The Porsche 911 Speedster has long tantalized enthusiasts with the prospect of combining the bombastic wail of the company’s high-performance, naturally aspirated flat-six with a performance-oriented chassis and an open top. Fan favorite though it may be, the Speedster’s limited appearances and equally stingy production allocations have traditionally put it out of reach of all but the lucky few. For 2027, Porsche’s shaking things up a bit. Nope, there’s no new Speedster quite yet; we’ll have to wait a bit longer for that. For now, feast your eyes on the new 911 GT3 S/C.
S/C stands for “Sport Cabriolet.” It’s an elegant description of exactly what you get here. It’s a 911 GT3 through and through—a lightweight two-seater but lacking the harder edge of the RS—only without the model’s typical fixed roof. The result is impressive.
“The new 911 GT3 S/C responds to our customers’ desire for sports cars that are particularly fun to drive,” said Frank Moser, Vice President 911 and 718 model line, in Porsche’s official announcement. “The exciting powertrain of the 911 GT3 comes into its own even more when driving without a roof, especially on winding country roads. Above all, because we have managed to keep the weight of the 911 GT3 S/C particularly low at 3,322 lbs. despite the fully automatic top.”
But the most impressive part of the GT3 S/C’s formula has nothing to do with its physical components. That honor goes to Porsche’s production plan.
“In contrast to the 911 Speedster,” Porsche’s announcement said, ” the 911 GT3 S/C is not a limited production model.”
Porsche sees the S/C as an intermingling of the GT3 and S/T. The S/C even borrows several of the 911 S/T’s tricks, including its extensive use of carbon fiber (hood, fenders, doors, and brakes). Yep, PCCBs are standard here. There are several carbon fiber elements in the interior, and folding carbon bucket seats are available as an option. Please get them. It’s your money, after all, not mine. The same goes for this crazy tartan interior.
But that lightweight body and interior would all be wasted if the drop-top didn’t help accentuate the 911’s flat-six, and this time around, Porsche’s serving up an appropriately elaborate main course: a 502-horsepower, naturally aspirated 4.0-liter engine revving to 9,000 RPM. If that doesn’t get your blood pumping, nothing will.
Oh, did I mention it comes with a six-speed manual? No? Well, it does.
Despite the 911 GT3 S/C’s series-production intent, it’s not exactly cheap. (Shocker, I know.) When it goes on sale later this year, it’ll start at $275,350 (including destination). Yowza.
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