The Porsche 911 50 Years Edition is the perhaps predictable solution to the tricky problem of how to do justice to this
most significant of birthdays
. But it's just one of several ways of expressing your love for the 911 in this anniversary year. You could go for the
all-new Turbo
. You could, instead, opt for
the new GT3
. And each is in its own way a fitting tribute. But only this one wears its half century on its sleeve.
Widebody C4 with Carrera 2 S running gear
So what is it? Basically a two-wheel drive Carrera S that's been driven through the full accessories catalogue and then reversed into the Porsche custom shop for a final topping and tailing for good measure. Limited to 1,963 examples - you can probably work that one out for yourself - it's basically a bells and whistles special edition in the mould of the 997-based
Sport Classic
the Speedster
that followed it a year later.
Like those cars it's a modern 911 with a few retro nods, Porsche perhaps aware of the gushing responses to cars like the Singer 911 and wanting a piece of the action (read, cash) itself. So we get a bit of chrome this, some brushed aluminium that and some Fuchs style wheels on a Carrera S built into a widebody Carrera 4 shell, as per the Sport Classic and Speedster.
Unlike those cars, which did at least get the Powerkit upgrade, the 50 Years Edition sticks with the 400hp 3.8-litre flat-six, and is actually 2mph slower than the standard Carrera S thanks to its broader hips. Still, 186mph is adequate and the 4.5 seconds 0-62 (4.3 with PDK) is the same as the standard S. PASM and PTV torque vectoring are standard, as is a mechanical limited-slip diff and sports exhaust. At £92,257 it's almost exactly 10 grand more than a standard S but there's more than the difference worth in extras so with man maths in full effect it could be considered reasonably good value.
Retro feel extends to the interior too
Certainly Sport Classics have held their value pretty well with a couple of delivery mileage examples in the PH classifieds asking pretty much
the £140K list
while the cheapest currently on sale is hardly a bargain
at £122K
. Which, it'd seem, answers the question 'what do we think of the Sport Classic'?
Whether the much more numerous 50 Years Edition will command such a premium remains to be seen, there likely to be far more than the 30-odd Sport Classics (depending who you ask) imported to the UK. For sure the modifications are much less significant but to get the full intel you can read the press release in its entirety here. For now though those candles on the 911's birthday cake are burning bright and Porsche shows no inclination to blow them out any time soon.