Porsche reveals new 911 Sport Classic with retro looks, houndstooth interior, 542bhp and a manual gearbox
Just 2,500 to be built
Porsche has revealed the 911 Sport Classic, a new special edition model featuring retro styling cues, a 911 Turbo-style body, 542bhp and a seven-speed manual gearbox.
This isn’t the first time Porsche has gone down the heritage route for one of its special editions. In 2020, the company released the 911 Targa 4 S Heritage Design Edition based on the current 992-generation 911 inspired by 1950s and ‘60s models. A year before came the 911 Speedster, again featuring styling in tribute to older Porsches and, way back in 2009 the firm launched the first 911 Sport Classic, which was limited to 250 examples and sold out in just 48 hours.
The 2022 Sport Classic features the same body as the 911 Turbo but does without the Turbo’s cooling ducts on its flanks, instead getting its air through an intake located below the rear wing.
Speaking of the rear wing, like the last Sport Classic it’s a fixed carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) “ducktail” spoiler similar to the one originally found on the 1972 911 RS 2.7.
Although three other colours are available (solid black, Agate Grey Metallic and Gentian Blue Metallic) the Sport Classic is finished as standard in a colour known as Sport Grey Metallic.
“No matter how often we looked at the vehicle together during the development process in the design studio at Weissach, we always came to the same conclusion: grey is never boring; it often makes a statement and it’s always very cool,” said Porsche’s Michael Mauer.
Also standard is the double racing stripe running up along the bonnet and over the roof, accentuating the recesses in both which gives the roof a double-domed effect.
Racing roundels featuring numbers from 1-99 are also standard, though these can be deleted at no extra cost. The 20in or 21in alloy wheels are inspired by the classic Fuchs rims first seen on the 1967 911S and combine a black base with silver spokes.
Gold badging across the rear and on the front wings finishes off the exterior that harks back as far as the Porsche 356 of the 1950s.
The interior is arguably the Sport Classic’s best feature and the good news is that, from later this year, it will become available as the Heritage Design Package Classic option across much of the 911 range.
The upper dash and door caps are clad in black semi-aniline leather while the rest of the leatherwork is finished in a light tan colour known as Classic Cognac, which adorns the seat bolsters, headrests, edges of the door panels and lower dash. The seat centres and door panels are finished in houndstooth fabric that contrasts nicely with the leather.
The heritage theme continues into the instrument cluster that uses white hands and green digits also inspired by the dials on the 356. The central infotainment touchscreen has been reworked in order to make it fit more naturally and harmoniously into the retro-style cabin.
Powering the Sport Classic is a 3.7-litre twin-turbo flat-six engine sending 543bhp to the rear wheels via a seven-speed manual gearbox. That places the Sport Classic a rung below the 911 Turbo in the performance stakes but makes it the most powerful manual 911 on sale.
Just 2,500 units are set to be built with UK pricing starting from £209,540, though expect that to climb quite a bit higher once a full suite of options is added. First deliveries are due in July.
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