Miss the last-gen Porsche 911? Do you still want one that’s brand-new, has a limited production life and isn’t as hardcore as the GT3 or the GT3 RS? Well, you can have this – the Porsche 911 Speedster. If you are a Porsche fan, chances are that you recognise the Speedster tag. The latest iteration to claim the tag is the ninth of its kind and is previous-gen 911’s last hurrah before Porsche takes it off the production line.

The latest Porsche 911 Speedster is the first such model developed by the Porsche Motorsport division. It is powered by the same 4.0-litre, flat-six engine that does duty in the current 911 GT3 and GT3 RS. In the 911 Speedster, the naturally-aspirated engine pumps out 502PS/469Nm of oomph, all of which is sent to the rear wheels only. With a 6-speed manual transmission in place, the Porsche 911 Speedster can hit 100kmph from a standstill in less than 4 seconds and top out at 309kmph.

Porsche has used a range of materials to ensure that the 911 Speedster remains as light on its toes as possible. The front boot lid, front fenders and rear decklid are made of carbon fibre composites, whereas the front and rear end of the car consist of lightweight polyurethane. And there’s more. Porsche’s carbon-ceramic brakes are available as standard and the retractable fabric roof has no electric operation, apart from the electrically-controlled latch to lock and unlock it. Porsche won’t even put the air conditioning system as standard but that can be opted for at no extra cost.

In pursuit of weight-saving, the 911 Speedster doesn’t even get an automatic transmission. Porsche claims that compared to the 6-speed manual unit, the 7-speed manual gearbox is nearly 4kg heavier and the 8-speed dual-clutch unit weighs almost 18kg more. Even the door panels inside the cabin have been put on a diet and the fabric door pulls along with cargo nets bolster weight-saving. As for the chassis, the Speedster takes inspiration from the GT3 and features the same rear-axle steering, dynamic engine mounts and 20-inch alloy wheels. A couple of bespoke design cures are the low-cut front windscreen and the twin streamliners just behind the cabin.

The Porsche 911 Speedster is quite unique and that stature is further boosted by its limited production life. The German carmaker will produce only 1948 examples of it. That is not just a random number. That, in fact, is the year when the Porsche 356 first went on sale. Porsche will start entertaining orders from May 7, 2019.