Teased in one way or another for the last two years, the Porsche 911 Speedster finally showcased its gorgeous body at the 2019 New York Auto Show. Revealed in red, the glorious 911 celebrates the 70th anniversary of the production of rear-engine sports cars, and it is the most extreme representation of philosophy once started with the fantastic 356. With such an important job to do and an incredible heritage to justify, the new Porsche 911 Speedster - the ninth Speedster overall - is the best the 991.2 generation can possibly offer.

For that matter, Porsche garnished it with the latest technology and epic throwback easter eggs that elevate the 911 Speedster unique qualities. This is the list of the most unusual Porsche 911 Speedster's quirks and features.

The 2020 Porsche 911 Speedster Has Two Signature Streamliner Bulges

Porsche introduced the double-bubble rear deck for its Speedster back in 1988. Every succeeding Speedster got the signature feature. For this generation, the double bubble rear deck covers roll-over protectors, it is made of carbon fiber and provides unique aerodynamic benefits over convertibles without the double-bubble bulges.

The rear deck replaced the rear seats, but that is not such a big deal as the back seats were barely usable anyway. Just behind the driver, you can see a cool deflector with an engraving that reads "70 years of Porsche".

This is a crucial differentiating factor compared to any other 911. I feel it furthers the aura of exclusivity.

The 2020 Porsche 911 Speedster Is A Successful Tinder Match Of The 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet and the Porsche 911 GT3 RS

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In essence, the Porsche 911 Speedster is, more or less, the Porsche 911 GT3 RS Cabriolet. However you cut it, that's amazing. Especially considering that Porsche Motorsport (the guys behind anything insane at Porsche, including the GT3, GT3 RS, GT2 R) actually envisioned the Speedster. Not only did Porsche Motorsport take the Carrera 4 Cabriolet's body, but it adopted it by considerably shortening the window frames and integrating a more steeply sloped windshield. Such profound changes gave the Speedster a somewhat leaner, but more aggressive stance. Now, the bonnet and the hips look more pronounced. While incorporating the 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet's body, the Porsche 911 Speedster includes a GT3 chassis and carbon-ceramic brakes.

The 2020 Porsche 911 Speedster Is Considerably Lighter Compared To the Car It Is Based On

While incorporating numerous features from the 911 GT3, the Porsche 911 Speedster rides on the 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet architecture. Yet, Porsche Motorsport replaced many aluminum body panels for the ones made of lighter, sturdier carbon-fiber. The Porsche 911 Speedster features a carbon-fiber hood, front fenders, and that cool rear deck. Furthermore, polyurethane body panels form the whole front and back. Considering the lack of the air conditioning system, the sat-nav-unit, and carbon-ceramic brakes installed as standard, the 3,230-pound weight sounds just right. That's actually 200 pounds less compared to 991 Carrera 4 Cabriolet.

I was curious about the weight savings you can achieve by deleting the air-con or the sat nav.I found that the air-con delete saves 30-40 pounds at the most, while the sat-nav delete can save only a few pounds. Nevertheless, this just shows the raw nature of the beast. That is what counts the most. As a final weight saving touch, Porsche Motorsport engineered a manually operated roof attached with eight Tenax fasteners. It's an astonishing throwback.

The 2020 Porsche 911 Speedster Has a GT Sport six-speed Manual Gearbox

Unlike the seven-speed manual transmission you can get in "normal" 911 cars, the Porsche 911 Speedster has a Porsche GT-spec six-speed manual transmission borrowed from the likes of the Porsche 911 GT3 and that epic Porsche 911R. Not only does this gearbox has direct links with the track-focused Porsche cars, but it indeed has shorter ratios for better acceleration. It also has shorter travel compared to standard seven-speed manual in the 911.

In the real world, shorter ratios will give you crisper and more eager acceleration in every gear, while the shorter travel of the lever means you will be able to change through the gears quicker. You'll feel awesome doing so as well. There's a special bliss when working with a short-throw shifter. This transmission weights 9 pounds less compared to the seven-speed unit. That's a plus too. Well, or a minus.

The 2020 Porsche 911 Speedster Has a Slightly Improved 4.0-liter, flat-six From The Porsche 911 GT3

This six-speed manual transmission routes all the power developed inside the astonishing naturally aspirated hearth of the 4.0-liter flat-six we know from the GT3 and the GT3 RS. Interestingly enough, Porsche made changes to it. Most notably, Porsche Motorsport added individual throttle bodies to improve throttle response.

So, let's sum it up a bit. Someone at Porsche thought that the throttle response in the GT3 was not up to Speedster standards. Insane! Regardless of that excellent six-speed manual, Porsche engineers installed individual throttle bodies for absolute maximum responsiveness. In the real world, the Speedster's 4.0-liter should rev quicker and more eagerly across the rpm range.



If you feel up to it, you could rev the thing up to 9,000 rpm. Somewhere at 8,500 or so, you will reach 502 horsepower. According to various independent dyno testing procedures, a maximum torque output of 346 pound-feet comes earlier at 7,000 rpm.

This setup gives the Speedster some incredible performance. It will surge to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds and top out at 192 mph. These numbers could be better with the PDK, but in that case, the Speedster would weigh 40 pounds more, and it would not have this strange X-factor this one has.

The 2020 Porsche 911 Speedster Has GT-Spec Titanium Exhaust

The exhaust on the Porsche 911 Speedster is much the same as on the Porsche 911 GT3 RS. Two central tailpipes made of titanium lower the weight compared to typical exhaust setups, but even more important than that, is the integration of two front silencers and one rear silencer. They are specifically optimized to provide a unique exhaust tone.

Porsche will Build Exactly 1948 Units of the 2020 911 Speedster

Builindg fewer than 2,000 units of the 911 Speedster, Porsche clearly kept the exclusivity high. Not as high as on the 911R mind you (only 991 units of those - guess why), but with 1948 units built, Porsche sends a clear message about protecting and celebrating its past. The number references the year when the company officially started its sports cars business. That is the year the first 356 rolled from the production line. Kind of a big deal.

The first Speedster, however, appeared in 1954 as a vehicle designed for the Californian market.

The Heritage Design Package Adds Retro Cues To The 2020 Porsche 911 Speedster

After the introduction of the new 911 Speedster, Porsche rushed to reveal a unique retro garnish for the model. Inspired by the Porsche 911 991.2 Speedster Concept, the Heritage Design Package adds a healthy complement of specific design cues to differentiate it from the other Speedsters. The number of novelties is somewhat extensive, so I am going to list them here for you. The Heritage Design Package adds:

-* white emblems on the front cover, and the doors with the number 48

-* exclusive GT Silver Metallic paint scheme

-* Platinum Satin or silver 20-inch wheels with central locks and Porsche crest in the middle

-* golden Speedster lettering on the sides

-* white front bumper

-* special Heritage stickers

-* black calipers

-* GT Metallic Silver interior trim

-* Cognac bucket seats with the embossed Porsche crest in the headrests

-* golden Limited Edition plaque

-* and a marker on the steering wheel.

Obviously, quite a change over the standard model. An essential addition to the 911 Speedster Heritage Edition of the 911 Speedster is a unique Porsche Design timepiece. It requires the entry of its own.

The 2020 Porsche 911 Speedster Can Be Complimented With a Special Porsche Design Timepiece

Exclusively made for Speedster owners, Porsche introduced an exclusive chronograph 911 Speedster Heritage Design timepiece. Not only is it meticulously well built, but watchmakers actually based it on the 2020 Speedster. Some of the most obvious connections between this beautiful timepiece and the Speedster include carbon-fiber dials, a thread made from the same leather used for the Speedster's interior, and a specially designed rotor that looks a lot like the center-lock wheels on the Heritage Design package.

The watch itself has a Flyback-Chronograph with Werk 01.200 movement and a titanium case with "a black titanium carbide coating."

The timepiece is limited to 1948 units as well. If you want to buy it, you need the 2020 Porsche 911 Speedster and an extra $12,911.

The 2020 Porsche 911 Speedster Isn't Cheap by Any Means

At $12,911, the timepiece you can acquire with the new Speedster hints at the price of the car too. It's outrageous really. There's no way around it - the 2020 Porsche 911 Speedster is priced at $275,750. With the delivery fee of $1,250, mind you.

Let me remind you that at that price you are only $18,000 short of the insane 911 GT2 RS. On a more positive note, the 911 Turbo is $115,000 less expensive than the 911 Speedster. I am not joking. The 911 Carrera (that can accelerate to 60 in 4.4 seconds) is $184,000 cheaper. Get your head around that.

The 2020 Porsche 911 Speedster Is the Sixth (or Eighth) Speedster In History

The first Speedster appeared on the U.S. market in 1954 as a low cost, stripped out, open top sportscar intended to compete with the English and American sports cars. Then, Porche removed everything from the interior leaving only bare bones of the equipment which made the 356 Speedster rather fast and exciting. Drivers could even remove the windshield to prepare the car for the track. An instant hit, the original Speedster was rather well received - especially in sun-loving California. In total, Porsche produced 3,676 units of the 356 Speedster through 1958.

Speedster nameplate returned in the Porsche lineup for the 1989 model year when Porsche introduced the 911 Speedster. Based around the Carrera architecture, one-year affair Speedster was available in two guises - as a standard looking model and the one with the wide-body Turbo-inspired fenders and bumpers. Porsche produces just over 2,000 units of them. Every one of them had a 214-horsepower, Carrera engine at the back.

The next step in the timeline came in 1994 when Porsche introduced the Speedster and produced 931 of them. It is one of the rarest Porsches out there, especially in wide-body form. Porsche Exclusive produced only 5-10 units of the wide-body 1994 Porsche Speedsters.

The most exclusive Speedster, however, comes in shape of the 993 Porsche Speedster. Porsche Exclusive produced only two of them. Jerry Seinfeld commissioned one.

Interestingly enough, 996 911 era did not see any Speedsters, but the car made a return in 2011 when Porsche produced 356 units of it. All based on top of the 997 911. It was the fastest of them all with 402 horsepower engine. The new one is exactly 100 horsepower more powerful.

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2018 Porsche 911 Speedster concept.

Read our full speculative review on the 2020 Porsche 911 Speedster.

Read our full review of the 1955-1958 Porsche 356a Speedster

Read our full review of the 1989 Porsche 911 Speedster

Read our full review on the 1994 Porsche 964 Speedster.

Read our full review of the 2010 Porsche 911 Speedster