The lighter and lighter Porsche 911 Speedster is ready for production

At least a year Rennsport Reunion Festival in Monterey, California, Porsche has left a pair of delicious machines on the faithful participants. The first was the rebirth of the 935 epic as a runway only Monster based on GT2 RS. Although limited to only 77 units, it was at least a production car. The other was a concept, the 911 Speedsterbut Porsche did not make us wait long for the production version, making its debut this week in New York.

I'm happy to report that virtually nothing has changed from the concept I saw last year to become the production version. In keeping with the history of the Speedster brand (and, before, the iconic 356 1500 America Roadster), this latest version of the 911 is reduced to about as much as a modern 911.

Visually, this starts with a windshield and a side window chopped, which creates a low posture that is taken up by the new trunk lid. A pair of aerodynamic bumps to bounce is proud, but, breaking the theme of retro, this surface is carbon fiber. The front hood and fenders are also fabric, while the front and rear fascias are lightweight polyurethane.

The lightness continues inside, removing the car's air conditioning system – although buyers who prefer comfort to purity can reinstate it as a no-cost option. However, the car does not really have a roof. There is a manual, cloth top, but it's probably not the kind of thing you'll want to fiddle with every day.

The brakes are lightweight, carbon-ceramic and the only transmission offered is a six-speed manual transmission, 9 pounds lighter than Porsche's seven-speed gearbox, 40 pounds lighter than the PDK and, in my experience, far more gratifying than these two models. . This corresponds to the same engine, flat six-cylinder 4.0-liter, found in the GT3 and GT3 RS, an engine capable of screaming up to 9,000 rpm. There are no turbos, which also reduces the weight due to the relative lack of plumbing.

The net result is a car that weighs 3,230 pounds. Of course, it's not a Miata, but it's a saving of about 200 pounds compared to the standard 911 coupe. That, combined with the excellent six-speed engine and the incredible engine, should allow for rewarding driving when it hits the road later in the year. With orders open on May 7, Porschephiles will want to start harassing its local dealers right now. Cost? $ 274,500, plus a destination fee of $ 1,250. As is often the case with fast cars: less is more.