Speedster Background

There were two distinct incarnations of the air-cooled 911 Speedster. The first was the 1989 model Speedster. Shown at the 1988 Frankfurt Motor Show beside the upcoming Carrera 4, the 1989 Speedster actually shared more in common with the 930 turbo than with the upcoming 964 generation 911s, causing it to be looked upon, in retrospect, as a much more inferior "driver's car" to the later 1994 Speedster. More than three quarters (641) of the 800 built had the "Turbo look" wide-body option.

The Speedster 1 (911 1989 model above) was quite different to the 964 Speedster 2 with different bumpers, windscreen rake, wheels, interior and mechanics.

Type 964 ("nine-sixty-four", or "nine-six-four") is Porsche's internal code name for the 911 Carrera 2 and 911 Carrera 4 models, which were badged simply as "Carrera 2" and "Carrera 4". "964" is used by automotive publications and enthusiasts to distinguish them from other generations of the Carrera.

The 964 could be described as the '911 with attitude'. These were, at the time, the most powerful naturally aspirated 911 ever built. The 964 was considered to be 85% new as compared to its predecessor, the Carrera 3.2. The first 964s available in 1989 were all wheel drive equipped "Carrera 4" models; Porsche added the rear wheel drive Carrera 2 variant to the range in 1990. Both variants were available as Coupé, Targa or Cabriolet. The 964 Carrera was the last generation sold with the traditional removable Targa roof until the 2011 991 (993, 996, and 997 versions used instead a complex glass-roof "greenhouse" system). A new naturally aspirated engine called the M64 was used for 964 models, with a flat-6displacement of 3.6 litres. Porsche substantially revised the suspension, replacing torsion bars with coil springs and shock absorbers. Power steering and ABS brakes were added to the 911 for the first time; both were standard. The exterior bumpers and fog lamps became flush with the car for better aerodynamics. A new electric rear spoiler raised at speeds above 50 mph (80 km/h) and lowered down flush with the rear engine lid at lower speeds. A revised interior featured standard dual airbags beginning in late 1989 for all North American production cars. A new automatic climate control system provided improved heating and cooling. Revised instrumentation housed a large set of warning lights that were tied into the car's central warning system, alerting the driver to a possible problem or malfunction.

Launched in 1992 as a 1993 model, the 964 Porsche Speedster was based on the Carrera 2 cabriolet and available either in standard or lightweight trim called "clubsport". Unlike its predecessor, the 911 Speedster, the 964 Speedster was initially not available with the Turbo look widebody style.

While it featured a softer suspension set up than the 964 RS, it offered almost none of the comforts of a normal 964 Carrera 2 Cabriolet, though power windows were standard and air conditioning and stereo were options. The 1994 Speedster was designed to be a more focused "driver's car" and served as a hybrid between a 964 Carrera 2 Cabriolet and a 964 RS.

The manually folding "pram-like" hood was basic contraption that required practice to erect quickly (Porsche referred to it as strictly an emergency soft top for inclement weather).

Porsche planned to build 3000 examples of the 1994 Speedsters, but only 936 examples were built and sold during the two years of production. Once again, the United States was the most important market with 427 Speedsters heading Stateside. Right hand drive versions were exceptionally rare: only 27 cars compared to 139 examples in right hand drive of the pre-964 911 Speedster. Of these RHD cars 13 were made with UK specification, 7 Australia specification, 4 Singapore specification and either 3 or 4 Hong Kong Specification.

Top Gear supplement July 2010 edition scored the 911 Carrera 2 Speedster 53rd out of their 100 sexiest Supercars of all time! They commented:

"The Speedster is an ugly little bastard, but its chopped windscreen and bulging arches, its pointless and very un-Porsche audacity makes it stand out in the Stuttgart pantheon like little else past or present."