2023 Porsche 911 Sport Classic

You could make a strong case for purchasing just about any Porsche 911 derivative. Be it the base Carrera's more digestible price and versatility or the raucous GT3's sublime naturally-aspirated flat-six engine and phenomenal dynamics, each 911 somehow manages to carve a logical and distinct purpose for itself within the range. The new 911 Sport Classic does the same but combines some of the best Porsche ingredients into one package. This is the closest thing you'll get to a 911 Turbo with a stick.

Its retro design flourishes were inspired by the original 911 and the classic Carrera RS 2.7. With a manual gearbox and rear-wheel drive, it's a purer sports car than the 911 Turbo, yet 543 horsepower ensures it's the most powerful manual 911 available today. With production limited to 1,250 units, the new 911 Sport Classic screams "collector's item" louder than any other 911 on sale right now.

The 2023 Porsche 911 Sport Classic's release date will be sometime towards the end of 2022, when it will arrive as a 2023 model. Only 1,250 units will be produced and we expect these to sell out quickly.

For now, the 2023 Porsche 911 Sport Classic's price has yet to be revealed. However, with its exclusivity and retro touches, we wouldn't be surprised if it exceeded the $207,000 MSRP of the Turbo S in the USA.

For less money, you could drive off in a Mercedes-AMG GT C Coupe, or you could get the Ferrari Roma for a slightly higher cost. Both are more charismatic than the Porsche, but for the diehard 911 purist, the new Sport Classic has no rivals.

Few cars are as instantly recognizable as the 911 based only on a shadowy silhouette. It's a quality of Porsche's core model that delights brand loyalists and instantly puts the average Koenigsegg or Lamborghini fan to sleep. We find the Porsche 911 Sport Classic's exterior to be just about perfect. The proportions are familiar but it draws inspiration from the original 911 and the 1972 911 Carrera RS 2.7 with add-ons like the unmistakable 'ducktail' fixed rear spoiler. It is based on the wide body of the current 911 Turbo and also has a double-bubble roof.

The Porsche 911 Sport Classic's colors include Black, Agate Grey Metallic, and Gentian Blue Metallic, but it's the Fashion Grey paint from the early Porsche 356 that is the most desirable. It's a look that's enlivened by twin hood stripes and a light Sports Grey hue for the roof and rear spoiler. As for the wheels, they're a modern interpretation of the classic Fuchs design and measure 20 inches in front and 21 inches at the back. The Turbo's side air intakes have been removed on the Sport Classic.

The Porsche 911 Sport Classic's specific dimensions haven't yet been published by the automaker but we expect them to closely mirror those of the 911 Turbo. That car has a length of 178.6 inches, a width of 79.7 inches with the mirrors, a height of 51.3 inches, and a 96.5-inch wheelbase. With a manual gearbox and rear-wheel drive, the Sport Classic is likely to be lighter than the Turbo's curb weight of 3,635 pounds.

While Porsche's dual-clutch automatic gearbox in the Turbo and Turbo S is brilliant, it can never completely replace a manual. The new Porsche 911 Sport Classic coupe remedies this by coming with a seven-speed manual gearbox exclusively. As for the Porsche 911 Sport Classic's engine, it's the familiar 3.7-liter twin-turbocharged flat-six. However, its output has been reduced for its pairing with the manual. Now producing 543 hp and 442 lb-ft of torque, it's still enough to make this the most powerful 911 manual yet. All that power is directed to the rear wheels exclusively.

We don't expect the Sport Classic to match the 911 Turbo's 0-60 mph time of 2.7 seconds but it will still be devilishly quick. The manual transmission comes with an auto-blip function to compensate for engine-speed variances when shifting gears, and the sports exhaust has been uniquely tuned for an especially emotive soundtrack. The suspension, based on the 911 Turbo and 911 GTS models, comes with the Porsche Active Suspension Management system.

Porsche claims a combined 12.6 liters per 100 km on the WLTP cycle, which translates to roughly 18.6 mpg. However, EPA ratings have yet to be published.

The throwback theme continues in the Porsche 911 Sport Classic's interior. Details like the gold-colored limited edition plaque on the dashboard serve as a reminder of the car's exclusivity, but the Porsche 911 Sport Classic's seats steal the show. The seat centers and door panels feature the iconic Pepita (or houndstooth pattern), a black and white diamond design with slanted stripes that was first used in the original 911 in 1965. It's complemented by two-tone Black Nappa leather and semi-aniline leather in Cognac, along with open-pored wood Paldao interior trim. The base 911 is sturdy and logical inside but hardly imaginative. In the Sport Classic's spec, the interior looks fantastic.

There are other delightful details to take in upon closer inspection. The original 911 crest is repeated on the steering wheel, headrests, and even the key pouch. The white dials with green numerals are a throwback to the 356, and the same goes for the central Sport Chrono stopwatch. Heritage design floor mats and a perforated Race-Tex roof lining that "exudes the spirit of the 60s and 70s" are part of the deal, too.

As for the Porsche 911 Sport Classic's cargo space, we expect it to match the normal Turbo's 9.3-cubic-foot rear luggage compartment and 4.5-cubic-foot front trunk.