Porsche reveals a limited-edition 50th Anniversary 911

Porsche have announced their 50-Years Edition 911 and it’s a little less unique than their typical anniversary editions.

I should know, we have a 40th anniversary 911 in our household, which was based on the Type 996, painted uniquely in GT Silver metallic and powered by an uprated 340bhp 3.6-litre version of Porsche’s venerable flat-six engine.

The latest 911 50-Years Edition is a bog standard 911 Carrera S at heart, with that car’s same 394bhp 3.8-litre flat-six engine. Like its predecessor, Porsche will limit production to just 1,963 units (reflecting the year of the 911’s original production), but unlike the 40th anniversary model you can choose between three exterior colours – Graphite Grey, Geyser Grey metallic or Black – and two interior finishes – Agate Grey or Black.

It sprints from zero to 62 mph in 4.5 seconds (4.3 secs with PDK) – the same as a standard Carrera S – and can reach a top speed of 186 mph (185 mph with PDK) – 2 mph less than the standard car. Fuel consumption is 29.7 mpg (32.5 mpg with PDK), which equates to CO2 emissions of 224 g/km (205 g/km with PDK).

Each car is liberally decorated with ‘911 50’ logos including a two-tone 3D-style badge on the rear lid, three-colour embroidered finish on the head restraints, plus a two-colour logo on the rev counter and aluminium door sill plates.

If that seems restrained for a limited-edition 911, don’t worry, there’s more – the ‘911 50’ logo is also displayed on the passenger side fascia strip together with the limited edition number of the individual vehicle.

A Carrera 4 in all but drivetrain

The special 50th anniversary 911 uses the 44mm wider body of the Carrera 4, so you’ll spot the increased width of its track and hear its more emotively sounding sports exhaust. It can also be distinguished by new 20-inch diameter five-spoke cast alloy wheels inspired by the ‘Fuchs’ design of the first 911s. These are finished in matt black paint with machine-polished centres.

As with all anniversary 911s, they’re special because of the details and the 50-Years Edition is a beaut – there are bespoke chrome strips on the fins of the engine compartment grille which are complemented by special trims on the front air inlets, and a strip across the car between the rear lights.

Inside, there is green labelling on the instruments with white pointer needles and silver caps on the instrument pivot pins. Another unique feature is the centre panel of the leather seats, which is designed with a fabric pattern inspired by the ‘Pepita’ tartan design from the 1960s.

Other distinguishing features of this 50th anniversary 911 include high-gloss window frames and SportDesign exterior mirrors. Porsche have added their Dynamic Light System (PDLS) as standard along with standard Carrera S equipment including Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) and Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV) with rear limited slip differential.

More than 820,000 Porsche 911s have been built since its debut in September 1963, making it the most successful sports car in the world. Whether the 50-Years Edition will combat this ubiquity remains a task for the history books, but it certainly seems a fitting marker by which to celebrate a unique milestone for the car which most people thought would be replaced by the 928.

The price for all this uniqueness is a modest £92,257, or around £9,000 more than a standard Carrera S. Coinciding with its launch at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the first right-hand drive cars will arrive with customers from September.