Porsche 911 Speedster (1988 – 1989) Review

This came as a bolt from the blue in the late 1980s. The idea that Porsche would try to recreate the 356 Speedster out of the 911 was interesting - and the idea would have had legs, perhaps, had it been a more thorough re-design. But the retro-styled homage to the 1950s 356 Speedster was sold alongside the regular cabriolet, and customer wondered what the point was.

Strictly a two-seater, it was all 3.2 Carrera underneath, but above the waist there was a shorter and more steeply raked screen and a hard tonneau that gave the back a bit of a stylised haunch. Weather protection was non-existant, but that didn’t matter too much as the bulk of the 2000 or so produced headed to the USA, where the 356 Speedster had built up such a cult following.

Predictably, the 911 Speedster became an instant collectable classic, and that meant few Speedsters were pressed into daily service. That makes finding a good example pretty easy – although paying for it may be another matter.