Porsche 911 speedster review
Porsche’s fabled GT car division turns out the 991 lights in spectacular fashion Sixty-five years since the name first appeared, Porsche 991, has still to fix what exactly a ‘Speedster’ should be. The lightweight original was based on the 69bhp four-cylinder 356 1500 and became a relatively affordable purists’ fantasy for the American market. Later versions sprouted heavyweight prices and included a Carrera Cabriolet-based car that borrowed nothing more than interior trim from the hardcore 964-series 911 RS and a modified Carrera GTS existing chiefly to promote Porsche’s ‘Exclusive’ customization business.
The famous silhouette remained, but there was no common philosophy. The sixth iteration of the concept finally offers some continuity, even if you do need to go right back to the Speedster’s road-racing roots to join the dots. But what does? This is the first time Porsche’s GT division has had a crack at the recipe and, as such, a 991.2 GT3 dwells beneath the Speedster’s largely carbon fiber new bodywork. The rear body-in-white of a Carrera 4S Cabriolet is grafted to the front of a GT3 (the wings and bonnet then come courtesy of the 911 R) and fitted with the classic stooped windscreen. The inverted dampers have softened a touch and the four-wheel steering returned to compensate for the high-speed stability lost when you shear a GT3 of its enormous rear wing, but overall the mechanical package is practically identical. To underscore e the intent, there’s also but a single transmission offered: an excellent six-speed manual.
And yet perhaps the biggest news is the engine, a development of the naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat six that has become a hallmark of the GT3 experience. New particulate filters dilute the manic engine note but fuel injectors operating at higher pressure have helped raise power from 493bhp to 503bhp and there are new individual throttle bodies for the response that borders on the truly rabid. It is a cleaner, cleverer engine and it doesn’t take long to discover the 9000rpm redline remains intact.
Performance? More than you’ll ever need. Rigidity? Not an issue. Back to back with a GT 3, you might notice the slight deficit, but on the road, the Speedster tracks beautifully true, grips hard and generally generates the kind of poise that makes you wonder whether it is the engine rather than the roof mechanism that sits less than a foot behind your left ear. It is riotous fun,
in truth, not least because you’re aware that this is more than simply a serious performance car: it’s a flight of fancy, epic in its own right.
And so it should surprise nobody that, on the road, there are some compromises. This writer would prefer the better all-around visibility of a fixed-top GT3 and, with less wind noise, the more trance-like focus of the cabin ambiance, too.
This isn’t to say you couldn’t drive the Speedster all day in reasonable comfort – incredibly for something so theatrical, you could – but the raised rear bulkhead looms in your peripheral vision and makes the interior feel smaller than it actually is.
The roof itself is simple enough in operation, though. You unlatch the carbon fiber rear clamshell and then slide it back and raise the canvas roof, each step by b nd. It ’s so light, the Speedster weighs just 35kg more than a GT3, despite its extra bracing.
A healthy run of 1948 examples is planned and the cost is £211,599.
Were it still possible to buy a basic GT 3, we might consider that price steep, but those cars were always heroically good value and this latest ware are every bit as spectacular to drive as it is to look at. Were it our money, we wouldn’t hesitate, because finally Porsche knows exactly what its hip-high Speedster needs to be, and the result is breathtaking.
RICHARD LANE
PORSCHE 911 SPEEDSTER
Arguably the greatest-ever open-air 911 gives little dynamism away to the GT3 and has Italian-level flamboyance
Price £211,599
Engine 6 cyls, 3996cc, petrol
Power 503bhp at 9000rpm
Torque 346lb ft at 6250rpm
Gearbox 6-spd manual
Kerb weight 1465kg
0-62mph 4.0sec (claimed)
Top speed 192mph
Economy 20.6mpg
CO2, tax band 317g/km, 37%
RIVALS
Ferrari 488 Pista Spider,
McLaren 600LT Spider
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