Frankfurt 2009: Porsche 911 Sport Classic shares a funky tail, funky colors
by Jonathon Ramsey on Sep 16th 2009 at 6:01AM 
Porsche 911 Sport Classic - Click above for high-res image gallery
The seriously limited edition Porsche 911 Sport Classic -- for Porsche, at least -- makes our nostalgic tails wag, even though the gray exterior color is difficult to pin down and we couldn't get over the feeling when we checked out the Espresso-hued internals that we were looking at an entirely different car.
Even after all that, though, we weren't put off: what could have been a regrettable voyage to schmaltzy contrivances actually shapes up with modern purpose. Buyers can expect to be enchanted by vented tail, booming exhaust pipes, and Fuchs wheels, and more than adequately propelled by the 403 hp out back. The appreciation on its €169,300 ($240,702 USD) purchase price began yesterday.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
nastinupe 7:30AM (9/16/2009)
Whom ever buys this car over a Turbo, GT3, GT3 RS, or GT2 are complete idiots. This is the cost of two 911's, WTF?
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Jim Dubois 8:04AM (9/16/2009)
Love the retro touches like duck tail and Fuchs but the astronomical $240K price tag for what is basically a gussied up C2S makes no sense when that is Ferrari, Lambo, MB SLS, Aston Vantage V12 price territory.
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JayP 8:39AM (9/16/2009)
Love those wheels.
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In2uition 8:33AM (9/16/2009)
That price is not officially confirmed for the US market.....
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MikeInNC 8:38AM (9/16/2009)
I'm betting it won't be priced as high in the US but man o' man do I love the Fuch's wheels and the duck tail. Reminds me of my old GP White '72 911T. Where are the chrome headlamp rings (ha ha)?
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Carlos 8:40AM (9/16/2009)
Even if this is priced at 120k why would you buy this? This is definitely not a bang for your buck.
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TSLegendary 8:49AM (9/16/2009)
The rear wheel's could use a tiny tad bit of offset for my taste. Other then that well executed.
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Venom 11:16AM (9/16/2009)
I can't wait till I see someone buy this car so I can laugh at them incessantly for spending double for the same car.
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BoxerFanatic 11:51AM (9/16/2009)
Currency conversion is not the only aspect of market pricing in different countries.
Write that 100 times, if you think that converting the german price directly to US dollars is accurate. It is not.
On the car itself...
Generally like it. Not completely, though. The front end from the GT3 is too busy, and not simple and smooth like the classic 911s.
like the roof divot detail. It needs a notched down hood, for even a faux cowl cabin air intake, like the air-cooled body shells had.
Like the fuchs wheels... but agree, a bit more drama on the wider rear wheels would be better. more dish, more "lip", or something.
The ducktail spoiler... so close, yet so far away. At first glance, it looks like there are heat extraction vents on the top. But that is a high pressure zone, and wouldn't be great for even laminar flow extraction characteristics. A vent on the back side (much lower pressure zone) of the spoiler would pull hot air out of the engine bay much more effectively, one would think...
But then further pictures show, those top vents being air intakes for the airbox under the engine lid. Slightly better, but still a bit odd. that location probably ingests a lot of water in the rain, hopefully the airbox is baffled to not soak the air filters. The registers are relatively flat, so they don't actively catch airflow as it is going by, and what vacuum does come from the airbox only serves to diminish the air pressure that creates down-force on the spoiler.
Unless the spoiler is not intended to provide much of any downforce, but only laminar disruption and eddie currents behind the car to reduce some of the low pressure trailing drag. Or just to "look pretty."
It just seems that the functions are mixed in an odd way, that an extractor would be better behind the ducktail, and that an intake should be more forward facing to "scoop" the airflow more positively.
Personally, I think it would do better if the ducktail were slightly more horizontal, on the top and bottom, just slightly more like a "whale-tail" type of angle, using the duck-tail's inherent narrow width, short depth shape, and have the intakes be louvered with forward facing slats, not to induce a lot of drag, but to still capture laminar flow for the engine intake.
I also wish the Sport Classic had a more classically smooth and streamlined form, with a minimum of slats and scoops, only those needed to feed and cool the car. It obviously needs some, but the electric Ruf Coupe was a much smoother form. with some necessary concessions to cooling airflow for an internal combustion car, as close to that sort of smooth and streamlined would be welcomed on a retro car like this.
The original 911s even up through the 2.7RS models, were fairly simple, unadorned designs, not with 5 or more scoops on the front end, and extractors behind the rear wheels, and all of that.
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RLQ 7:16PM (9/16/2009)
Hot looking car, but way overpriced.
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HeyHuub 3:02AM (9/17/2009)
In before idiots who think it's gonna cost $240k ..... oh wait
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