When Porsche started thinking about a Speedster based on the 911, almost 30 years had passed since the 356 Speedster. Nevertheless, the legendary reputation of the original Speedster continued to resonate well into the 1980s, so there were high hopes for a successor.
However, it was to take another five years from the first prototype (the Bott Speedster from 1982) before a near-series version could be shown at the IAA in Frankfurt in 1987. And even this did not go into series production, because unlike the narrow Frankfurt prototype, the Speedster then went into production with the wide turbo body and became a success.
The story behind the success
It may come as a surprise that there are still so many secrets to be revealed about a model that is not even thirty years old. In fact, book author Andreas Gabriel found many answers to previously unanswered questions: Why was the 911 Speedster presented at the IAA 1987 with the slim body, but could then only be ordered in turbo look? Why was the successor 964 Speedster only available in the slim version after customers had already become accustomed to the turbo look? Why was an official Speedster version of the last air-cooled Porsche 911 "993" never built?
Many conversations with the builders
Gabriel owes the fact that these questions could be answered to his conversations with the makers behind the various Speedster models. In this case, he was helped by the fact that the 911 Speedsters are only thirty years old and those involved in the various series are still alive.
Through all versions
The book traces the development from the first prototype, through the series versions of the 911 (wide and narrow), the 964 variant (narrow and wide), the 993 prototype to the 997 Speedster of the model years 2010 to 2011.
And of course the ancestor is also extensively documented, as an introduction so to speak.
Complete statistics
In addition to the development and series history, there is an extensive statistics section spread throughout the book, which lists the individual chassis numbers, but also shows equipment and country-specific variants individually. The colors ordered are also evaluated.
For example, you can see that Indian red was the most popular color, but that three units were also sold in Murano green and four in apricot beige. There were also 79 examples in special colors of your choice. We also learn that of the 2104 911 Speedsters produced, only 161 were delivered in the narrow version and that the catalytic converter models predominated.
The statistics section is thanks to co-author Tobias Kindermann.
The drivers also have their say
The narrative and statistics sections are supplemented and brought to life by interviews with Speedster owners.
This runs through the entire book and gives the reader further perspectives on the special and rare Speedster models.
Powerful images
Despite the comprehensive text section and the extensive statistical elements, the 396-page book still has enough space for large-format pictures (almost always half or full-page), which the reader can of course expect. In this respect, the book is just as suitable as a reference work as it is as a coffee-table book.
In addition to many factory pictures, some of which have probably never been seen before, many new pictures have also been contributed to this Porsche book (a work on the Porsche Turbo was published a year ago), showing the various models in interesting surroundings. Given the wealth of material, it is understandable that not all the pictures are convincing in their own right, especially as the aim was to document the rare models, such as the 993 Speedster (ex Jerry Seinfeld), in detail.
A must for Speedster fans and owners
The bilingual (German/English) Editors Edition "Porsche Speedster - Legends live forever 1989-2011" is limited to 997 copies. Each one is available for EUR 119.80 (plus shipping), so there is not even a volume for every Speedster driver. But not only owners, but also Porsche fans should find a lot of interesting information in this generously designed book.
Bibliographical details
- Title: "Porsche Speedster - Legends live forever 1989-2011"
- Authors: Andreas Gabriel and Tobias Kindermann
- Languages: German/English
- Publisher: Berlin Motor books
- Edition: 1st edition 2016, limited to 997 copies
- Format: Hardcover in slipcase, 26.5 x 30.5 cm (portrait format)
- Scope: 396 pages, over 200 illustrations
- ISBN: 78-3-9814592-2-7
- Price: EUR 119.80 (plus shipping, incl. VAT)
- Order: Online at the publisher Berlin Motor Books
