Porsche 911 Sport Classic debuts with Turbo power and a manual ‘box
The new 911 Sport Classic references Porsche in the 1960s, with a unique mix of powertrain and body
This is the Porsche 911 Sport Classic, a limited-run model that’s been designed to celebrate iconic Porsche models from the 1960s. It follows the 911 Targa 4S Heritage edition revealed last year, but we’d suggest you don’t jump to conclusions in thinking this new Sport Classic is just a stickers and stripes special like the Targa was, because Porsche has gone all-out this time around by creating a 911 with a bespoke powertrain, body and interior.
Under the Sport Grey paintwork, you’ll recognise that this 911 has a Turbo-width body but without the side intakes, giving it a totally bespoke body pressing. Under the wider arches, it shares other elements with the Turbo, including a 542bhp variant of its twin-turbocharged 3.7-litre flat-six (down 30bhp on the base Turbo), but where both the Turbo and Turbo S come with all-wheel drive and an eight-speed PDK only, the Sport Classic is driven from its rear wheels and through a seven-speed manual. As a result torque is capped at 442lb ft, a substantial 111lb ft down on the Turbo.
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But where power and torque has been reined in – for better or worse – the bespoke detailing of the Sport Classic really is extensive. Those stripes are hand painted onto the body, and their perfect alignment with the indentations on the bonnet and roof panel are not by accident, but by design with Porsche Exclusive creating bespoke carbonfibre versions of both to suit. The 20- and 21-inch centre-lock wheels look familiar, but are also unique, so too is the fixed duck-tail rear spoiler. Elsewhere, the Sport Classic takes its cues from the Turbo, sharing its bumper and twin-bar lighting up front and two round exhaust finishers seen on all 911s fitted with the Sports Exhaust option.
The rest of the chassis is derived from the Turbo S featuring PASM adaptive dampers, Porsche’s PDCC chassis stabilisation system and rear-wheel steering, with each of those components thoroughly recalibrated for the Sport Classic’s more on-road focus. With two less driveshafts to carry, the 1570kg SC is also 70kg lighter than the basic Turbo S.
Porsche has not revealed any performance times so far, but given its technical makeup it’s not really designed to hit the sort of otherworldly numbers capable from its Turbo siblings. For those wondering how the turbocharged engine will go without those trademark side intakes, Porsche’s engineers assured us that most of the engine’s breathing, both in this SC and standard Turbos, comes from underneath the car, with the side intakes only providing some passive cooling in this generation of 911 Turbo.
Inside, Porsche has taken the retro theme and run with it, with the Sport Classic interior package pairing a high-end semi aniline leather on the seats, doors and dash with pepita houndstooth fabric inserts. This is paired with timber inserts, plus green backlighting for the dials and stopwatch. For those not sold on the Sport Grey exterior colour scheme, Sport Classic models can also be specified in black, dark grey and a dark blue, and the graphics on the body side are able to be deselected.
Porsche will build a total of 1250 units from June this year costing from £209,540 in the UK. Next up are two more variants that Porsche referencing the 1970s and 1980s – one of which is almost certain to be the incoming high-riding Safari reboot that’s been spotted spending time lapping on the ‘Ring. Times are good for Porsche clearly, and while the 911 continues to be a hot commodity for the German superpower, they’ll keep building them with a healthy profit generated from each.
