Porsche 911 Sport Classic

What is it?

A special-edition 911 limited to 250 examples.

it's called "Sport" because it runs an uprated version of the 3.8-litre direct-injection Carrera S engine (with an additional 22bhp), and a standard sport chassis. It gets "Classic" because it incorporates styling cues taken from Porsche’s back catalogue – most relevant of all, the fixed position ducktail spoiler, not seen since the 2.7 RS.

Also making a comeback are Fuchs-style alloys and black surrounds for the headlights, a detail from the 1974 Turbo RSR.

Other distinguishing features are: the use of the wider body from the Carrera 4 without all-wheel drive, a double-bubble roof, and a mandatory Classic Grey colour.

What’s it like?

Surprisingly comfortable. If you’re expecting a stripped-out semi-GT car, then that is not what the Sport Classic is about. Instead the interior draws heavily on Porsche’s Exclusive department, so much of the cabin is finished in the Expresso Nature (dark brown) leather, including the air vents and door handles.

There’s also a 1970s-style checkerboard finish to door skins, and a different style of carpet, gearlever and handbrake than you’ll find in a regular Carrera.

The way it goes down to road is also surprisingly relaxed. We’ve tried sport chassis-equipped Carrera S models before, and found that while they offer more precision and control than the regular car, they can feel a little jittery over broken surfaces. Something the Sport Classic doesn’t.

While the Sport Classic does have the advantage of standard-fit ceramic brakes, which reduce unsprung mass, we’ve tried a similarly equipped Carrera S previously and the new car is better still.

It has a slightly old-fashioned softness to the way it rides bumps and crests, and yet there is all the accuracy and body control you could need. It even steers more sweetly than we remember recent Carreras doing.

This could be down to the fact that our German Sport Classic came fitted with Bridgestones rather than Michelin tyres Porsche UK normally fits. And although the 1425Kg kerb weight is identical to that of a regular Carrera S – aluminium doors counterbalance the additional weight of the flared rear arches – the Sport Classic feels somehow lighter and more nimble.

To feel the benefit of the extra power you need to rev the engine to within 1500rpm of the redline, but doing so rewards with not only more outright speed but more vigour.

And a standard non-switchable sports exhaust helps with the sense of occasion, even if it could be a fraction fruiter still. The Sport Classic is manual only, which suits its back to basics character.

What’s most impressive, though, is that the Sport Classic feels so nicely balanced, not in solely in terms of handling, but in the balance of power, grip, traction, and in the measure of the control weights, which are tacile without being overly heavy. Overall it feels rounded and rewarding.

But what’s curious about the Sport Classic is the unlikely combination of extrovert design details and plush interior, paired with a chassis that feels pure and unfussy.