Get-Ad Free Access: Join Today!
Porsche 911 Speedster (Turbo-Look) (964)
In contrast to the 911 Speedster from the 1989 model year, the 964 Speedster was only offered and produced with the narrow body shape. In December 1991, the first wide bodied prototype based on a 964 Carrera 2 Convertible Turbo-Look was registered at Porsche AG, but it never made it ready for a series production. In response to recurring customer requests for Turbo-Look Speedsters - the optical characteristics of the wide body in combination with the flat windscreen and fiberglass cover had found many fans - Porsche converted the previously individually ordered, narrow Speedster in the exclusive department.
The 964 based Speedster was the 1994 Speedster which was based on the 964 Carrera 2 platform. There are far fewer 1994 911 Speedsters in the world than the 1989 model, with production reportedly totaled only around 936 units, less than half as many as the 1989 example. Whereas the 1989 Speedster was primarily an aesthetic package, the 964 version sought a happy medium between the regular Carrera 2 and the hardcore Carrera RS. It had the same engine as the base Carrera and didn’t have the same suspension bits as the RS.
Essentially a Carrera 3.2 with a chopped, more steeply raked windscreen and hood, plus a stripped-out interior. Most had wide Turbo bodies. Porsche insisted that the simple hood was not designed to be 100 per cent watertight. The first Porsche 911 Speedster was built in 1989 and it was the last vehicle with the old 911 body. Three decades passed before the Speedster made a comeback. Had a 3.2 L Aircooled Flat 6 and 2274 were produced for the 1989 model year.
2019 911 speedster
Make no mistake that the Speedster is an absolutely fitting conclusion to the 991-generation. The Porsche 911 Speedster is an ingenious amalgamation of the latest technologies on offer, and the more simple ingredients that have been a principle of driving enjoyment since the invention of automobiles. A 502-horsepower engine, without turbochargers. A modern transmission, with just one clutch. A state-of-the-art suspension and chassis, with an unsullied purity. The list goes on. Perhaps the only drawback is that the Speedster’s rarity and price.
Paying homage to the first Porsche model that bore the name Speedster – the 356 Speedster – the production run for the new model is limited to 356 cars. The two-seater is significantly different from the other members of the 911 family. In the best tradition, the 60 millimetre lower, more raked windscreen, the flat contour of the sporty-look manual hood, and the characteristic double-bubble hardcover for the soft top define the striking profile of the new 911 Speedster. This makes the body of this rear-wheel drive with its 44 millimetre wider rear stand out even more.