Paris Motor Show 2010 - Porsche 911 Speedster

Porsche shave a couple of inches off a windscreen and make the roof manual – Hey presto, you have a Speedster

Another year, another pointless Porsche. Faced with a Paris showstand potentially devoid of new models, the 911 Speedster was conjured up by Porsche’s “Exclusive” department to lend a hand to the mildly modified 911 lineup. 356 of these marketing specials will be made to satisfy the collectors appetite. Naturally specs have been bumped up marginally, and a few exclusive bodystyling and interior mods incorporated to justify the 144,100 UKPounds ticket price. You have to wonder though why you’d want one of these specials over the standard convertible. I mean, manual roof, inferior air management when roof down…And a lesson from history for the aficionados: The 1989 911 Speedster had a limited run of 171 cars, but was then superseded by a wide-bodied turbolook version of which 2,103 were made, making a mockery of the exclusivity of the Speedster.

Having said all that, we admit that it drew our attention, as intended, and we know in our hearts, that once at the wheel of a Speedster all these criticisms would evaporate – blown into the weeds by the sheer thrill of driving any 911!