Lee Sibley By Lee Sibley 1 year ago

3 lessons from the 911 S/T launch you might have missed

At last, the 992 S/T has landed. Here’s three things we learned from the new Porsche 911 model’s official launch

A de-winged GT3 RS with manual gearbox, lightweight flywheel and short-ratio gearbox. For many, such a sentence would neatly describe their ideal, fantasy Porsche 911.
Yet this is no fantasy. With this new 992 Porsche 911 S/T, such a specification is gorgeous, unbridled reality.
Launched from its production location in Weissach, Stuttgart, the new S/T is set to be the Porsche 911 of the decade, and assumes the crown from the 2016 R as the ultimate modern collectible 911.
You’ll no doubt have soaked up every last detail on the car from elsewhere (just like we did!), but there are a couple of facts left ‘unsaid’, which we’ve pointed out below.
Anyway, on to our three key points you may have missed:

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    1) There will be no ’60 Jahre’ 911
    Although the new S/T isn’t badged as an ‘Anniversary’, unlike the 30th, 40th and 50th Anniversary 911s of decades prior, Porsche has made clear the S/T is a present to itself – and its customers – to celebrate 60 years of the Porsche 911. Indeed, Porsche AG quotes ‘the anniversary model’ no less than six times in its 875-word press release of the 992 S/T, so the intentions are clear.
    This has a significant knock-on effect, as it means Porsche will not be releasing an official Anniversary 911 in its own right, for the first time in 30 years.
      2) The S/T is NOT one of the four Heritage Design Edition Cars
      Much confusion was evident among enthusiasts in the run-up to the S/T’s release, as spy shots had shown a badge on the car’s decklid, which many mistakenly thought was the signifier this S/T was to hail from Porsche Exclusiv Manufaktur’s Heritage Design department. However, 9WERKS had always insisted this was not the case, after Boris Apenbrink, head of Exclusive, told us at the Sport Classic launch that none of his department’s cars would utilise a Motorsport flat six engine.
      The S/T’s reveal has confirmed this. While a Heritage Design package is optional, the S/T is a thoroughbred Motorsport car, and not one of the four Heritage Design Edition cars originally slated for release by the end of 2023. Only two have been revealed so far (the Targa and Sport Classic) so at this stage we’d bet the final two models have been delayed into 2024. 
        3) Around 120 Porsche 911 S/Ts are likely to come to the UK
        Porsche has said 1,963 S/Ts will be made for worldwide markets, in celebration of the 911’s first release in 1963. 9WERKS has previously calculated, based on past models and allocations, that between 5-7% of special edition Porsche 911s are allocated to the UK market, which means between 98-137 examples of S/T will make their way to these shores from the factory as a C16 vehicle, distributed by 46 Official Porsche Centres (OPCs).
        That would be roughly double the number of 911 Rs made for the UK market, which was registered at 61 from the production run of 991…
        In a world where many manufacturers are compelled into rethinking their product offerings for the electric market, 9WERKS takes its hat off to Porsche for daring to push the envelope for the 911 in its most traditional format. We can’t wait to see one in the flesh. 

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