2023 Porsche 911 Sport Classic

Offered for sale is this 2023 Porsche 911 Turbo Sport Classic. 

When the original Porsche 911 Turbo arrived on the market in 1975, it made waves for being one of the fastest cars in the world. One of the earliest applications of turbocharging for production cars, Porsche drew on their experience with forced induction in endurance racing and Le Mans wins to apply it to their iconic sports car. With 256 horsepower in a light compact 911 form factor, the Turbo was an instant hit.

It was also, even by contemporary standards, a demanding car to drive quickly. The real meaning of 'lift-off oversteer' became synonymous with the mighty Porsche, which simply did not respond kindly to drivers who would let off the gas in the middle of a turn - the shift in weight balance would often cause the rear end to suddenly step out, and getting it to come back required real skill and fast reactions. With all the drivetrain weight in the rear, and turbo boost that would come on and do its level best to break the traction of the rear tires, it became a given that this Turbo model required a particular set of skills to properly take advantage of its abilities. Of course, enthusiasts of a certain stripe saw the Turbo as a challenge to be mastered. And it was true that once a driver learned to anticipate and exploit the rear weight bias, the Turbo could reward a driver - a precise one, to put a finer point on it - who knew had to work with the unique dynamics of the Turbo. 

In typical Porsche style, of course, as the years have gone by, the Turbo 911 has become not only quicker, but also more stable, as bit by bit the engineers devised ways to keep the Turbo from trying to swap ends, even while making them steadily faster. The biggest tipping point of that speed-to-stability balance was the arrival of the 959 in the late '80s, where Porsche demonstrated how all-wheel drive could go a long way towards saving an overenthusiastic driver from losing grip. So from 1996 on, with the arrival of the 993 Twin turbo with all-wheel drive, the beast that was the Porsche Turbo was capable of enduring the mistakes that a less talented driver would inflict on the super car.

And yet… as breathtakingly capable as a new 911 Turbo is, it seems that there was some desire among Porsche enthusiasts for some of that old sense of edginess. Although an all-wheel drive is effortlessly capable and grip is always available, some people missed that liveliness that can only happen when a car tries to put its power down through two wheels rather than four. A 'classic' 911 experience, in essence.

So, that’s where the 911 Turbo Sport Classic comes in. It lives up to its name with specification that mirrors the critical details of the original 911 Turbo from the '70s - big turbo boost, rear-wheel drive only, and a manual transmission with three pedals being your only choice. While it has all the critical modern conveniences and systems one reasonably expects of a modern GT, it’s become highly valued by those who indulge an edgier and more organic experience - the manual transmission/rear drive setup requiring more attention and patience than the 'regular' 911 Turbo, with its all-wheel drive and PDK semi-automatic doing the heavy work for the driver. But that patience and attention is rewarded with a car that is livelier - more likely to move around in corners, lighter in the nose and quicker to turn in, and encourage the driver to engage more fully in the experience. 

This is notable, as cars have become so capable and secure, that a car like the Sport Classic becomes enjoyable even as it can’t compete with the all-wheel-drive 911 Turbo strictly on the numbers. It will always be slightly slower than its brother, yet for the right owner, the experience is that much more fulfilling. 

As always with any special model Porsche, the limited run of the Sport Classic ensures that its value remains substantial. But as a proper driver's car, the Classic stands out for its purity of purpose.

This Sport Classic is finished in Sport Grey over the Heritage specification Black with semi-aniline Classic Cognac trim, and powered by a 3.8-liter, twin-turbocharged boxer six-cylinder engine running to the rear wheels through a seven-speed manual transmission. It has covered 117 original miles, or about 188 kilometers.

Highlights of the specification include:

• SPORT GREY METALLIC FINISH 
• PEDALS & FOOTREST IN ALUMINUM
• LIGHTWEIGHT & NOISE INSULATED GLASS
• PREPARATION FOR PORSCHE DASHCAM
• POWER FOLDING EXTERIOR MIRRORS
• FIRE EXTINGUISHER
• SURROUND VIEW
• NIGHT VISION ASSIST
• BURMESTER HIGH-END SURROUND SOUND SYSTEM
• EXTERIOR MIRROR BASE IN EXTERIOR COLOR
• EXTERIOR SILVER ACCENT PACKAGE
• POWER STEERING PLUS
• LANE KEEP ASSIST (LKA) W/TRAFFIC SIGN RECOGNITION
• INDIVIDUAL LIMITATION NUMBER
• SUN VISORS IN RACE-TEX
• FRONT PROTECTION FILM
• CLASSIC COGNAC/BLACK, LEATHER SEAT TRIM W/TWO-TONE HERITAGE DESIGN INT
• PERSONAL START NUMBER
• EXCLUSIVE DESIGN TAILLIGHTS
• INTERIOR TRIM INLAYS IN LEATHER
• STORAGE PACKAGE
• IONIZER
• LANE CHANGE ASSIST (LCA)
• UNDER DOOR PUDDLE LIGHT PROJECTORS