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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.
Porsche hasn’t released any pricing details, but has said that the car will go on sale early next year in both left-hand drive and right-hand drive forms.
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.
Porsche hasn’t released any pricing details, but has said that the car will go on sale early next year in both left-hand drive and right-hand drive forms.
PistonHeads
Not feelin' the cheesy taillights, but the rest is just sex.
