Two very limited Porsche 911 Carrera S editions arrive in Australia as a local 1965 tribute.
The things you might do if you had plenty of money and a love of cars both old and new is to customise your very own Porsche 911 through the special Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur to honour an original.
Or, if you were short on ideas and time, you could might just buy one of two special editions already customised by Porsche Australia that salute to the very first 911 which landed on Australian soil over 50 years ago.
“It’s a modern day homage that captures the spirit of its ancestor, but in a thoroughly modern, appropriate way.”
Honouring the first Porsche 911 ever sold here, Porsche Australia has customised two special 992-generation homages that mimic the options on the Australian-delivered 1965 model.
Not everything can be copied across, of course, but the essence of the original inspired choices on the new 911 special.
‘Steingrau’ grey was the colour South Australian pastoralist Ron Angas selected for his new German coupe, which would eventually be delivered through then-Porsche distributor Norman Hamilton. It had green leather trim upholstery to contrast against the maple yellow dashboard and a real wood steering wheel, something that wouldn’t fare well against today’s ANCAP crash safety ratings.
The new 911 homage, optioned through the exclusive Porsche Manufaktur program, is finished in Steingau’s closest modern-day equivalent, ‘Crayon’ grey, a shade which also covers the rear engine hatch, Manufaktur SportDesign sideskirts, side mirrors, and Carrera Exclusive 20-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels, just like the original (sans the rather large rims). Even the brake callipers are finished in matching black paint.
Inside is Agave Green Club leather stitched together with contrasting Canyon grey fabric with matching Agave Green seatbelts. The finishing touch is a ‘1965 Reimagined’ illuminated door sill.
Missing from the new 911 is the five-speed manual of the original, though the eight-speed PDK auto brings the 992 to 100km/h from a standstill much faster. Other modern conveniences are electric seats with memory function and a large digital screen with the latest Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.
Based on the Carrera S, the’1965 Reimagined’ edition brings a $60,000 premium, priced at $332,470 plus on-roads. Unlike the original Norman Hamilton delivery, there is one model in each of Australia’s two largest Porsche Centres.
Both are genuine Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur builds with certification, “guaranteeing the highest possible level of competence in the area of customisation options,” says Porsche.
“It’s incredible that 55 years on from the original 911 delivery to Australia, we can now replicate some of the features in the modern vehicle. It showcases that the 911 is timeless,” adds general manager of sales at Porsche Centre Sydney South, Lee Hallett, where one of the models is on offer.
“The concept was to take the 1965 911 and reimagine that car and what we could do with it in 2020,” says Melbourne Porsche Centre sales manager Dean Williams, presiding over the second model on sale.
Homage or not, both are very nice customisations on the new 922 911.
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