Even die-hard Porsche fans would be forgiven for not knowing about Norman Hamilton. But he was the man to introduce Porsche to Australia - just the second market outside of Europe - exhibiting a pair of 356s at South Melbourne Town Hall in November 1951. Now, 70 years later, Porsche is marking the anniversary with its first ever special edition for the Aussies: this is the - deep breath - Porsche 911 GT3 70 Years Porsche Australia Edition. No wonder the badge is small.
Notably, too, this is the first time the GT3 with Touring Package (as it's technically known) has been the basis of a special edition, and the first market-specific 911 GT commemorative model as well. So it is rather more significant than just a wingless GT3 with a badge. The colour is bespoke, for starters, a homage to the Fish Silver Grey that one of those original 356s was painted in. Now, er, Fish Silver Grey Metallic is the work of Style Porsche, Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur and Porsche Cars Australia. Far from too many cooks spoiling the broth, we'd say Fish Silver Grey has come out rather nicely.
The rest of the changes for the 70 Years Porsche Australia Edition are for you to guess; Porsche only goes as far as saying that the new car "boasts various unique exterior and interior design features to celebrate this year's significant milestone." We can see '70' embossed in the armrest, the new seats, the sill plates, and more branding above the glovebox - shout now if there's anything else marking it out.
The 70 Years Porsche Australia will, of course, be limited production, though the exact number hasn't been confirmed. You would imagine that they'll be spoken for pretty swiftly, as that tends to happen with any GT derivative these days. Don't forget it's right-hand-drive as an Australian car, too; getting a 70 Years over here would be one way to stand out at the Porsche meet. Though maybe let's see how the cricket finishes up first...
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