Porsche Special Edition Fatigue: Great Cars No One Can Buy
Each new Porsche special edition release promises a thrilling drive that most owners will rarely experience.
As I write this, I find myself feeling a way that I never thought I would about Porsche. I have Porsche special edition fatigue. The company recently revealed the new 992 Sport Classic. The rear-wheel-drive, slightly detuned turbo, manual transmission car that many have been hoping for. It looks great, and I am sure is a brilliant drive.
But I am actually growing tired of hearing about yet another special Porsche that no one will be able to get. Correction, collectors who will never actually drive the car will be able to get it. There are rumors about other special edition cars coming from Porsche soon as well. A 911 ST, a Safari 911 and even a 2.7 RS Anniversary car is possible. If they materialize, they will undoubtedly be fantastic. And I could not care less about any of them.
The reason I don’t care, is why get all worked up over something that I will never be able to get? It is like bragging to your vegan girlfriend that you are taking her to the worlds best Brazilian Steakhouse for dinner. What’s the point? And it is not a matter of money.
I am not a wealthy man, but I have been fortunate to make a living that allows me to have a special car. I currently have a 911 Turbo S. If I wanted the Sport Classic or any other special Porsche, I could sell the Turbo S and put it towards the new car and drive away happy. Except I can’t for two main reasons. First, I have a nearly religious objection to paying ADM on any car. Second, I have not bought 30 Porsches from my local dealer, so I am not on the preferred list.
Why the Sour Grapes?
I still love Porsche and the cars they make. They make the best in the world in my humble opinion. But this is what gets to me. Let me tell you exactly how the 911 Sport Classic roll out will go. Part one already happened, and that was the reveal and subsequent drooling. Next, the car will get into the hands of the likes of Matt Farah and Doug DeMuro who will post driving videos stating that this is the best Porsche you can get right now.
Dealers will call their preferred clients and ask if they want one. These folks will grab all available allocations. Before delivery the car will be covered in PPF and ceramic coated. It will then go into a climate-controlled garage as part of a collection and hooked up to a battery tender. Occasionally it will make an appearance at a cars and coffee.
Ten years from now a slew of these cars with less than 1,000 miles on them will bring big money on Bring a Trailer. From there they will sit in the new owners garage. Rinse and repeat. Notice what is missing here? The enthusiast actually driving and enjoying the car the way the engineers intended. That makes me sad.
To me what always drew me to Porsche was that was the sports car you bought to DRIVE. A Ferrari, a Lambo, a McLaren those are fine cars but often driven far less than a Porsche would be. But now, I am seeing a proliferation of Porsche models that are going to be doomed to the same garage fate as the other premium brands.
Local Collector
Just this past weekend, I had the privilege of meeting a local man and his incredible collection of cars. This collection includes a 918 Spyder, TWO Carrera GTs, TWO GT2 RSs, a 2016 911 R, a 991.2 Speedster, and a 991.1 GT3 RS. To say nothing of the Bugatti EB110, Ferrari 288 GTO, F50, Maserati MC12 and so on.
My point is this is a serious collection. I asked him what his favorite was to drive and how often he drives them. He told me; he doesn’t drive any of them. In fact, the last several cars he bought he has never even sat in! A new special edition will come out, the dealer will call him, and it will be delivered to his location and parked next to the others. I am sure he is not the only one that does this.
How Did We Get Here?
In my humble opinion the 2016 911 R phenomenon really helped push us to where we are now with the special edition cars. That car was released in limited numbers as Porsche was not sure if there would be a market for it. It was hugely popular and immediately began to trade at three times the sticker price.
This was all pre-COVID and supply chain issues. It put into folks’ heads that even a modern Porsche could be bought and flipped for a profit. It seems that after that, cars like that began to be looked at more as investments than cars. Now when a special track-ready model is released it is far more likely to be rushed right into the garage than right to the racetrack. Want to bet what percentage of GT4 RS cars will ever turn a wheel on track?
Electricity is also a factor. It is not a secret that Porsche and every other automobile manufacturer is heading towards an all-electric future. That has some folks snapping up every last gasoline-powered Porsche because it might be the last of its kind. And sure, that is understandable. But if you are going to do that, then at least drive the car. If the car just sits in your garage does it matter if it is powered by gasoline, electricity or dilithium crystals?
Exceptions
I know I use words like ‘never’ and ‘no one’ but I don’t mean that literally. First of all, Porsche owners are much more likely to actually drive their cars than say a Ferrari owner. The Porsche will see more track days for sure. And there will probably be a few of the special edition cars that will be bought by folks that intend to drive the wheels off of them.
And it is most likely those folks are right here on Rennlist. So kudos to you my Rennlist friends. But I still believe the vast majority of the special edition cars will be put away for future monetary gain or just to be looked at. The car itself doesn’t really matter.
Ferdinand GTS
Porsche could build a front-wheel-drive, four door sedan. It could be powered by an inline 4-cylinder making 200 horsepower hooked up to an automatic transmission. It could have driving dynamics like a Honda Civic. But if it was called the ‘Ferdinand GTS’ and painted a special color with special badging and limited to only 100 examples worldwide, Porsche could probably charge $200K for it and collectors would snap it up.
Because it is about the collectability nowadays and not about the car. Who cares if you have a normally aspirated engine that can rev to 9,000 RPM when you never drive it? For years, people complained that Porsche held back the Cayman because they could not allow it to outperform the 911.
Now Porsche has stepped up with the GT4 and GT4 RS. There is much rejoicing, but little driving.
Especially for the RS. Just wait a few years and see how many of these pop up for sale with little miles and the perceived huge selling point that it has ‘never been tracked’ and still smells new. Well, what the hell was the point? The GT4 RS, the Sport Classic, a 911 ST, a 2.7 RS anniversary edition, are all cars that should be driven.
But the only people that seem to be able to land them, are collectors that have no intention of driving them. It is for that reason that I have lost interest in these cars. It is still cool to see what Porsche can do. But when these roll out, I read the specs and move on without a second thought.
‘Porsche Special Edition Fatigue: Great Cars No One Can Buy’ continued…
