PORSCHE 911 SPORT CLASSIC

Limited-edition Turbo-based retro special struts its stuff on UK roads

- RICHARD LANE

You may well wonder why any of us should get particularly excited about the new Porsche Y 911 Sport Classic. This is yet another limited-edition (and soldout) supercar that costs a fortune and heralds nothing fresh beyond some admittedly delicious details.

Its core elements are well known.

The body is 911 Turbo specification, hence the Christina Hendricks hips.

So is the engine, although Porsche has detuned its twin-turbo 3.8-litre flat six from 572 to 542bhp, 110lb ft of torque also being lost in the process.

At this point, it's worth noting the Sport Classic costs a full 718 Boxster more than the epic Turbo, at £214k.

The manual 'box and suspension are also familiar, and if you spent enough on a Carrera S, you could get close to recreating the offbeat cabin, down to the lovely open-pore wood dash trim. Note, though, that the green-hued tacho referencing the phosphorus of the original 1964 911 is unique and plain beautiful.

It's also worth knowing that this car, despite the asking price, isn't  a creation of Porsche's GT division.

That's why it doesn't get the doublewishboned front axle from perhaps the only other 911 that matches it for specialness, the GT3, or that car's heavenly 9000rpm 4.0-litre flat six. It's rather a product of Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur, which has always been openly concerned more about matters of style.