To celebrate its 70th Anniversary, Porsche has revealed its latest 911 Speedster Concept. This is a proper sports car, which would be fully road-legal, and doesn't have a roof. Yes, it's an open-top Porsche that has over 500 horsepower. Imagine the fun.
This is a brilliant way of celebrating one's 70th anniversary, isn't it? The idea behind the 911 Speedster Concept is to bring together elements from the past and of the present to create a machine of the future that will utilize all those parts and tech to create a history itself.
Porsche wants to build a link between the very first Porsche 356 'No. 1' Roadster of 1948, and the Porsche cars of today. The 911 Speedster Concept will be a driver's car. Enthusiasts will be flattered by it. And to make that happen, to provide that ultimate driving experience, Porsche has done tons of brainstorming.
The concept looks fabulous, as expected. Porsche has gone ahead with a shorter window frame with a more inclined windscreen and correspondingly shortened side windows, to enhance the sporty appearance. It also lends it the car a very low fly line, which is reminiscent of its predecessors such as the Porsche 356 1500 Speedster. There is a special rear cover made of carbon fiber that connects behind the front seats acting as a roll-over protection structure and featuring a 'double bubble', a traditional element of this sports car design since the 911 Speedster from 1988.
Since the 911 Speedster Concept has to be a proper sports car, it shouldn't have any excess fat. That's why Porsche decided to borrow its lightweight tonneau cover instead of a convertible top from the original car. It also got rid of the navigation, radio and air conditioning systems. These are reckoned useless for a car to be that much faster on a race track. We also got the full bucket seats that are made of carbon, and the light brown Aniline leather covers in Cognac 356. As of now, the body of the 911 Speedster Concept has been taken straight from the 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet, but Porsche has used the lightweight carbon-fiber composite material in the construction of the wings, bonnet, and rear cover.
The chassis of the 911 Speedster Concept comes from the 911 GT3. The exhaust system comes with titanium tailpipes. And the exhaust gases will be coming out from a 6-cylinder flat engine that is expected to have over 500 horsepower, and, of course, would be fitted with a 6-speed manual transmission to keep the driver engaged.
In terms of styling and looks, the 911 Speedster Concept is a head-turner. But what caught my eye were the classic rear view mirrors. I mean, seriously, these round mirrors garnished with chrome have to be one of the best styling elements of this car. It's just beautiful. Of course, we've got other tailored stuff too, like the paintwork is in the traditional colours of GT Silver and White just like in Porsche's early racing cars, the 50s-style central fuel tank cap positioned in the middle of the bonnet, the classic Talbot shape of the exterior mirrors or the unique design of the main headlights, the wide B-pillars and the rear are decorated with milled, gold-plated Speedster lettering, and the 21-inch rims in Fuchs design show off their contrasting high gloss polished clover-leaf details.
Porsche has said no word on when this gorgeous 911 Speedster Concept would turn into reality. The current state of matters tells us that we aren't going to see it this year. On the good side, chances are that this concept could lead to the birth of a potential series-production version. This is something that Porsche is still giving its thoughts.
