Today, Porsche built the 1,000,000th example of the most iconic sports car ever: the 911. Modeled after one of the first 911s ever built—and Ferdinand “Ferry” Porsche’s personal company car—the Irish Green Carrera S packs many parts from Porsche’s Exclusive options portfolio as well as bespoke parts designed to bring it as close to the original as possible. After a global tour and drives in the United States, at the Nürburgring, and elsewhere, it will take up permanent residence at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart.
We were lucky enough to attend the festivities and see the car roll off the line. The interior features leather seats with inserts finished in the original 1964 houndstooth pattern. The gauge pod gets “1,000,000 911” lettering as well as silver instrument trim that echoes that of the first 911. The steering wheel has the 1960s version of the Porsche crest on its hub—the same crest is fitted to the frunklid—and mahogany trim, which is a nod to the wooden-rim wheels that characterized sports cars of the period.
There are also “1,000,000” badges on the B-pillar and passenger-side dashboard. As on the original 911, this car sports plenty of silver trim on its exterior, including the door handles, the window surrounds, and the slats for the vent on the engine cover. Twenty-inch wheels honor the iconic Fuchs wheels that characterized 911s for decades. Finally, the engine is the uprated Powerkit version of the S’s twin-turbocharged flat-six, here making 450 horsepower and paired with a seven-speed manual transmission.
In addition to seeing the millionth car, we also were treated to a few fun facts at the event. Here’s what we learned:
• Beyond the cost of the manual-transmission 911 Carrera S that forms the basis for this bespoke model, Porsche invested the equivalent of about $239,000 to build this special car.
• The 1,000,000 production number includes about 30,000 four-cylinder 912 models as well as the 329 units of the 959 and all 934 and 935 racing derivatives.
• Company founder Ferdinand Porsche once said, “The last car ever built will be a sports car.” His prediction was topped today by current Porsche CEO Oliver Blume, who said that the last car ever built will be a Porsche 911.
• Ferdinand Piëch worked on the 911 engine early in his engineering career, and he is responsible for the switch from Solex to Weber carburetors. Why? Because they were better suited to racing applications.
• When Porsche launched the Tiptronic automatic with the 964 model generation, it had the U.S. market in mind. But the take rate in the United States actually was lower than anywhere else.
• Even today, the U.S. is Porsche’s biggest market for manual models in volume, and it has the highest take rate in terms of percentage as well.
• The six-speed manual transmission in the new 911 GT3 is a version of the lesser models’ seven-speed manual, which itself shares a lot of hardware with the seven-speed dual-clutch PDK automatic. But the manual is about 50 pounds lighter.
• The high-water mark for annual 911 production was in 2007 with around 37,000 units; volumes now hover between 30,000 and 33,000 units per year.
• Porsche says that 70 percent of all 911s ever built are still on the road.
• Porsche keeps discussing internally whether the 911 really needs four seats. Many customers never use the vestigial rear seats, but they add a psychological element of practicality to the purchase of a 911, and we’re told Porsche has no plans to get rid of them.
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