Skip to main content

Sexy at 70: Porsche’s limited-edition 911 Speedster gets green light for 2019

The tantalizingly gorgeous 911 Speedster concept Porsche introduced in June has received the green light for production. The sporty, two-seater model was built as part of the firm’s 70th birthday bash, and it will also celebrate the end of the current-generation 911’s production run. Good luck trying to get one, though.

Porsche has made several design tweaks to the original concept. It’s now painted in guards red, a shade chosen to echo the original 911 Speedster introduced in 1988, and it rides on cross-spoke, 21-inch alloy wheels inspired by the design seen on race cars like the 911 RSR. The retro-styled door mirrors and the fuel filler cap are finished in dark chrome to add a touch of contrast to the overall look. What you see is what you’ll get when production starts, according to the company, though other color combinations will be available.

Staying true to tradition, the Speedster doesn’t come with a folding fabric top like the 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet it’s based on. Don’t look for a hard top of any kind, either. All you get to protect the lavish interior from the elements is a tonneau cover that snaps onto the body with buttons. You can’t drive it with the cover in place so you’ll need to choose whether to keep dry or to keep moving. We’re tempted to suggest the latter, but one look inside the Speedster might convince you otherwise.

The limited-edition model will inaugurate a new option Porsche calls Heritage Design. It’s an appearance package for the interior that puts a modern twist on styling cues from emblematic past models. Full details about the available options will emerge in the weeks leading up to the Speedster’s on-sale date.

Not having a top also means you and yours will better enjoy the sonorous song of the Speedster’s naturally aspirated, 500-horsepower flat-six engine, a unit borrowed from the track-honed GT3. The six shifts through a six-speed manual transmission.

Porsche will start production of the 911 Speedster during the first half of 2019. Only 1,948 examples will be made, a number chosen because Porsche was founded in 1948. Pricing hasn’t been released yet, but don’t expect it to come cheap. This future classic will command a sizable premium over a regular 911 convertible, and yet enthusiasts will scoop up the entire production time in a moment’s notice.

Editors' Recommendations

Ronan Glon
Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
Mercedes G580 electrifies an off-road icon
Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology front quarter.

The Mercedes-Benz G-Class is Germany’s answer to Jeep, Hummer, and Land Rover. Combining traditional Mercedes luxury with serious off-road capability, the G-Class, or Geländewagen, as it’s formally known, is right at home on the trail or the valet stand. And now it’s going electric.

Mercedes has been teasing an electric G-Class since 2021, and now it’s finally arrived in the form of the G580 with EQ Technology. Expected to go on sale in the U.S.as a 2025 model alongside refreshed gasoline G-Class variants, it uses electric powertrain tech to update a classic design and enhance off-road capability.

Read more
Lamborghini’s Urus SE plug-in hybrid tries to do it all
Lamborghini Urus SE front quarter.

Lamborghini built its reputation with outrageous supercars like the Miura, Countach, and Diablo, but today its bestseller is the Urus SUV. And a new plug-in hybrid version of that car could make or break the automaker’s push to hybridize its entire lineup by the end of 2024.

Debuting at the 2024 Beijing Auto Show, the Lamborghini Urus SE is the automaker’s second plug-in hybrid, following the Revuelto supercar unveiled in 2023, and precedes a plug-in hybrid replacement for the Huracán, which will be unveiled later this year.

Read more
Fake engine noises in electric cars need to die
Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally driving on a dirt road.

You finally get that notification that the electric car you ordered months ago is ready for pickup. You get to the location, sit in the car and turn it on. Pulling out into the road, you hear something -- a strange noise you didn't quite expect. You expected the sweet quietness of a full electric vehicle. But is that ... engine noise?

It is and it isn't. As humans, we've been so used to the sound of an engine for so long that carmakers think we've associated that low-frequency rumble with performance and quality. So, what are they doing? That's right -- they're pumping fake engine noises through the speakers in your electric car.

Read more