Happy 60th birthday, Porsche 911! In fall 1963, Porsche unveiled a new sports car, at first called “901,” as a successor to its first model, the 356. The new car entered production a year later and not long after got a badge change to “911.” This sports car icon remains in production, in much evolved form and with a choice of 25 variants this year. To celebrate 60 years, Porsche is offering a new pinnacle 911 model, called “S/T,” after a lightweight race-prep 911 from the early Seventies. Porsche will build 1,963 of these special 911s, with a starting price of $290,000.
If you’re keeping up with the Porsche 911 family, there are currently 28 different versions showing in the Porsche U.S.A. website configurator. (Yes, 28!) Not a single 911 could ever be considered middle-of-the-road, but sitting around the middle of the lineup you’ll find five versions of the 911 Carrera GTS. Hotter than the Carrera S but not as extreme as the GT3 track machine, the GTS delivers a wallop of supercar performance while remaining street-friendly for everyday driving if you please. The intense fun starts at around $152,000.
The letters on your modern car’s trunk lid might have no real meaning, but the “S” on the back of a classic Porsche 911 signified a major performance upgrade over the standard car. Porsche’s marketing for the original 911S cautioned, “This is no car for a novice.” The 911S rewarded skilled drivers while being known to put a scare into those unfamiliar with its handling traits. RM Sotheby’s is offering a rare concours-restored 1968 911S at no reserve at its Amelia Island auction in March. Expect hot bidding.
To close out its 964-series 911 Turbo, Porsche built the last 93 as “S” models, and 39 of those were made as the X85 Flachbau (“Flat-nose”) for the U.S. market. The Turbo S X85’s 380-horsepower 3.6-liter engine was basically the one used in the IMSA Bridgestone North American Supercar race series. The only X85 that came painted in Speed Yellow is on offer at RM Sotheby’s Scottsdale auction with a pre-sale estimate of $800K-$1M.
Porsche launched its Heritage Design series with the 2021 911 Targa 4S Heritage Design Edition. The new 2023 Porsche 911 Sport Classic pays homage to the 1973 911 Carrera 2.7 RS. Porsche plans to build 1,250 911 Sport Classics, reportedly priced at $272,300. That’s $89,400 more than a 2022 911 Turbo. Read what makes the car worth that price.
Porsche made just 345 of its 1995-1997 Turbo S models, and if you were not one of the 176 American customers to get one, Gooding & Company is offering a stunning ’97 with 11,400 miles at its Amelia Island sale. The pre-sale estimate is $425k-$475k.
