Porsche appears to be gearing up to reveal yet another in a series of heritage-inspired 911 models.
Following the reveal of the Sport Classic, our spy photographers have captured what’s believed to be the upcoming 911 ST, a nameplate previously used on a lightweight 911 model.
This so-called 911 ST is expected to become the third in a series of four collectable 911s commemorating classic models. The series currently consists of the 911 Targa 4S Heritage Design Edition and the 911 Sport Classic.
Based on what appears to be the Porsche 911 GT3 Touring, this 911 ST spied prototype has a double-bubble roof like the 911 Sport Classic, as well as front wheel arch vents that look similar to ones that have been previously seen on spied 911 GT3 RS prototypes.
If you look closely you’ll see that there are regular, pull-out door handles like those on the previous 911 GT3 RS. Regular 911 models have retractable door handles.
It’s expected these conventional door handles are lighter than the electronically-retractable units, demonstrating Porsche is exhaustively searching for ways to make the 911 lighter.
There are also large, black-finish alloy wheels with centre-locking hubs and large, drilled brake discs that can be seen behind them.
On the back there appears to be a camouflaged Porsche Heritage badge on the mesh engine cover. This placement of the badge is synonymous with Porsche’s two other 911 models inspired by classic models.
Although we haven’t seen the interior of the 911 ST yet, it’s expected to have a minimalistic interior to save as much weight as possible.
It’s unclear what’ll be powering this 911 ST at this stage, or if it’ll receive any modifications to make it more or less powerful than the regular 911 GT3.
The GT3 uses a 4.0-litre naturally-aspirated flat-six engine with 375kW of power and a 9000rpm redline, good for a 3.4-second sprint to 100km/h with the seven-speed PDK transmission fitted.
The engine is derived from the unit in the 911 R endurance racer, and is actually used in the 911 Cup car with minimal changes.
At this stage there’s no information about when the 911 ST will debut.
The original Porsche 911 ST was developed as a race car in the early 1970s and there were only 24 examples produced, which makes it one of the rarest 911 variants ever made.
Porsche’s goal while designing the original 911 ST was to create the lightest 911 it had ever built to date, and it featured a fully stripped-out interior.
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