Somewhere between windows 95 and iPhone 8 pop culture developed a very specific taste for all things classic and retro. Well, realistically everyone has their own version of "the good ol' days" but it would seem that people are looking to classic formulas for creative outlets and enjoyment these days. Film cameras and film sales are becoming popular again, you can walk into almost any A/V store and find a brand new record player, or even go to a clothing store to find graphic sweaters and pants that make you look like some odd time traveler with a smartphone. So it's definitely no secret that a lot of classic items got it right the first time, and maybe since then convenience has allowed us to slip away from a more tactile and involved experience. Instead of looking for the latest and greatest tech and comfort Porsche have taken a recipe for driving as old as sports cars themselves and simply tweaked it slightly. The result is the absolutely stunning 2019 Porsche Speedster.
This beautiful heritage harking sportscar immediately tickles senses similarly to that of a 356 or even the first run of 911's. The Speedster is just enough of modern technology and nothing more with everything else done in much the same way the engineers of Porsche's past would have thought. This was the last variant of the 991.2 chassis to be produced and required and extensive amount of re tooling and production changes to be made. It shares a few similarities with the GT3 albeit some structural rigidity and you have the option of open air motoring with the manually operated top.
The 4.0 flat six breathes through a newly designed exhaust that shaves over 22lbs from the GT3 and will sing you a song all the way to 8400 RPM. Making roughly 500 horsepower gives this road monster adequate power to blast your way through the low country roads or twisty mountain passes. The power is handled through a 6 speed manual trans axle only so if you want to take one for spin you best be practicing your 3 pedal techniques.
Inside you can opt for the standard package with a few areas to customize or you can tick the box for the heritage design package like this one, either with a stripe and decal package or without. This particular setup will have you seated in Cognac leather seats with black accents and gold "Speedster" badges that are absolutely stunning. Instead of the usual Sport/ Sport plus buttons there are a few others to customize your experience behind the wheel. You can choose to auto rev match on every downshift, open the exhaust for more volume, tighten up the suspension and turn off traction control and the ESC. Usually these aspects are rounded into the dynamic chassis modes on standard 911's and GT cars but for the speedster it's very rudimentary and straight forward.
The Speedster is meant to be a pure and unfiltered driving experience, the way things were when Porsche was in its' infancy. The straightforward approach to building cars that evoke such joy is something Porsche recognizes and embraces even going into the future with EV's becoming more and more popular. The 911 Speedster, not the perfect car, it's a lot better than perfect!