porsche speedster through the years

356: Built at the behest of US distributor Max Hoffman who said Porsche needed a cheaper model, the first Speedster was effectively a roofless 356 with a rudimentary windshield and simplified interior. A Us-only road-going model of which

4,000 were assembled, it put Porsche firmly on the racing map in America.

964: Porsche reprised the 3.2 Speedster theme using the-then current 911, but despite an interior borrowed from the RS, a manual transmission and power steering, the 964 version offered no other advance over its predecessor and looked like a slightly desperate attempt to shore up flagging 964 sales in the early Nineties.

997: Two decades later, Porsche took up the Speedster idea again, but now the objective was clearer: a collector’s 911, production limited to a symbolic 356 units. Once again a hooped cover distinguished this lowered windscreen, two-seater 911, but the hood mechanism was not automatic as one have might hoped.

991: Apparently based on the GT3 rather than the more softly sprung Carrera, the concept suggests this will be closer to the original barchetta, a point emphasised by its silver paint and bonnet-mounted fuel filler. Its manual gearbox and centre-lock wheels also emphasise sporting pretensions. Production is likely in 2019; the only certainty is that its price will not undercut the base 991.