Porsche is celebrating its 70th year and what better way to do that than bring out a new concept car. It's called the 911 Speedster Concept and is a road-ready study of an open-top sports car. The unique model forges a link between the very first Porsche 356 'No. 1' Roadster, which received its operating permit on June 8, 1948, and the Porsche cars of today. Porsche says that the drive technology under the two-tone shell of the concept study is derived from the current GT models and that it was developed at the Porsche Motorsport Centre, which is the birthplace of the 911 GT2 RS and the GT3 RS. The concept study offers a glimpse of a potential series-production version, although this model may not be presented until 2019. A decision on whether to move ahead will be made in the coming months.
The paintwork in the traditional colours of GT Silver and White harks back to Porsche's early racing cars
The 911 Speedster Concept sees the shorter window frame with a more inclined windscreen and correspondingly shortened side windows. The stockier profile with a very low fly line is reminiscent of its predecessors such as the Porsche 356 1500 Speedster. A rear cover made of carbon fibre connects behind the front seats, covering a roll-over protection structure and featuring a 'double bubble', a traditional element of this sports car design since the 911 Speedster from 1988. Two contrasting black slats between the 'humps' add an aerodynamic touch, and a transparent Plexiglas wind deflector features an engraved '70 years of Porsche' logo.
As dictated by the historic original, the 911 Speedster Concept also features a lightweight tonneau cover instead of a convertible top. This cover protects the car interior from rain when parked, and is attached using eight Tenax fasteners. Inside, it's pretty short on features as it does not get navigation, radio and air conditioning. Yes, all of this has been removed. The full bucket seats are made of carbon, and the light brown Aniline leather covers in Cognac 356 pick up on features from the car's classic predecessors.
The Porsche 911 Speedster does not get navigation, radio and air conditioning
The concept car gets the wide body of the 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet, although the wings, front bonnet and rear cover of the concept are made of lightweight carbon-fibre composite material. The paintwork in the traditional colours of GT Silver and White harks back to Porsche's early racing cars - as do many of the other carefully crafted details, such as the 50s-style central fuel tank cap positioned in the middle of the front bonnet, the classic Talbot shape of the exterior mirrors or the unique design of the main headlights. Transparent and opaque surfaces on the headlight covers produce a cross-like effect and are nod to a practice prevalent in Porsche's early years in motorsport. At the time, the original headlights were taped before races to protect them against stone chipping and to prevent the glass from shattering. The wide B-pillars and the rear are decorated with milled, gold-plated Speedster lettering.
The chassis essentially comes from the 911 GT3, and also sees 21-inch rims in Fuchs design. It is the first time that these wheels are presented with centre locks. The GT developers also contributed the exhaust system with titanium tailpipes and the powertrain, which includes a six-speed manual transmission. The six-cylinder flat engine in this minimalist concept study delivers over 500 horses and that we think will be absolute fun to be in with the top down.
