Wednesday 2nd September 2009

Retro Cues For Porsche 911 Sport Classic

Limited-run special marks the return of the iconic 'ducktail'

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With so many variations on a theme, some might argue that the Porsche 911 range is getting stretched a little thin. Porsche clearly doesn’t think so, however, as it has revealed this, the 911 Sport Classic, ahead of the car’s in-the-metal debut at the Frankfurt motor show later this month.

The 911 Sport Classic has raided the style larder of its ancestors, reprising the famous 1970s Fuchs-style alloys with modern, 19-inch gloss-black versions, and bringing back the ‘ducktail’ rear spoiler from the iconic 1973 Carrera RS 2.7.

The nods to the past continue with the ‘double-bubble’ roof – a visual reference to both the 911 Panamericana concept from 1989 and the Carrera GT supercar – and the black headlight surrounds, which ape the 1974 911 Turbo RSR.

If you want to get these retro design flourishes on your 911 you’ll have to be quick, though; Porsche is only going to make 250 Sport Classics.

Although the 911 Sport Classic is based on the Carrera S, it gets the 44m-wider bodywork from the Carrera 4S and a bespoke exhaust system with high-gloss tips.

The 3.8-litre engine from the Carrera S has been massaged, too, with power up 22bhp to 402bhp. It’s not just an ECU tweak either; there is a new engine management system, but the cylinder heads and intake system have also been revised.

The new variable resonance intake system is particularly clever, and uses six vacuum-controlled flaps to optimise either torque or power, depending on the engine’s need. It’s a bit beyond our ken, technically, so we’ll leave you with Porsche’s own words: “Opening or closing simultaneously as a function of engine speed and the position of the throttle pedal, these flaps optimise the oscillation of air in the intake manifold for a better cylinder charge. The result is an optimum supply of fresh air into the combustion chambers under all conditions, maintaining maximum torque and optimising the torque curve - together with an increase in engine output.” Quite.

All that engine trickery is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox and translates into a 4.6-second sprint to 62mph and a top speed of 187mph.

The 911 Sport Classic gets the Sport Chrono Plus options package as standard, while other goodies include an LSD, carbon-ceramic brakes and suspension lowered by 20mm.

The 911 Sport Classic will cost £137,069 (ouch) and will go on sale early next year in both left-hand drive and right-hand drive forms.

[Luke.]

Wasn't sure at first, but actually think that's pretty good.

[[AJ]]

Wow. Now THIS is what a 911 should look like.

If a GT3 is a bit much for you, then this is surly where you should be going. I love it.

[kambites]

Hmm, it works surprisingly well. The 911 seems to need a fix rear spoiler to sort the proportions out.

ETA: Front skirt is far too fussy though.

Edited by kambites on Wednesday 2nd September 11:06

[LHD]

That is the spoiler that ALL 911's should have.

Want.

[Lordbenny]

911's arn't usually my 'cup of tea' but that is luverly!

[hugo a gogo]

that's really nice

shame about those mondeo estate back lights

yeah, i know they aren't

[Jag-D]

Now now now now now, Porsche have got it bang on!

Offer some old skool graphics to go on the cars too

God that's lush

[hornetrider]

Reading through the spec - that seems the perfect 911 to me. Lovely.

[ZesPak]

I love this, but I'm still very very fond of the C4S exhausts:

[AllBoostAWD]

"Porsche hasn’t released any pricing details" - Cause they dont want to scare away all the potential buyers.

[jontysafe]

Yes, absolutely bang on! That will be 0.000001% of debt paid off then! Forget the monies, this is what Porsche should do more of.

[Staffy1984]

Would've like to see some modern take on the 3.0 RSR IROC wheels. But can't fault the package they've put together......I just love the dish of the IROC wheels.

[Henry Hawthorne]

Love that.

[dugsud]

Love it!.....but I may be a bit biased

[Beefmeister]

That is just bloody lovely.

God yes, me likey.


I think this is the one which was rumoured to be £100k, which if its the case, is a real shame as thats Turbo/GT3 money.

If it's c.£85k this will sell quicker than they can create the next special edition...

[hornetrider]

Maybe they're gauging interest prior to coming up with a 'pricing strategy'.

[anonymous-user]

Thats the only modern 911 I actually want!

[mat205125]

After the "hmmmm-not-too-sure" wheels announced for the GT3, and the "yuck-someones-been-to-halfords" wheels announced for the Turbo, those are a simply devine return to form.

I really really like this car, and really really want one! Can I have my wheel centres in blue or red?

[djonno]

136 grand gets you in the club! i will have to make do with a picture!!!

[hornetrider]

djonno said:

136 grand gets you in the club! i will have to make do with a picture!!!

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