The Porsche 911 R caused quite a stir when it made its debut at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show back in March. It was, in a lot of ways, the 911 variant that Porsche purists had been clamoring for. It may not be the fastest and most powerful variant of the 911 – take a bow 911 Turbo S, that’s still you – but in terms of pure driving pleasure, the 911 R holds a backseat to no one. Alas, Porsche only released 1,000 units of the special edition 911 R and you’d be hard-pressed to find one in the market today. Fortunately, one of the original owners of the 911 R has decided to make it even more special by turning it into a personal tribute to Steve McQueen and sending it back to the German automaker to have it auctioned. And so, here it is, the 911 R Steve McQueen Tribute, a one-off creation that pays homage to arguably one of the most iconic Hollywood leading men and professional racer in history.

The super exclusive 911 R comes with a host of unique features, not the least of which are specific details attributed to McQueen himself. It also gets a lot of love from Porsche Exclusive with the myriad of options and accessories that were given to it. Suffice to say, this unique 911 R Steve McQueen Tribute was designed to be a legitimate one-off. About the only downside, if you can even call it that, is that it doesn't receive any power enhancements. Would’ve been nice to have more power to play with for a true and legitimate driver’s car.

Oh, and don’t expect the 911 R Steve McQueen Tribute to come cheap. It's unclear if it can fetch the same $184,900 price tag of a brand new 911 R since it already has a previous owner. But taking into account its one-off exclusivity and the name attached to it, I expect this particular 911 R to breeze past the $200,000 barrier when it’s auctioned off by RM Sotheby’s on February 8, 2017. The good news is that 25 percent of the car’s auction price above its €25,000 ($26,120) minimum reserve will be given towards research for curing cancer in children.

Continue after the jump to read more about the Porsche 911 R Steve McQueen Tribute.

2017 Porsche 911 R Steve McQueen Tribute Edition

Specifications
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  • Model: 2017 Porsche 911 R Steve McQueen Tribute Edition
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What makes the Porsche 911 R Steve McQueen Tribute so special

Befitting its status as a true one-off Porsche 911 R, the Steve McQueen Tribute received Paint to Sample (PTS) colors that only a handful of the standard 911 Rs got as requested by some of the automaker’s clients, presumably including the original owner of this particular model. Even better, the body is dressed up in a Slate Grey with silver hood strips and yellow Porsche decals on the doors serving as nice contrasts to the body color. Adding to the uniqueness of this model is the fact that it’s the only 911 R that features these particular colors, something Porsche itself assured the original owner when he took delivery of the car. Other notable features of the 911 R Steve McQueen Tribute’s exterior include Bi-Xenon headlights and stock Porsche offerings like the carbon fiber fenders and magnesium roof.


Move to the cabin and you’ll immediately see one of the 911 R Steve McQueen Tribute’s most notable features: personalized illuminated door sills that have been inscribed with one of McQueen’s most memorable quotes. Forget what that is? Well, it goes like this: “Racing is life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting.” I’m pretty sure that no other 911 R has that quote on their door sills. Beyond the unique inscription, the one-off 911 R was also on the receiving end of bucket seats with houndstooth inserts, black leather surfaces, custom floor mats, and a number of Porsche Exclusive options. It also gets a Sport Chrono pack that allows for improved tuning of the 911 R’s engine, chassis, and transmission. Driving home the car’s one-off exclusivity is its production number. According to Porsche, the car is #967 of 1,000, which was specifically chosen by its original owner to commemorate 1967, otherwise known among Porsche scholars as the year the original 911 R was built for racing purposes.

Engine figures are still the same though so don’t expect this 911 R to generate anything more than the car’s standard output of 500 horsepower and 339 pound-feet of torque. The good news is that the car still the one enduring feature that really makes it a 911 R: the six-speed manual transmission. It’s worth mentioning that there are no options for a PDK automatic for the 911 R since that “option” is technically called the 911 GT3. It doesn’t accelerate as quick to 60 mph than the GT3 (3.7 seconds compared to 3.3 seconds), but that shouldn’t be too much of an issue for owners who aren’t as concerned about fast accelerations as they are with enjoying the thrill of driving the car depending on how they use that manual transmission. It’s all about driving experience with the 911 R!

Taken as a whole, the Porsche 911 R Steve McQueen Tribute is as unique a 911 as anything you’ll come across these days. It does have a somewhat confusing history since it’s not “technically” a Porsche-built one-off special edition. but it’s still a 911 R and the direct nod to Steve McQueen is a nice touch to give it an added layer of exclusivity.

Best not forget too that this one-off 911 R will be auctioned off by RM Sotheby’s on February 8, 2017 with part of the proceeds – 25 percent of the auction price above its reserve price – will be given to the Gustave Roussy foundation, which finances research for curing cancer in children. In fact, the Paris-based Institut Gustave Roussy is one of the world’s leading cancer research institutes that heavily invests in cutting-edge technology and medicine, all with the aim of making major improvements in the unrelenting fight against cancer.