I'm not really big on "special edition" cars. Most of the time they're just meaningless badge packages with a bit of extra equipment meant to justify a higher price tag. But the Porsche 911 is no ordinary car, and 50 years of continuous production is no ordinary milestone.
So I'm pleased to see that Porsche has cranked out a special edition 911 for their golden anniversary that's retro in a tasteful and classy way. It's dubbed the 911 50 Years Edition, and it's likely to be quite desirable among Porsche-philes.
The car is based on the rear-wheel-drive Carrera S, but it comes in the wider body typically reserved for the Carrera 4. It comes with a tweaked suspension for the wider stance, a sport exhaust, a naturally-aspirated flat six good for 400 horsepower, either a seven-speed manual or the PDK dual-clutch gearbox, and special 50 year badges on the back.
But there's some other great old-school touches here too. First, can we talk about those wonderful wheels that echo the famous Fuchs wheels on Porsches of yore? There's also a fabric on the leather seats that recalls the "Pepita" tartan design from the 1960s. You get all that and the normal array of modern tech that the 911 is famous for.
If you want one, act now. They're only making 1,963 of them. Get it? 1963? 50 years? Neat, right?