PARIS MOTOR SHOW: Porsche 911 Speedster confirmed

Porsche will build 1948 Speedsters… They won't be recreations of a 1948 model year sports car, but rather nearly 1950 production examples of the 911 Speedster it debuted in June this year as a Heritage concept.

The production run of the 911 GT3-powered Speedsters was announced today, on the opening day of the Paris motor show. Described as a “limited special edition” by Porsche, the Speedster production run will take place (alongside the new 992 generation 911  family) in the first half of 2019.

The 1948-unit production run “reminisces the Porsche 356 Number 1” which was licensed for road use on June 8, 1948.

The new special is the third Porsche 911 Speedster. In the late 1980s, Porsche built its first 911 Speedster based on a G-Model 911 Carrera and in 2010 the 997-series 911 family was farewelled by a GTS Speedster.

Porsche Cars Australia is not clear on how many of the new 911 Speedsters will come Down Under but it has confirmed there has already been “significant” buyer interest in the limited-edition.

It’s estimated fewer than 15 of the Speedsters will be allocated to local buyers. No price has yet been confirmed but expect the asking price to start with a five. The abovementioned 2010-vintage 997-series Speedster was priced at just under $520,000.

The new 991-series 911 Speedster was developed at Porsche Motorsport in Weissach, in cooperation with Style Porsche and the company’s bespoke division, Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur. Porsche says the new Speedster “will be the first car to be offered with the new Heritage Design Packages”.

“This exclusive accessory line by Porsche Exclusive allows for an even higher degree of personalisation for the 911,” Porsche stated.

The Porsche 911 Speedster is defined by its ‘chopped’ windscreen and the bodywork changes that the different screen precipitates. Based on the 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet, the Speedster adds new carbon-fibre guards and front and rear bonnet.

The chassis and powertrain are ‘borrowed’ from the current 911 GT3, the centerpiece of which is a naturally-aspirated flat-six engine that revs to 9000rpm and punches out more than 380kW.