1989 Porsche 911 Speedster in Monterey, California

Chassis No. WP0EB0915KS173306
Engine No. 64K05845

With the iconic 911 nearing its twenty-fifth anniversary, the Porsche faithful had high expectations that Stuttgart would release a special model for 1989. Borrowing styling touches from the original 356 Speedster, the redesigned Speedster debuted in 1989 for just a single production year. Like the original, the new 911 Speedster offered modified exterior styling with a highly raked windshield that transitions through a low-slung Haartz fabric soft top to the dual hump rear tonneau cover, replacing the rear seats to complete the iconic Speedster shape. These exterior styling touches resulted in the windshield being about three inches shorter than that of a Carrera, giving the immediate impression that this was not just any 911, but something truly special.

Porsche smartly equipped the Speedster with its venerable 3.2-liter air-cooled, fuel-injected flat-six. With the top down, the driver is able to fully enjoy the sound of the glorious, naturally-aspirated flat-six engine while shifting through the G50 five-speed manual transmission. The Speedster features many subtle performance upgrades developed for top trim levels like power-assisted and cross-drilled disc brakes at all four corners. Widened rear fender flares help complete the beautiful shape while accommodating Turbo width 16-inch Fuchs forged alloy wheels and larger tires.

Produced at the Porsche factory during June of 1989, the new Speedster was equipped for the U.S.-market and completed as it appears today in its stealthy triple black livery. According to the CARFAX Vehicle History Report on file, the new Porsche was first registered in Southern California during the summer of 1991, presumably the desirable albeit quite special new 911 Speedster had been in inventory at the Porsche dealer for some time. The CARFAX further records consistent mileage readings and emission checks in Yorba Linda and Dana Point, California up through the 1990s. In 1999, the Black Speedster was sold with about 8,000 miles to a resident of the Laguna Beach, California area, from where it migrated to neighboring Newport Beach by the mid-2000s, before being acquired by a Santa Barbara, California resident in 2007 with about 18,500 miles recorded. As these limited production air-cooled Porsche 911 Speedsters became increasingly collectible in the past decade, the car was driven less and less, while still being serviced regularly. Just 21,119 miles are recorded on the odometer at the time of cataloging, and many factory finishes remain intact throughout the car. A period correct Blaupunkt Cassette radio is fitted to the unmodified dash, and the space-saver spare and inflator remain with the car. With Porsche continuing to pay homage to the Speedster with the 991-generation, it is clear the Porsche Speedster is an evergreen, perennial classic that will continue to attract collectors' attention due to both its graceful, timeless design and limited production numbers.