It’s no secret that I’m a HUGE fan of the Porsche Speedster. Both the 356 iterations (who doesn’t love the Porsche 356 Speedster?!) and the 911 Speedsters in more recent years. When Porsche announced the latest Porsche 911 Speedster, I have to say I fell instantly in love. Everything from the styling to the bright blue color, heck, even the limited production run of 356 cars worldwide resonated with me.

I was looking around the Porsche site a few days ago and came across the Porsche 911 Speedster web special. It’s not one of Porsche’s most significant efforts, but come on, they’re only going to produce 356 of these bad boys. Why put a lot of effort into a web special?

Still, the site gives a great close up look at a number of the design and technical features of the new 911 Speedster, making it worth a 15 minute break to take it in. I particularly like the interior close ups and styling highlights.

There’s also a feature where you can upload a picture of your favorite stretch of road which serves as a backdrop to view the Speedster against. A little anti-climactic, but cool nonetheless.

You can check out the web special here: Porsche 911 Speedster web special.

[Source: porsche.com]

Today is a beautiful day in Porsche-land. Porsche officially announced a brand new Speedster to the lineup for 2011. Only the fourth car to bear the Speedster name, the 2011 Porsche 911 Carrera Speedster will make its debut at the Paris Motor Show next month. And I can’t WAIT!

I’ve long loved the Speedster designated models. From the original 356 Speedster created in 1953 to the 1988 model and 1993/94 version. I still remember when Porsche announced the 1988 model and my first actual sighting of one in 1989. I would love to have the opportunity to own one of those some day.

The original 1953 model was launched for the sports car purists who wanted to up the performance ante. Here’s a picture from Porsche of the original Speedster:

Porsche has continued the tradition sporadically through the years, keeping the mystique alive and preserving the rarity of the cars bearing this distinction.

Here are some of the details from the Porsche press release:

• 2 seat roadster style (of course!)
• 2.36″ lower, more raked windshield
• Speedster double bubble hardcover over the manual top
• Wider body
• 7 speed PDK transmission
• Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM)
• Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake (PCCB)
• 3.8-liter flat six producing 408 hp
• 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds
• Top speed of 190 mph

The press release also indicated pretty much every option from the 911 series would be included in addition to some specialized features such as interior touches and exterior paint. The exterior color, by the way, is a special one called “Pure Blue” and was developed exclusively for the Speedster.

There will only be 356 Speedsters produced in this run (call me crazy, but for some reason I LOVE that they settled on 356) with around 100 making their way into the U.S. through official channels. MSRP is set at $204,000.

I just showed my wife a picture of this car and her exact words were, “Dang! I want one of those.” Could the 2011 Porsche Speedster be in my future?! (yeah, probably not, but it’s still fun to dream)

[Source & Images: Press.Porsche.com]

50 years of Porsche Speedster ownership – This was a cool little story about Jim Giese who has owned his 1958 Speedster for nearly 50 years. He bought the car in October of 1960. He’s driven and enjoyed the car, including a fair amount of racing and a restoration. The story is pretty short and worth the read. The picture to the right is Jim in his Speedster. [Via StAugustine.com; Image: StAugustine.com]

Amsterdam’s UV University studies the Porsche Effect – I’m not really sure what to make of this story, but it seems that researchers have found a connection between the sight of an attractive woman and a man’s interest in luxury goods such as designer watches and Porsches. Here’s their reasoning for the behavior: “It is thought he is subconsciously working out how he could afford them, in a bid to prove he is financially sound – and a good catch.” Evidently this only applies to single men…at least according to the research. [Via DailyMail.co.uk]

Porsche 911 Turbo: Fly under the radar goodness – A fella named Nate Martinez wrote up a little blog post review of the Porsche 911 Turbo called Porsche 911 Turbo: Don’t Dismiss This Sleeper. It’s a great, short review of one of the best cars Porsche has ever made. The backdrop for the review is L.A. where a Porsche 911 Turbo is considered run of the mill. Definitely read this one. Especially if you’re a 911 Turbo fan. [Via Blogs.MotorTrend.com]

Surgeon’s Porsche gets clamped while performing an emergency appendectomy – I don’t know why, but I find this a bit humorous. Damian Bragg, a surgeon in the U.K., got called to one of the two hospitals he’s on call for to perform an emergency appendectomy. He parked the car in the staff car park, but forgot to display his parking permit. His wheel was clamped within an hour. The doc maintains that since he’s on call at two hospitals, the company who clamped his car put lives at risk since he wouldn’t have transportation to the other facility if an emergency had come up. There’s a tiny piece of me that thinks he got a bit of what he deserved not following rules. What do I know though… [Via Telegraph.co.uk]

Mini Cooper challenges Porsche to a duel – I’m sure you’ve already read about this, but I had to comment on this for two reasons. First, what the heck is Mini thinking? Why not at least choose a brand or vehicle they actually have a chance at beating. Second, this is pure genius on Mini’s part and thus answers my first question. Challenging a high profile brand they would rarely, if ever, be compared against is pure gold from a PR standpoint. Course I’m not really sure what they’ll achieve from all of this other than some probably not very needed press. It’s not like they’re going to swing buyers from Porsche to Mini through the recognition. Course we know that Porsche contemplated, then declined Mini’s offer. Seems like I read someone showed up with a Porsche 911 Carrera S regardless of Porsche’s official involvement. The videos of Mini USA President throwing down the gauntlet were pretty entertaining. [Via CarSession.com]

Chronolyze helps you analyze your Porsche racing data – This is a pretty cool web application that extracts information from your Porsche PCM such as vehicle speed, engine speed, transmission gear, steering angle, lateral g-forces, engine temperature, outside temperature, distance travelled, altitude and GPS coordinates. You download a text file through Bluetooth or an iPod connection, upload it to Chronolyze and they will organize it into a 3D analysis of laps. They’ll spit out graphs along with a 3D representation of the laps you’ve run superimposed on a map of the course. Pretty cool idea. You’ll need a later model Porsche to take advantage of it though. [Via Chronolyze.com]

A sneak peak at new Porsche models on the horizon – According to notes from a Porsche manager’s meeting, Porsche is working up a number of new models for our driving pleasure. Here’s what was leaked:

• New 911 Speedster with 408 hp, widebody, PDK and 2-wheel drive. Price tag in the $200k range.
• US version of the GT2 RS that produces 620 hp and has optional carbon fiber fenders. Look for a base price of $245k for this bad boy.
• Widebody version of the 911 Carrera called the GTS. It will feature center-lug wheels, a sport exhaust and 408 hp for $103k.
• Cayman “Spyder” of sorts. Similar treatment given to the Boxster Spyder with less weight and more power. Price would be around $65k.

There’s also still talk of the Porsche 918 Spyder hitting the streets, but nothing final as of yet. Everyone expects an answer by this summer in time for Pebble Beach. [Via Autoblog.com]

I’m not usually much for retro cars nor replicas. The classic autos that I actually like, which is few and far between unless you consider cars from the 80′s to be classics (ouch!), I pretty much only like the original versions of. Replicas feel like “what’s the point” to me. Kind of like drinking decaf coffee.

However, after coming across the PGO web site, and their Speedster II, I may have found an exception to those feelings. This is one sexy beast from a French car manufacturer. Classic styling with a contemporary twist.

PGO’s two founders, Prévôt Gilles and Olivier, got their start about 25 years ago building replicas on a very small production scale. In 1998 they decided to build a prototype of a “completely new and exciting car” for the 2000 Paris Auto Show. It was the Speedster II. This presentation propelled them to car manufacturer status. They ended up adding 2 more models to the line up and have ramped up production.

The Speedster II, as well as the other 2 models, all follow the philosophy mentioned above. The cars are based on the Porsche Speedster styling while providing a modern take on the lines, equipment and creature comforts. One of the things I love about PGO’s cars is they have maintained strong ties to the original styling from the 50′s and 60′s. Every time I look at their cars, I’m reminded of an Outlaw 356.

The cars look quite a bit shorter to me than the original Porsche Speedster, but at 151 inches they’re less than 5 inches shorter than the longest first generation Speedster (which was 152-156 inches). I suppose the biggest reason is the shorter hood and longer rear end. It’s more split proportionally than the original Speedsters.

It’s 138 hp engine (I think they’re using Peugot engines) propels the 2156 pound car from 0 to 62 mph in about 7 seconds. Not bad for a Speedster. On that note, that’s always been one of my beefs with replicas. Since you don’t have anything original, why not give your ride a little more juice. Course I’m also the guy that would drop a turbo into a 356 Outlaw and be dang happy.

All in all, these are cool cars. Nothing available in the States yet that I can see. I’m sure that’s just a matter of time though. Check out the PGO web site for more info and pictures: PGO Automobiles.

[Source and Pictures: PGO.fr]

I’m venturing to guess that I’m not the only one who loved the movie Top Gun.  I’d also be willing to bet that the movie propelled the 356 Speedster into more hearts than just mine (even though it WAS a replica). I remember thinking “I love this car!” every time I saw the movie. At one point I started searching trying to figure out what kind of car it was as I was still relatively new to Porsches back then.

Since that movie, I’ve loved 356 Speedsters and couldn’t believe it when Porsche unveiled a 911 Speedster at the 1988 Franfurt Auto Show. With only 2100 built, and only 800 of which came to America, it’s been rare to see one for sale.  I’ve only seen maybe one or two 911 Speedsters in person. I’d still love to find one to own someday provided you could pick it up for a reasonable price.

When I started seeing spy photos of the 998 Speedster, it reminded me of my love for the Speedster as a Porsche icon over the years. The Speedster name is used on convertibles with cut-down windshields, lowered roofs and stripped-down interiors. With the last publicly available Speedster being available about 15 years ago, this would be a very desirable and potentially collectible must-have model.

I’m hoping we’ll see a new Speedster model in the lineup before long.  If you’d like to see some more photos, Autoweek has some cool spy photos and a few thoughts on the latest Speedster rendition.