Porsche to unveil 911 Speedster at Paris

Porsche will unveil a new 911 cabriolet, which harks back to the classic 356 Speedster of the 1950s, at the Paris motor show next week.

The 911 Speedster has been designed by Porsche Exclusive, the department that specialises in individualising the companys cars and which will be celebrating its silver anniversary next year.

Classic design touches
The new model combines some of the best bits of the current 911 range with a host of features that recreate the look and spirit of Speedster models that have been produced since the original car in the 1950s.

Just as previous Speedsters have been characterised by a shortened windscreen, the screen of the new 911 is 60mm lower and more steeply raked. There's also the characteristic double-bubble cover for the manual soft top.

On top of these classic features, the new car has the wider body of the current Carrera 4 model, but with rear-wheel drive and the seven-speed semi-automatic PDK gearbox. Also fitted as standard are Porsche Active Suspension Management and ceramic brakes.

Performance
Powering the car is a version of the familiar 3.8-litre six-cylinder engine that has been uprated to produce 402bhp 22bhp more than in the Carrera S models. Thats enough to get the Speedster from 0-60mph in 4.6 seconds three tenths of a second quicker than the Carrera S.

As well as suitably generous standard equipment, the new 911 Speedster has a hand-finished interior trimmed in black leather, and an exterior look that is unique to this model.

That includes the Pure Blue paintwork as well as its unique front spoiler, side skirts and rear apron.

How much and when?
In keeping with the name of the original Speedster, Porsche will only build 356 examples of this 911, but there is a price for such exclusivity. When it goes on sale in January next year, the pricetag of 144,100 will make it comfortably the most expensive 911 cabriolet in the UK.