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| Porsche 911 Carrera Speedster 1989 |
The words “Porsche” and “Speedster” have become synonymous over the past half-century, with the spartan open-top sports car of the 1950s representing one of the most exciting and sought-after models ever produced by the German automaker. In the mid-1980s, Porsche President Peter Schutz approved a modern update as a way to re-ignite some of that excitement, and the result was the Carrera Speedster. It was a single-year-only offering that was introduced for the 1989 model year, which not coincidentally was the 25th anniversary of the 911.
Only 2,104 examples of the new Speedster were built between January and September of 1989, and of that total, only 823 were delivered to the United States. The Speedster, option number M503, was the last variant based on the outgoing K-program chassis, which was soon to be replaced by the almost totally new Type 964. Porsche offered the new Speedster in both slant-nose and turbo-body variants in Germany, but only the turbo-look was sold in the U.S.
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| Porsche 911 Carrera Speedster 1989 |
The 911 Speedster was distinctively shaped by Porsche’s styling department, then under the direction of Tony Lapine. It offered a cut-down windshield reminiscent of the original, a minimal “emergency” single-layer fabric top, and a twin-humped fiberglass tonneau that covered the area where the occasional rear seats would have lived. The front quarter windows were eliminated, and the new side windows were manually operated. Like the original 356 Speedster, the new version was rarely seen with its top up.
The car’s reduced height was accentuated by its wide-body turbo-look flares. A new front spoiler with integrated fog lamps was introduced in 1989. The windshield, more sharply slanted than that of a standard Carrera, could be removed with basic hand tools, just like the original. At the Speedster’s introduction, Lapine quipped that it was “driving in its airiest form.”
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| Porsche 911 Carrera Speedster 1989 |
Like the rest of the immensely popular 3.2 Carrera line introduced in 1984, the Speedster was fitted with a rear-mounted, air-cooled SOHC flat-six (Type 930/25) of 3,164-cubic centimeter displacement. This engine, equipped with Bosch LE-Jetronic fuel injection, could produce 215 horsepower at 5,900 rpm. Maximum torque was 195 foot-pounds at 4,800 rpm, which was delivered through a Type G50 fully synchronized five-speed manual transaxle. Oil-fed chain tensioners, which were introduced on the Carrera-series engines, helped to make this a very robust and long-lived powerplant. Power-assisted and ventilated disc brakes were mounted at all four corners, with an 11.8-inch diameter in the front and a 12.1-inch diameter in the rear.
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| Porsche 911 Carrera Speedster 1989 |
This 1989 Porsche Speedster left the factory on June 16, 1989. It was ordered in Code G1 Guards Red with a black folding top and Black partial leather seats. Its factory specification sheet shows it was delivered with front and rear stabilizer bars and anodized Fuchs alloy wheels: 7Jx16, mounted with 205/55 tires, and 9Jx16, mounted with 245/45 tires. Security locks for the wheels were standard equipment, as were integrated fog lights, rock-chip protection for the rear fenders, a four-speaker audio package, and a pair of heated and electrically adjustable outside rearview mirrors.
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| Porsche 911 Carrera Speedster 1989 |
Extra-cost options ordered with this car included a raised hub sport steering wheel, a Blaupunkt Reno SQR46 AM/FM/Cassette stereo system, a shorter gearshift lever, cruise control, a security system, air conditioning, and black velour carpeting in the front trunk compartment. A rear storage compartment below the tonneau cover was also fitted as standard to the Speedster package. The base retail price for the 1989 Speedster was $65,480, but the optional equipment on this car pushed the cost to $69,707. With delivery charges, the final price was $70,272. Enthusiasts quickly noted that unlike the original Speedster—a bare-bones, lower-cost open 356—the new model was quite a bit more expensive than a standard Carrera Cabriolet.
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