Few automakers can play the nostalgia card as well as Porsche. The German automaker has droves of loyal followers who are all quick to praise the old air-cooled 911 models of yore. And since the 911 has remained so true to its heritage, the company has had no trouble keeping customers as the car becomes more modern and technological. But every once in a while, Porsche takes a break from making a new 911 that is faster and more efficient in every way than the car it replaces.
Take the new 911 Speedster, for example. Porsche could have given the Speedster a turbocharged engine and a PDK transmission, but it chose to keep it normally aspirated and shifted by an old-fashioned manual. Purists love cars like the Speedster, but not everyone can afford the $275,750 price tag. And since only 1,948 of them will be built, it won't be an easy car to obtain. Luckily, Porsche has a new option to make even a standard 911 feel special.
Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur is working with the Style Porsche Design Department on what it calls the Heritage Design Strategy. The two groups are teaming up to reinterpret classic design elements found on Porsche models from the 1950s through the 1980s, while also equipping them with cutting edge technology. Porsche says the 911 Speedster (with the Heritage Design Package) revealed at the New York Auto Show gives a preview for what we can expect from the new Heritage Design program.
"To us, it is vital to transport the brand's values into the future. Heritage Design models represent an intentional addition to contemporary hybrid and electric vehicles as part of which technical innovations are in the focus", said Boris Apenbrink, Director Exclusive Manufaktur Vehicles at Porsche AG. "Porsche set benchmarks in terms of design and styling from the outset - vehicles from different eras are style icons nowadays. We bring back these iconic looks and thus prove that Porsche will stay true to its roots, even in the age of electrification," adds Ivo van Hulten, the Director Interior of Design Style Porsche.
In addition to special paint colors and custom liveries, the Heritage Design Package will offer unique interior materials from Porsche's past. "Old color and equipment cards, museum vehicles, design elements from the corresponding era - we took all this as our inspiration to reinterpret the design language of the past," van Hulten explained. Ordering a tartan interior from a classic 911 will now be easier than ever, adding a touch of history to newer Porsche models.