2014 Porsche 911 50th Anniversary (2,000 miles, manual and no sunroof)

To celebrate 50 years production of the 911, Porsche AG commissioned a run of coupes that they introduced at the Frankfurt International Auto Show in September 2013 for the 2014 model year. They limited production to 1,963 copies, a number meant to remind enthusiasts of the year the company introduced the 911 as the 901. As Porsche said in its news release in early June announcing the car, “The Porsche 911 resolves apparent contradictions like no other sports car – such as between tradition and innovation or between exclusivity and high social acceptance, and of course between performance and efficiency.” Long-time Porsche owners already knew this so the company was preaching to the choir with this new model. The company based this special edition on its current 911 Carrera S assembled on the wide-body platform normally used for the Carrera 4 all-wheel drive versions.

Porsche offered the car in two unique colors, geyser grey metallic, and a darker graphite grey metallic, as well as black monochrome. For U.S. customers, the car received a “Powerkit” engine upgrade that delivered 430 horsepower, shooting the car from o-to-60 miles per hour in 4.2 seconds with the manual gearbox or 3.8 with the PDK. These editions also included the Sport Chrono package as part of the standard equipment. Weissach engineers retuned the P.A.S.M. system that is standard on the Carrera S to match the wide-body platform dynamics. Sport exhaust joined a host of other features as part of the Anniversary Edition kit. Stylish five-spoke 20-inch wheels reminded Porsche loyalists of the Fuchs wheels standard on 911s for years. In the interior, the instruments used green labels, white indicator needles, and silver caps on the pivot pins to recreate the look of the first generation 911 gauges. A “Pepita” tartan-pattern fabric or the iconic “hounds tooth” pattern upholstery was available in the seat center panels. Badging with the “911 50” logo appeared on the tachometer, door sill plates, the rear deck lid, embroidered into the headrest, and, in a special version on the cup holder panel, Porsche engraved the car’s serial number as well. To improve night-driving visibility, the car came standard with the Porsche Dynamic Light System (PDLS) with brilliant bi-xenon headlamps and dynamic cornering lamps.

This special 50th Anniversary Edition model arrived with two further distinctions, both choices made for the purity of the commemorative vehicle. While a significant majority of American buyers opt for the PDK transmission, which makes for effortless driving in modern traffic conditions, far fewer select the magnificent 7-speed manual gearbox. That takes it almost a rarity among modern 911s. Yet in the “911 50”, the manual combined with the Power Kit is fantastic! The engine develops a huge, tractable power band. Mixing the tactile senses of manually shifting gears with this engine and chassis package makes for a great exhilarating drive.

If the selection of the manual transmission reminds drivers of the honest purposefulness of the earliest 911, so does the choice to delete the outward sliding power sunroof on this example. This leaves the smooth sweeping arc of the roofline to speak for itself. Without the sunroof, the uninterrupted Alcantara headliner offers a little extra headroom and a little greater elegance.

This car has covered just 2,300 miles since new. The owner added a clear bra at the time so the car is unmarked and impeccable inside and out.