Meet Porsche’s silver surfer
911 SPEEDSTER: 70 YEARS ON THE BRAND STILL MAKES HEARTS SING WITH EXCITEMENT
The unique model forges a link with the very first Porsche 356 ‘No 1’ Roadster.
The 911 Speedster Concept celebrated its world premiere as part of the official 70 years Porsche sportscar’s anniversary celebrations in Zuffenhausen, Germany. The concept study offers a glimpse of a potential series-production version, although this model may not be presented until 2019. A decision on whether to move ahead will be made in the coming months.
Porsche rewarded itself with an excellent present for the 70th anniversary of the brand’s sports cars: the 911 Speedster Concept, a road-ready study of an exciting open-top sports car. The unique model forges a link between the very first Porsche 356 “No 1” Roadster, which received its operating permit on June 8, 1948, and the Porsche cars of today.
With its pure concept and historically accurate execution, the 911 Speedster reflects the essence of the Stuttgart-based sports car manufacturer with precision. A pure driving experience is the main emphasis of the car; the technology under the two-tone shell of the concept study is derived from the current GT models. It was developed at the Porsche Motorsport Centre, which is the birthplace of the 911 GT2 RS and the GT3 RS.
The characteristics of the 911 Speedster Concept include the shorter window frame with a more inclined windscreen and correspondingly shortened side windows. These features give the sports car study an even stockier profile with a very low fly line, which is reminiscent of its predecessors such as the Porsche 356 1500 Speedster.
A special rear cover made of carbon fibre connects behind the front seats, covering a roll-over protection structure and featuring a ‘double bubble’, a traditional element of this sports car design since the 911 Speedster from 1988. Two contrasting black slats between the “humps” add an aerodynamic touch, and a transparent Plexiglas wind deflector features an engraved ‘70 years of Porsche’ logo.
As dictated by the historic original, the 911 Speedster Concept also features a lightweight tonneau cover instead of a convertible top. This cover protects the car interior from rain when parked and is attached using eight Tenax fasteners. The lightweight principles of the Speedster philosophy continue through into the interior, where the navigation, radio and air conditioning systems have all been removed. The full bucket seats are made of carbon, and the light brown Aniline leather covers in Cognac 356 pick up on features from the car’s classic predecessors.
The paintwork in the traditional colours of GT Silver and White harks back to Porsche’s early racing cars – as do many of the other carefully crafted details, such as the ’50s-style central fuel tank cap positioned in the middle of the front bonnet, the classic Talbot shape of the exterior mirrors or the unique design of the main headlights.
Transparent and opaque surfaces on the headlight covers produce a cross-like effect and are a nod to a practice prevalent in Porsche’s early years in motorsport. At the time, the original headlights were taped before races to protect them against stone chipping.
Below the bodywork, the 911 Speedster Concept relies on stateof-the-art components. The 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 GT developers also contributed the exhaust system with titanium tailpipes and the powertrain, which includes a six-speed manual transmission. The six-cylinder flat engine delivers over 370kW and revs to 9 000 rpm.
Speedster variants of sports car models, which combine opentop driving pleasure with incredibly distinctive driving dynamics, have been part of the Porsche company history since 1952. The forefather of Porsche Speedster models, the 356 1500 America Roadster, had an aluminium body manufactured entirely by hand. It weighed 60kg less than the 356 Coupe and its top speed of 175 km/h with its 52kW four-cylinder flat engine was an impressive feat.
Featuring slot-in windows for the doors, a folding rain-cover top and lightweight bucket seats, this car developed exclusively for the US market was built just 16 times.