nige is a 'character' and whilst some may not like his Instagram feeds in the real life he's a decent honest bloke :thumb:
 
It sounds interesting. I would particularly like to see the new intake system.

MC
 
Hi Zingari, perhaps if he is a REALLY nice guy he might let you have a wee shot in it... :floor:

If that comes to pass we want a FULL report... :floor:
 
is it very hard to get a UK allocation for these?

I checked with local OPC at Perth and they said they have nothing but would let me know if anything new comes up..

If anyone has any leads would be appreciated!
 
Pretty average performance figures. A bit emperor's new clothes for me. But then again how many of the 1948 will ever see proper use? Shame. :nooo:
 
adrian993 said:
is it very hard to get a UK allocation for these?

The general rule of thumb for limited production Porsches in the UK is that if you are even asking the question then you aren't getting one - all cars allocated to the country will go to the various OPCs very best customers (who will know whether or not the are in the frame for a build slot before the car is officially revealed) plus Reading will also have a small number of cars for high profile individuals who have expressed an interest (TV personalities, sportspeople, top tier social media influencers and people who campaign Porsches in racing series).

If you don't have a strong relationship with your dealer as a long term regular buyer of well specified cars and are not famous then I fear that your chances are not confidence inspiring. This is of course not overly unreasonable - looking after your most profitable customers and those that drive the profile of the brand is ultimately sound business - but it has long been a frustration to many.
 
Makes a secondhand 991.2 GT3 manual a very good value for money and imo, a better looking car, but that's just me ... don't like cabrios, but is the speedster a cabrio :dont know:
 

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