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.
Porsche’s road and track tradition continues with its 992-series 2022 911 GT3, featuring a 4.0 liter flat-six making 502 horsepower, revving to 9,000 rpm. If you already ordered your GT3, it may be sitting on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean near Portugal aboard the sunken cargo that burned and sank last month. Porsche has moved those unlucky owners to the front of the delivery list. If you were planning to order a Porsche 911 GT3, you might want to do that soon.
A review of Premier Financial Services’ leasing activity during 2021, shows most of the same marques and models repeating their appearances in our annual Top-10 Leased Exotics list, although with different positions. Which is your favorite?
Lamborghini, Ferrari, McLaren and Porsche are just a few of the marques that made the list for Premier Top 10 Cars Leased in 2020. See which cars were the most popular cars to have in 2020.
The 2005-2006 Ford GT was an homage to Ford’s 1960s endurance racecars, but intended for the street. One is currently up for auction in Scottsdale at Gooding & Company, featuring Carroll Shelby’s signature on the dashboard.
