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40 991 Speedster road trip
BELOW In the dead of
night, Kyle Fortune has the
Speedster and the Scottish
borders to himself
Model 991 Speedster
Year 2019
Engine
Capacity 3,996cc
Compression 13.3:1
ratio
Maximum power 500hp @ 8,400rpm
Maximum torque 470Nm @ 6,250rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Suspension
Front Independent; MacPherson strut;
anti-roll bar; chassis bearing
partially with ball joints; PASM
Rear Independent; multi-link; anti-roll
bar; chassis bearing partially with
ball joints; PASM
Wheels & tyres
Front 9x20-inch; 245/35/ZR20
Rear 12x20-inch; 305/30/ZR20
Dimensions
Length 4,562mm
Width 1,852mm
Weight 1,465kg
Performance
0-62mph 3.9 sec
Top speed 192mph
There’s more standing water as we get closer to
Edinburgh, the rain now sometimes falling as snow,
but it’s too wet to be lying at the sides of the roads.
The city looms ahead, and the temptation to drive
further north to ever better roads in the Highlands is
high, but one we’ll not succumb to on this occasion.
Driving through Edinburgh’s city streets after
midnight in the pouring rain with the roof down
does garner some unusual looks from a few late-night
revellers making their way home. We’re at the mercy
of traffic lights here, the last few miles punctuated by
them, resulting in a soaking that’s been avoided by
velocity in similar conditions over the last 100 miles
or so. We head to the Royal Mile, then the Castle, and
the Cannonball restaurant, our tenuous link to the
Speedster here and one you’ll have to believe me on,
as there’s no number outside it.
I’m biased, but rightly so. Edinburgh is a beautiful
city, even in the dreich conditions we’re visiting
it. We admit defeat at our destination, saving the
interior from drowning and putting up the roof. It’s
easy enough, its shape lengthening the Speedster;
it’s a 911 that’s strangely devoid of its characteristic
silhouette, not helped here by the lack of the
contrasting black stone guard which helps break up
the expansive flanks.
My respect for it has grown even more, despite
my usual reservations about open-topped cars,
and this example, number 305 of the 1,948 build
series, having a slightly unusual specification, with
no Chrono and Sports Bucket Seats being glaring
omissions for this driver. Even so, the Speedster is so
engaging, involving and intuitive, and opening it up
only enhances that – dropping the lightweight top
reveals more of its character, adding richness to every
single, already incredibly detailed facet of the driving
experience. That’s true too when it’s freezing and
wet – indeed, arguably even more so. The Speedster’s
purity and connection is its defining feature, and
also one that’s increasingly rare among modern
performance cars.
Pardon’s done, we pack up his wet gear and leave
town for the drive back. I know I’ll revel in every
single mile of it, despite the conditions and the
lateness of the hour. The route, as yet, is undecided,
because if you get the opportunity to experience a
car like this, the destination is irrelevant – the drive is
incredible. If you’re one of the lucky 1,948 owners,
you have to do this kind of thing, and often. The
Speedster is a car that must be driven. To not do so is
an affront to it, the people who created it, and every
single one of us who’d like to… again.