There’s little doubt that, to most people, the newly unveiled (production-ready) Type 991 version of the Porsche 911 Speedster has taken the crown of the most desirable object to emerge from Zuffenhausen as of late, even eclipsing the newer 992.
The iconic nameplate and unique rear deck and retro callbacks are purely evocative of the 911’s history, and indeed Porsche’s; and therefore fodder for the aficionados of the automaker. Since it’s debut at the 2019 New York Motor Show, we’ve been wondering when the car will be hitting the streets, and for how much.
Thankfully, that question did not stand unanswered for long as Porsche has revealed the new 911 Speedster will be Australia-bound in the fourth quarter of 2019 with an asking price of $604,800 before on-road costs. That’s steep by most measures, but remember that just 1948 examples will ever be created, and so it arrives with a high degree of exclusivity.
Don’t expect much in terms of outright luxury with the Speedster, though, as from conception the car has stuck true to its virtues of lightweight analogue thrills - a 911 Turbo S this is not. For example, the door handles are replaced with fabric pulls and its fabric roof must be manually installed should the weather take an unfortunate turn.
Should you want extras such as cruise control and a front axle lift to protect that valuable chin, Porsche will gladly have them installed if you part with yet more coin. The former is doubly worth considering as the Speedster is available with an optional suspension package that lowers ride height by another 25mm.
However, the crux of the 911 Speedster is where none will find lacking as underneath the skin lies the underpinnings of the 991 GT3 as well as its powertrain. Specifically, a naturally aspirated 4.0-litre flat-six that generates 375kW at 8,400rpm, 470Nm of torque at 6,250rpm, and a redline set at a lofty 9,000rpm.
With that much shove propelling a relatively featherweight open-top 911, the century sprint is dealt with in just 4 seconds flat assuming you row through the six-speed manual transmission with enough finesse, while its top speed is pegged at 310km/h.
In gathering the resources to call one for ourselves, it’s a shame there are only 2 kidneys to part with.
For more on Porsche cars, check out our Showroom.
