2018 Latest 991 Speedster

First shown as a concept at the Paris Motor Show in October 2018, the 991 Speedster was planned to celebrate the 70th aniversary of the Porsche Marque. Using the chassis of the GT3 and the body of the Carrera 4 Cabriolet, with a 4 litre naturally aspirated flat-six engine with a maximum power output of 493 hp and a red-line of 9,000 rpm, the Speedster has a 6-speed manual transmission and a titanium exhaust system.

The car also features the signature “hump” shaped double bubble roof cover with a low, steeply raked windscreen harking back to the 356 Speedster. The leather interior has perforated seats and the car has red tinted daytime running lights, carbon fibre wings, engine cover, bonnet and stone guards.

Production began in the first half of 2019, and was limited to 1,948 units in honour of the year in which the first 356 (number One) was produced. Pricing was from £211,599 and all 1948 examples sold very quickly.

Engine: 4.0-litre petrol flat-5
Transmission: rear-wheel drive with PTV and limited-slip diff, six-speed manual
Body style: two-door rear-engined roadster
CO2 emissions: 317g/km
Combined economy: 20.6mpg
Top speed: 192mph
0-62mph: 4.0 seconds
Power: 510hp at 8,400rpm
Torque: 470Nm at 6,250rpm
Boot space: 125 litres

This 991-based Speedster is nothing like as rare as that 997 version, though, nor even the very rare 993 Speedster of which only two were ever built – this latest 911 Speedster is the most numerous since the G-Series edition of 1989, of which more than 2,100 were built. Probably the greatest open-top car yet produced, it’s also a sports machine that deserves to be included on anyone’s ‘Top Ten’ drivers’ cars of all time

It has the same 4.0-litre, normally aspirated flat-six as the 997 Speedster, only here fitted with a new intake system and throttle valves, high-pressure fuel injectors and a 10kg-lighter stainless-steel sports exhaust to increase its output from 500- to 510hp.

It has Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) with a 25mm drop and its own state of sports tune for the switchable dampers, Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV) with a mechanical limited-slip differential, tweaked Porsche Stability Management (PSM), Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB) with a bespoke compound of pads, Rear-Axle Steering (RAS), Porsche Active Drivetrain Mounts (PADM), and 20-inch, centre-lock forged alloys wrapped in sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres.

The soft-top is mainly electrically operated, with only a minor bit of human intervention needed to get it fully closed/open, and it’s a far more robust construction than it has been on previous Speedsters. But you’ll want the top down. All the time.

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