The German automaker has written the book on creating special-edition models – and its latest masterclass is the 1970s- and early ’80s-inspired Porsche 911 Spirit 70.
WORDS Steve Smith PHOTOS Supplied
Cars don’t get better than the Porsche 911. They really don’t. It’s oft en described as the Best Car In The World, and if you’ve been lucky enough to drive one, you’ll know that it thoroughly deserves those capital letters. Offer it a box and the 911 will tick it: timeless, understated design; impeccable build quality; snap-your-head-back performance (if you want it); comfortable drive-around-town docility (if you want that)…
Sure, it’s the design element that first hooks you, with the silhouette of the very first Porsche 356 made back in 1948 still baked into this latest-generation 911 – but driving one confirms its title. Flick a couple of switches and it’ll behave like a proper supercar; but with its relaxed and comfortable driving position and sophisticated manners, it can also contently pootle down to the shops. Put it this way: driving a 911 is the same “Oh, right; I get it now!” moment you experience seeing a Rothko painting in the flesh for the first time: it looks cool in photos, but actually seeing (or in the Porsche’s case, driving) one is practically transcendental.
Porsche is not just good at making the 911, though – the crew of its design studio in Weissach are also meisters at making special editions of this iconic model. Created as part of the Heritage Design strategy, the Spirit 70 is the third 911 variant that’s taken its cues from earlier models in the brand’s celebrated range. The first in the series was 2020’s Targa 4S Heritage Design Edition, which recalled the style of the 1950s and early ’60s; it was followed by the 911 Sport Classic in 2022, a nod the 1960s and early ’70s. All have been limited-run editions – and in keeping with that strategy, only 1 500 Spirit 70s will be made.
It’s a clever piece marketing, too: not only does it off er a special edition (and who doesn’t love a special edition?), it also shines a sparkling disco-ball light on the Exclusive Manufaktur department that allows you to customise your Porsche. There are currently more than 1 000 Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur options and, given that the average sales per vehicle with Exclusive Manufaktur options have doubled in the past five years, Porsche is planning on expanding the items in its goody box even further.
The galvanised gold-plated Porsche heritage badge on the grille of the boot lid is reminiscent of the badges awarded in the 1950s to Porsche 356 owners when they reached the 100 000km mark.
So what exactly makes this 911 Spirit 70 different, then? Well, nothing under the skin. It’s basically a 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet, which means it’s a performance hybrid with a newly developed 3.6-litre boxer engine that offers 398kW and 610Nm under your right ankle. That skin, though, is a different story. And who better to tell it than designer and project lead Thorsten Klein?
“This car never wanted to be shy or decent, so we created two new colours,” he says. “One is Olive Neo – a fresh interpretation of the olive- green from the ’70s; we also have a new Bronzite accent colour that can be found on the Fuchs rims, and on the front and back accents of the car.
“But the 1970s were also vibrant and loud, and we really wanted to do something with strong graphics. So I identified the safety graphics of the ’70s as an iconic theme to reinterpret. [Back then, sports-car drivers applied longitudinal stripes to the body of their car so that they were easier to see in the rear-view mirror at high speeds.] In the Spirit 70, the 911 logo continues in these stripes; we even have them on the roof of the convertible top.”
The ’70s theme continues inside the car with a wonderful reinterpretation of its famous “Pasha” chequered velour seat fabric – a popular choice for Porsche 911s, 924s and 928s back then. “Pasha is a reinterpretation of a start-and-fi nish-line flag, so it shows a lot of motion and emotion,” says Thorsten. “But for me, the old version of Pasha was also cosy and comforting. The interior features heritage Porsche crests on the steering wheel, a galvanised gold-plated limited-edition badge on the dashboard, and a leather option with contrast stitching in the Basalt Black club leather interior.”
Word has it, the Weissach design studio crew are already planning the next iconic reinterpretation – a 1980s-inspired special edition. Please pass my asymmetrically zippered jacket… the one with the shoulder pads. | porsche.com
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