Special Editions

Just about every generation would come in for special treatment, beginning with the 930 LE of 1989. Just 50 were made – UK cars attracting an eye-watering £85,000 price tag – distinguished by a deeper front air dam and side strakes, and power was increased to 330hp. 1992’s 964 Turbo S ‘Leichtbau’ would take the opposite approach, and with 86 made it was rare, too. Substantial engine mods meant 381hp and a 180mph top speed, but more important was the weight-saving regime. 180kg was shed, thanks to thinner glass, lightweight panels and the ditching of just about all luxuries, including power steering.

On the subject of rare 964s, just eight Turbo Cabriolets would exist. The 993 wouldn’t escape the special-edition treatment either, with 1998 celebrating the last hurrah for the air-cooled Neunelfer in the form of the 993 Turbo S. 345 were made, with each one getting 450hp and 585Nm from the flat six, the most luxurious specification yet seen on a 911 and a price tag of around £130,000. Too common? Then one of the fourteen 993 Turbo Cabriolets built by Porsche Exclusive would have been more to your liking. Fitted with the single-turbo 3.6 engine from the 964, an example sold at RM Sotheby’s Paris auction last year fetched a substantial $1.34 million.

Had you been lucky enough to put down a deposit on the 918 Spyder hypercar, Porsche would have offered you a special 997 to go with it: the Turbo S-based model featuring Acid green brake calipers, door mirrors, badging and cabin highlights. Prices started at €173,241 and just 918 were made. More recently, the 991 Turbo S Exclusive Edition announced in June 2017 was limited to 500 examples, each one in an exclusive gold-paint finish. At £186,000 it was £40k more than the regular S, but came with more power and torque (607hp and 750Nm), a carbon-fibre bonnet and roof and a 0-124mph time of 9.6 seconds.