Pure and analogue – the Porsche 911 Speedster

As soon as the vehicle is unveiled, your mind starts racing. Suddenly you are chasing up Sardinian mountain roads, accurately stepping on the accelerator at each apex, driving up the revs in second gear on the short straights to 6,000, 7,000, 8,000, even 9,000 rpm. You will not only be elated about how fast this vehicle is, but also about how it sounds and how outstanding the whole package is. This marvel of technology, working very hard behind you, will captivate you, it will well and truly captivate you. Thousands of individual parts that must fit together perfectly, converting petrol and air into forward thrust, power, music to our ears – and joy. And smiles. Then you think “no”: let’s continue forever. The revs, the sound of speed, for all senses.

A Speedster that has been perfectly based on its legendary predecessors: slim windscreen frame, wide rear end and the bare necessities on the inside. It goes without saying that the vehicle is a convertible. A fully fledged convertible. No wind blocker, no aerodynamically optimised air flow around passengers. Quite the opposite, you fully exposed to the force of the wind, mainly courtesy of the engine. The vehicle’s head developer, Andreas Preuninger, tells us that a GT3 lies at the core of the Speedster. For the first time, the most exposed of all eleven series models is no longer based on the Carrera, but on the creation by the Weissach Motorsports department.

The engine in the Speedster has been tweaked even further: it not only takes in air through the individual throttle valve system from the GT3 R racing car, but also features a very special silencer system on the outlet side: thanks to gasoline particulate filters it meets the requirements of the most recent EU emission standards and as a result of innovative thin sheet welding technology the unit’s weight has also been cut by a third compared with the system in the standard GT3. The result: 375 kW (510 PS; fuel consumption combined: 13.8 l/100 km; CO₂ emissions combined: 317 g/km). Accordingly, the sound of the four-litre, naturally aspirated engine with manual transmission should be even more breathtaking.

The specialist journalists who attended the premiere in New York agree.

“The Speedster is a great car. The shape of the rear end is fantastic and the idea of combining analogue elements stemming from the GT3 with the unfiltered exposure of the fully fledged Speedster convertible will be a dream to drive. I’m absolutely sure about that.”

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“Imagine sitting at the wheel of this vehicle, revving the engine to 9,000 rpm on a tight British country road. An incredible feeling! I have always been very fond of the 991.2 generation – with the Speedster, Porsche is now truly putting the icing on the cake.”

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“A convertible sports car made for driving is always a great thing. I have been a fan of the brand for years and own a couple of Porsche models myself. I frequently catch myself using the Boxster rather than the Coupé – I am sure that the Speedster’s mix of driving with the top down and incredible performance is particularly enticing.”