Porsche 911 Speedster Concept Makes Awesome 70th Anniversary Present

As you may have heard, Porsche is celebrating the 70th anniversary of its sports cars and a terrific way to do that was to create a special model that forges a link between the original Porsche 356 ‘No. 1’ Roadster from 1948 and the Porsche cars of today. Meet the new 911 Speedster Concept.

Described as a “road-ready study of an open-top and particularly exciting sports car,” this latest machine reflects Porsche values with precise clarity. Focused primarily on delivering a pure driving experience, it was developed at the Porsche Motorsport Centre with drive technology derived from the current GT models such as the 911 GT2 RS and 911 GT3 RS.

• Also: 70 years of Porsche Sports Cars, and the Future
• Also: Porsche 911 Speedster to be Offered in 2019

The good news? A series-production version seems likely. The bad? We may not see it until 2019. Porsche will make the final decision in the coming months.

The Speedster philosophy

Speedster variants of sports car models, which combine open-top driving pleasure with incredibly distinctive driving dynamics, have been part of the Porsche tradition since 1952.

Highlights of the new 911 Speedster Concept include a shorter window frame with a more inclined windscreen and correspondingly shortened side windows, giving the car an even stockier profile with a very low roofline similar to its predecessors like the 356 1500 Speedster. Meanwhile, a special rear cover made of carbon fibre (just like the fenders and front hood) connects behind the front seats, covering a roll-over protection structure and featuring a “double bubble,” a traditional design element since the 911 Speedster from 1988.

Two contrasting black slats between those humps add an aerodynamic touch, and a transparent Plexiglas wind deflector features an engraved “70 years of Porsche” logo. Milled, gold-plated “Speedster” lettering appears on the broad B-pillars and the rear bumper.

The wide body of the Porsche 911 Speedster Concept is borrowed from the 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet, but the unique paintwork in the traditional colours of GT Silver and White harks back to the brand’s early race cars. Same thing for the transparent and opaque surfaces on the headlight covers (at the time, the headlights were taped before races to protect them against stone chipping and to prevent the glass from shattering).

Furthermore, in true Speedster fashion, the new design study features a lightweight tonneau cover instead of a convertible top. Inside the cockpit, the navigation system, radio and A/C unit have all been eliminated. The carbon-built sport bucket seats are quite modern, while the light brown Aniline leather covers in Cognac 356 pick up on features from the car’s classic predecessors.

Speedster performance

From a technical standpoint, the Porsche 911 Speedster Concept’s chassis essentially comes from the 911 GT3, with contrasting high gloss polished clover-leaf details on the imposing 21-inch rims in Fuchs design. It is the first time that these wheels are presented with centre locks. The flat-six engine delivers over 500 horsepower through a six-speed manual transmission and has a 9,000 rpm redline. You can bet the exhaust system with titanium tailpipes produces an amazing sound, too.

We are so crossing our fingers for Porsche to go ahead with production. Are you?