Is This Porsche Prototype Caught in Germany Actually the Next 911 Speedster?

With the recent arrival of the 992.2-generation Porsche 911 911 GT3, the refreshed lineup is starting to fill out. Now, thanks to some recent spy shots posted by user @flachtstory on Instagram, we have a hint as to one model we can expect to see before too long. The images depict a 911 GT3-style test mule with a soft top from a Carrera cabriolet, all but confirming a fresh 992-based take on the 911 Speedster recipe.

The odd mashup was easily identified as a development mule by @flachtstory due its unique BB plates. As with most of Porsche’s recent development cars, the Speedster test car features a detail-hiding black hue and wheels, but that’s not to say we can’t spot some unique details, such as the 911 S/T front fenders. The shared top has led some to believe that Porsche will be creating a brand new GT3 cabriolet model, but that doesn’t exactly line up with the brand’s established history when it comes to the open-top 911s.

The Speedster name should be familiar to any Porsche fan, dating all the way back to the 356 Speedsters that cemented the brand’s place in sports car history. The 911 got the Speedster treatment for the first time in 1988, which was followed up with a 964-based variant in 1989. The automaker only ever made three 993 Speedsters, all of which were special projects for highly important buyers.

Porsche would again make 356 997-based Speedsters, which remain some of the rarest modern Porsche projects. The ethos of the car shifted with the 991 generation, seeing the Speedster become a proper GT-department product. Given how valuable those cars have become, it seems unlikely that the brand will abandon that nameplate cache in place of a “standard” GT3 cabriolet.

Furthermore, the ultra limited-run Speedsters can demand an asking price that a new cabriolet model simply cannot. Porsche’s recent comments about its struggles in this political climate also might explain why this car has been spotted out of its established release order behind the Turbo and GT2 RS models.

Regardless of what this mule ends up being called when it reaches production, we’re excited to have another chance to ring that glorious 4.0-liter flat-six out without any sheetmetal interrupting the symphony coming from those center-mounted pipes.

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