When Porsche introduced the 911 Turbo for the 1975 model year, it was a feral thing. In the years since it’s been tamed. Make no mistake – it’s still one of the quickest cars available without a racing team behind it. But it’s now a trained thoroughbred where it was once a wild horse few could ride.
Today’s 911 Turbo shifts for you with a PDK dual-clutch transmission. Power goes to all four wheels, and microprocessors adjust it carefully to keep the car stable at all speeds.
Yesterday’s 911 Turbo came only with a stick shift and only in rear-wheel drive (RWD). It took a lot of skill and a lot of practice to learn how to handle the turbo’s power without all-wheel-drive grip.
Apparently, someone at Porsche misses the old days.
A RWD, Stick-Shift Throwback
For 2023, Stuttgart will build a throwback. The 2023 Porsche 911 Sport Classic once again comes only in RWD and only with a 7-speed manual transmission.
Porsche hasn’t revealed pricing for the Sport Classic but says it should reach dealerships near the end of 2022.
It still uses every modern stability control technique available. Rear-wheel-steering and active antiroll bars are standard. And Porsche actually dialed back the power of the Turbo’s engine a bit for this setup – it puts out 543 horsepower instead of the 640 of other Turbo models – to give drivers a fighting chance of getting everything out of the car.
But it may be the purest iteration of the 911’s spirit that you can buy in 2023. If, that is, you manage to buy one of the 1,250 of them Porsche plans to build.
Retro Look Complete With Ducktail Spoiler
They’ll wear the same wide body as other Turbos, but without the signature air scoops. And, in a hat tip to the 1970s classic, they get a unique ducktail spoiler found on no other 911.
In keeping with the retro theme, they get houndstooth-pattern cloth inserts on semi-aniline leather seats. Paldao wood trim completes the look. Yes, wood trim in a modern sports car.
