Porsche to expand production of ‘purist’ 911s

Porsche is gearing-up to launch a successor to last year's driver-focused 911 R sports car, but this time it won't be restricted by limited production numbers.

The company's research and development chief, Michael Steiner, told Autocar that the firm sees the “potential for more purist versions of sports cars” that are available to more of its customers.

He adds that last year’s limited-edition 911 R made the carmaker realise “that there are more and more customers who enjoy pure, fun-to-drive sports cars”.

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“Porsche always has some limited as well as unlimited sports cars,” he says. “For pure sports cars, there’s no need for [production] limitation.”

Driver-focused versions of the 911 are often only available in small numbers and can significantly appreciate in value in a relatively short period of time, says Motor1.

Last year’s 911 R was essentially a track-focused 911 GT3 without the large wings and paddle-shift automatic gearbox. It also increased the GT3’s naturally aspirated flat-six engine from 3.8 litres to 4.0 litres and added in fabric trim elements in the cockpit for a more traditional feel.

Only 991 examples of the 911 R reached production, with prices starting at £136,901.

But Motor1 says its limited availability and driver-centric design sent values rocketing on the used car market, with one owner placing a $1.25m (£970,000) price tag on an example that was only a year old.

Having a higher production limit for the new car should help the company meet demand and stabilise second-hand values.

It’s not yet known when the driver-focused 911 will appear or how much it will cost, but Autocar says “the model is more likely to be destined for the current generation of the 911” as a new version of the iconic sports car isn’t expected until 2019.