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Porsche marks 911's 40th
Anniversary recognized with special model
By Tom Mack
Thursday, August 21, 2003
There's an old adage that life begins at 40. That's certainly true in the case of Porsche's venerable 911 design. With each successive variant it just keeps getting better and better. Now the Stuttgart sports car maker is turning out a special 40th Anniversary model in recognition of the debut of the first Porsche 911 at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show.
Set to make its public debut at next month's auto show in Frankfurt, Germany, the commemorative model is based on the current rear-wheel drive 911 Carrera but offers more horsepower, enhanced handling and distinctive styling inside and out.
The 40th Anniversary 911's 3.6-litre flat-six engine produces 345 horsepower (DIN), 25 more than the base Carrera model. As a result, it's one second faster than the regular 911 from zero to 200 km/h (120 mph) with a time of 16.5 seconds. The car's top track speed of 290 km/h (180 mph) makes it the second fastest non-turbo model in the current 911 line. In that respect, it gives ground only to the splendid 911 GT3.
Aggressive sport suspension settings help to enhance the 40th Anniversary 911's handling. Combined with the standard electronic Porsche Stability Management (PSM) system, an additional mechanical rear-axle differential lock provides even better traction and acceleration potential. Its distinguishing styling features include GT silver metallic exterior paint (exclusive to this model and the Carrera GT) and front cooling air openings adopted from the 911 Turbo. Body-colour air intake grilles, side sill trim, an aluminum '911' logo on the engine cover, shot-blasted, polished, 18-inch Carrera wheels and high-gloss, polished exhaust tailpipes complete the picture. A sliding sunroof, bi-xenon headlights with dynamic beam angle control and a headlight cleaning system complete the standard exterior features.
The interior is trimmed in naturally soft dark gray leather. Other details include sport seats with 2-stage heating, centre console, seat backs and dashboard groove trim strips, and handbrake lever side covers finished in GT silver metallic. Aluminum-finish instrument dial rings and a numbered '911 40th Anniversary' plaque on the centre console round out the differences from a standard Carrera.
Porsche will produce only 1,963 40th Anniversary models. It will be available in November with a Canadian base price of $131,450.
Now, wouldn't that make a nice 40th birthday present for the Porsche file on your gift list?
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