Porsche has a history of producing limited run models, be it for motorsport or casual road use, including some phenomenal homologation specials for various types of motorsport. In recent years their special edition vehicles have become sought after pieces of automotive machinery, sending prices skyrocketing on models like the Porsche 911 R (991 units built) and the 997 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 (600 units built).But whilst these sought after machines might be current or future collectors’ items, they still aren’t the rarest models to come from the German sports car manufacturer.
Produced in the hundreds, they’re unlikely to be spotted, but the idea isn’t altogether impossible. However, there exist far rarer models, or model derivatives, rarer even than the Porsche 959 (345 units built). We’ve scoured the archives to find the rarest Porsches ever produced – by number – finding 19 derivatives produced in just double digit numbers. But it’s the top ten that feature here. From least rare to most, here are the top 10 rarest Porsches ever made in their illustrious 70 year history.
10 – Porsche 356B Abarth Carrera GTL (20/21 units)Abarth may be known nowadays as the exclusive tuning division for Fiat vehicles, but way back when, Carlo Abarth threw his engineering knowledge at just about anything. In 1949, Porsche approached Abarth to produce a new lightweight body for the 356B Carrera as the brand itself was too focused on their F1 exploits to dedicate enough time. The result was one of the most beautiful classic Porsches ever made, but it wasn’t beauty without substance. The 356B Abarth Carrera GTL competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, taking a class victory in 1960.
Just 20 bodies were built, though some sources cite 21, and fitted to 356 chassis, designed by a former Bertone employee, with the resultant weight loss being 100 pounds over the standard Porsche version.
9 – Porsche 911 SC/RS (20 units)In 1984, Porsche developed a special version of the 911 specifically for Group B rally based on the road-going 911 SC. It had a lightened body, wider fenders, and beefed up suspension to handle flying leaps and hard landings, and all were equipped with a 3.0-liter flat-6 engine developing 255 horsepower. Though nowadays you’d almost never see a Porsche 911 anywhere near even a dirt road, the 911 SC/RS was phenomenally capable. Though the 959 may have been the ultimate Group B development from Porsche, with only 20 911 SC/RSs built, this is certainly a rarer breed.
8 – Porsche 356 America Roadster (16 units)When it entered production in 1953, the 356 America Roadster was significantly lighter than the rest of the 356 Series models in production. Created exclusively for the North American market, just 16 examples were built, weighing just 1334 pounds thanks to aluminum body panels. With just 70 horsepower from a 1488cc flat four, the 356 America Roadster wasn’t massively powerful, but power to weight was still half decent. Built with racing in mind, the 356 America Roadster is a historic reminder that a 4-cylinder convertible Porsche isn’t that bad after all.
7 – Porsche 964 Speedster Turbo-Look (15 units)Porsche Exclusive has, throughout the brands history, built some incredible low-volume models for special friends of the Porsche brand, often by invitation only. They’re responsible for many of the models listed here, including the 964 Speedster Turbo-Look. Of the originally planned 300 unit production run of 964 Speedsters, just 936 standard cars were built. Porsche Exclusive took 15 cars, and built them using the widened Turbo body shell. Mechanically, it remained identical to the 964 Speedster, which served as inspiration for the latest 911 Speedster Concept.
6 – Porsche 993 Turbo Cabriolet (14 units)The 991 generation Porsche 911 was hardly rare, neither as a Turbo model, nor as a Cabriolet. However, the combination of both was incredibly rare, with just 14 ever being produced. The cabriolet styled 993 was equipped with the 964 generation’s 3.6-liter turbo flat 6, developing 360hp. It was the last ever air-cooled cabriolet offered by Porsche, and a rare find if ever you see one, and boasted a 62% rice premium over the coupe. The 993 Turbo Cabriolet wasn’t even officially recognized by Porsche, and was another Porsche Exclusive development.
5 – Porsche 991 Club Coupe (13 units)To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the very first Porsche club and its 13 founding members, 13 special 991-generation 911s were produced, called the 991 Club Coupe. Mechanically identical to the standard 991 Carrera S with the 430hp Powerkit upgrade, they all featured various visual upgrades, including a special Brewster Green paint job, 20-inch SportTechno wheels, doors marked with “Club Coupe”, and door sills reading “Club Coupe” with the anniversary logo. One was retained by Porsche, with the remaining 12 units available in all markets barring India and China, and each carried a hefty asking price.
4 – Porsche 964 Turbo Cabriolet (4/8 units)Into the single digits! Though sources vary, some citing production of 4 units, others 8, what is certain is the 964 Turbo Cabriolet is incredibly rare. Built once again by Porsche Exclusive, there’s actually very little information around on the model, but it was produced very late on, with all models only built at the same time of the 996 generation 911 in the late ‘90s, making it nearly 2 generations late. The 964 Turbo cabriolet is in fact so rare that not even Porsche’s archive has photos of it, and all we could find is this solitary snap courtesy of Total 911.
2 – Porsche 993 Speedster (2 units)Porsche Exclusive strikes again, producing just two 993 Speedsters – a model many never even knew existed. The two 993 Speedsters were inspired by the 356 Speedsters of old, with one car – a green one – built for Ferdinand Alexander Porsche (grandson of the original Ferdinand Porsche) for his 60thbirthday. The second model, a silver one, was given to Jerry Seinfeld in 1998 – a man who developed a reputation as a proper gearhead.
2 – Porsche 914/8 (2 units)Tied in second place, the Porsche 914-8 was also only produced in limited numbers of just 2 units. Though the 928 may have been the first production car from Porsche with 8 cylinders, the 914/8 development cars were the first recorded use of 8 cylinders in road going Porsches. The two development cars were by all accounts rough and unrefined, but owned by Ferry Porsche (Ferdinand’s son) and Ferdinand Piech, it wasn’t like they were going to be scrutinized in the same light. In fact the engine of Piech’s 914/8 was almost the same as the engine used in the 908 racecar, making it a handful for use on public roads.
1 – Porsche 935 Street (1 unit)It’s fitting that at number one on this list is a car of which only one road-going version was built. Considering even the 911 GT1 Strassenversion didn’t make it onto this list, it makes the one-of-one 935 Street a rare homologation special from Porsche. The 935 Street was the first ever car produced by Porsche Exclusive, built for Mansour Oijeh, the founder of the TAG Group, in 1983. Based on the Porsche 930, there were numerous racing versions of the 935, but only one 935 Street built by Porsche themselves – though another one was converted for Walter Wolf, a story for another day.
The real one-and-only 935 Street was powered by a 3.3-liter turbocharged engine flat six that developed 375 hp, with the output almost overshadowed by the gorgeous red paint mixed specifically for this car.
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