New Porsche 911 Speedster take centre stage at New York

The new Porsche 911 Speedster is based on the 911 GT3 and will be limited to just 1,948 examples when it arrives later this year

The new Porsche 911 Speedster has been unveiled at this year’s New York Motor Show. Designed to commemorate the brand’s 70th anniversary and pay homage to the firm’s first production car, the 1948 356 Speedster, the new model will be built in a limited production run of just 1,948 examples.

The 911 Speedster borrows styling cues from the 356 Speedster, brought up to date with modern materials. It’s based on the same platform as the Porsche 911 GT3 and adopts its wide body shape from the 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet, albeit with a chopped roof featuring a lower, shallower windscreen. In addition, the ‘double bubble’ hump, bonnet and front wings are all crafted from carbon fibre.

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Other cosmetic features, such as the bullet-style door-mirrors, draw inspiration from Porsche’s early racing cars. Every production model will also get a set of 20-inch centre lock alloy wheels, a bonnet-mounted fuel filler cap, a pair of GT3 RS-style titanium exhaust tips and a black leather interior.

The lightweight theme continues inside, with the Speedster ditching the GT3’s air conditioning system to trim a few extra grammes, although it can be re-fitted as a no-cost option. The driver and passenger are held in place by a pair of carbon-backed bucket seats, while the standard interior trim has been ousted in favour of lightweight carbon fibre replacements.

It’s powered by the same naturally-aspirated 4.0-litre flat-six engine as the 911 GT3, producing 493bhp and 460Nm of torque. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox, allowing a 0–60mph sprint of 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 192mph. The cermamic composite brakes and suspension components are identical to those found on the GT3.

Like the concept, the Speedster doesn’t feature a proper folding roof. Instead, all cars get a lightweight Tonneau cover, fitted in place by Tenax buttons. The Speedster will also be the first Porsche to be offered with a range of new Heritage Design Packages, making it more customisable than any 911 that has gone before it.

Porsche hasn’t announced a price for the 911 Speedster, nor has it revealed how many will come to the UK. However, given its exclusivity, it’s likely to cost significantly more than a standard (£111,802) GT3 – priced closer to the (£207,506) GT2 RS. North American sales start in May, with first deliveries arriving by the end of the year.

Now read our review of the Porsche 911 GT3 RS. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below…

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