Porsche 911 GT3 'Earls Court 51 Edition' unveiled
New special edition evokes first 356 spec, comes with another Porsche watch, costs a quarter of a million quid
Those who know their Porsche history will be well aware of the significance of 2026 in the story. This year marks 75 since the introduction of Porsche in Great Britain, with the very first official 356 in the country presented at the 1951 Earls Court motor show. Never ones to miss out on celebrating a special occasion, Porsche has created this in tribute: the 911 GT3 Earls Court 51 Edition. (And you thought 911 GT3 90 F. A. Porsche was a mouthful.) Based on a manual GT3 Touring, the Earls Court Edition is ‘styled to evoke the earliest days of Porsche in the UK’.
So it’s dark green, of course, because the 356 shown in London was also dark green, and every British racing car of the period would have been a similar shade. Specifically, this is Earls Court Green metallic, which even the most dedicated configurator hound wouldn’t know about, because it’s a new Paint to Sample Plus colour. Given the F. A. also debuted a new shade of dark green for a 911, we really must be somewhere near the end now. This one features ‘aluminium flecks to catch and reflect the light, presenting a contemporary metallic finish with a depth and precision that subtly alters its hue depending on the lighting.’
The colour is complemented by a stripe, rear grille and mirrors in Brilliant Silver; the wheels combine Earls Court Green with the silver, when probably just one colour would have been fine. The 51 Edition also gets its own special logos dotted around, LED door projectors ‘with specific themed logo’, and even a car cover unique to this special edition. Safe to say that whether parked up at cars and coffee or tucked away at home, the special status is never going to be in doubt.
And that’s before considering the interior. Best really like green, put it that way. But as the 1951 Porsche 356 came this way (see the Sonderwunsch recommission for evidence), so the homage must follow. That means two-tone leather in Night Green and Chalk Beige, then more of the former for the top of the dash, the speakers, the piping and the back of the seats. It’s a very swish spec, in fact, with door panels in corduroy, Paldao wood inlays, and the 18-way adjustable Adaptive Sports Seats Plus. Perhaps for the first time in a GT3.
There are further Earls Court logos embossed in the fancy chairs, plus Union Jacks in the headrests, a wooden gearlever, ‘Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur’ on the central stowage lid and even door sill illuminations unique to this model. No mistaking it for all the other green GT3s, basically.
That’s certainly not the end of the Earls Court extras, either. Also included for the £251,951 - almost £100k more than the £158,200 of a standard Touring - are a leather document folder (in Night Green, of course), a 1:18 model of the GT3, a new Porsche Design Chronograph, an overnight bag and a coffee table book ‘tracing the build and development of a the limited series’. Which everyone will definitely want to see.
PDK is a no-cost option if you must, though that wouldn’t really be in keeping with the spirit of 1951. The only cost option is a leather-trimmed front luggage compartment (honest), which takes 30 hours for Exclusive Manufaktur to stitch and fit. So don’t expect it to come cheap.
The 911 GT3 Earls Court 51 Edition will make its debut at this weekend’s Icons of Porsche, Sunstede Silverstone Edition, which sounds like the perfect venue for perhaps shifting all 51 units in a weekend. Let’s see. In the meantime, if this has you in the mood, there are eight - eight! - dark green 992 GT3 Tourings for sale on PH right now, half of which are 992.2s. They’re all around £200k. At this rate, they’ll have to make silver the new special colour…
And have Porsche really forgotten the apostrophe?
https://graces-guide-s3-live.s3.amazonaws.com/grac...
And I'm sure tan or brown leather would look far better down the line if this thing is ever used in the real world.
Playing the homage card far too much, the base touring is way past my budget anyway, So my opinion is of little relevance but having spent many working days in Earls court ( more boat than motor shows) it still has a strange nostalgic appeal.
Would like to see the green paint outside studio lighting before handing over any imaginary lotto win cash.
But perhaps this car like so many others is destined to spend its life under the lights which is a shame for all of us.
And have Porsche really forgotten the apostrophe?
https://graces-guide-s3-live.s3.amazonaws.com/grac...
https://londonist.com/2016/08/should-earl-s-court-...
Its desperate times not helped by some markets pushing ahead with an EV mandate and others not.
They're looking at creating a model above the 911 to capture the aspirational(!) market where Lambo \ Ferrari rule the roost.
Either way, I think the €4b issue wasn't entirely their fault but we'll see a fair few collectors cars coming moving forward.
Sigh.....
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