If there’s a car brand that knows how to celebrate its history, it’s Porsche and to mark 75 years since it arrived in the UK, the German marque has unveiled the new Porsche 911 GT3 Earls Court 51 Edition.
That ‘51’ part of the name references the first Porsche 356 coupes that were displayed at the Earls Court Motor Show in 1951 – the manufacturer’s debut in Great Britain. It also signifies how many will be built, clearly taking its ‘limited series’ status seriously.
Based on the focused GT3 version of the 992.2-generation 911, the Earls Court 51 Edition takes inspiration from one of the 356 coupes on show at the London exhibition venue 75 years ago, with unique ‘Earls Court Green’ metallic paintwork and a two-tone leather and corduroy interior.
Created by Porsche GB in partnership with Porsche’s Exclusive Manufaktur programme in Stuttgart, the 911 GT3 Earls Court 51 Edition costs from £251,951. That’s almost £100,000 more than a standard GT3, but it does come with plenty of exquisite details.
In keeping with the 356’s classic lines, Porsche discounted the “particularly extrovert models such a Turbo and RS”, basing the 911 GT3 Earls Court 51 Edition on the more subtle ‘Touring’ model. However, the car does gain a silver stripe on the front bonnet, silver mirror caps and door handles, two-tone metallic green and silver wheels, plus an ‘Earls Court 51’ badge on the grille and themed logos on the B-pillars.
While the outside has a classic theme, the interior is even more aligned with the old 356s. There are electrically-operated adaptive sports seats that are upholstered in leather and corduroy, contrasting beige with green piping. Earls Court logos adorn on the headrests, dashboard, and door sills, while there’s plenty of wood trim, too. Being the Touring version, the Earls Court 51 Edition is also a 2+2 seater – a key factor to mimic the 356 coupe.
A key feature for the anniversary special is the six-speed manual transmission, according to Porsche, because the PDK seven-speed automatic is one of the few options available to the limited-edition model. Choose the manual version and you get a wooden gearknob.
The GT3’s power is unchanged for the Earls Court 51 Edition, so the 4.0-litre flat-six engine sends 507bhp and 450Nm to the rear wheels for a 3.9-second 0-62mph time and a top speed of 194mph.
The Earls Court 51 Edition will be on show at Porsche’s Sunstede festival at Silverstone, Northants, this weekend where it’ll be joined by a 1951 356 coupe that has been restored by Porsche’s Manufaktur Sonderwunsch Classic Recommission service.
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