Porsche Special & Limited-Edition Models

By CarWhere Research · Updated

Porsche's special models are the limited and historic road cars people look up by name: the original 356 (some 78,000 built from 1948 to 1965) and its Speedster, the 1973 Carrera RS 2.7 (1,580 built), and modern limited 911s such as the 911 R (991 cars), 991 Speedster (1,948), 992 Sport Classic (1,250) and 992 S/T (1,963).

These are the limited and special Porsche road cars people search for by name: the original 356 and its Speedster, the 1973 Carrera RS 2.7, and the modern limited 911s — Speedster, 911 R, Sport Classic, S/T — plus the Targa 4 GTS. Each page gives production counts, specifications, what to check before buying and, where available, dated public sale results.

Before the 17-character VIN (pre-1981)

Cars identified by chassis number. Porsche's Certificate of Authenticity is the factory record for these.

Porsche 3561948–1965The first Porsche, built 1948–1965: 52 hand-built Gmünd cars, then some 78,000 from Zuffenhausen across the Pre-A, 356 A, B and C.Porsche 356 Speedster1954–1958The stripped-down US-market 356 of 1954–1958: launched at $2,995, about 1,234 Pre-A cars, up to 110 PS in the Carrera GT Speedster.Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.71972–1973The 1972–1973 ducktail 911: 210 PS from 2.7 liters, 960 kg in Sport trim, and 1,580 built against a 500-car homologation target.

Limited and special 911s (VIN era)

Modern limited 911s sold in the US with 17-character VINs — the factory build record can be checked from the VIN.

Porsche 911 S/T1969–1972 (original 911 S "ST"); 2023–2025 (992 S/T)Porsche 911 S/T facts: 1,963 cars, 518 hp GT3 RS flat-six, six-speed manual, 3,056 lb, $290,000 US MSRP, plus the original 1969–1972 911 ST racer.Porsche 911 R1967 (original); 2016 (991 generation)Porsche 911 R facts: 991 cars built for 2016, 500 hp 4.0 GT3 RS engine, six-speed manual only, 1,370 kg, $184,900 US price, plus the 1967 911 R racer.Porsche 911 Sport Classic2009 (997); 2022–2023 (992)Porsche 911 Sport Classic history: 250 997 cars (2009, 408 hp) and 1,250 992 cars (550 PS / 543 hp US, 7-speed manual, $272,300 MSRP). Specs and checks.Porsche 911 Speedster1989–2019Porsche 911 Speedster by generation: 1989 G-model, 930 + 15 964s, two 993 one-offs, 356 997s and 1,948 991s with a 510 PS 4.0 and six-speed manual.Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS2016–present (US model years)Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS by generation: 430 hp in 2016, 473 hp in 2022, 532 hp T-Hybrid for 2025 at a $186,000 US MSRP. Specs, history and buying checks.

Own a limited 911 built for the US market? See how it left the factory.

For US-market Porsches with a 17-character VIN (1981 and later), the CarWhere build sheet lists the factory paint, interior and option codes recorded for that VIN. $9.99, and the free availability check shows whether build data exists before you pay. Older cars: see the Certificate of Authenticity guide.

Porsche build sheet by VIN

Porsche Special & Limited-Edition Models FAQ

Which limited-edition Porsche 911 is the rarest?

Among the series-built cars covered here, the 997 Sport Classic is the rarest at 250 cars (2009), followed by the 997 Speedster at 356 (2010). Porsche also built just two 993 Speedsters as factory one-offs.

How many of each modern limited 911 were made?

Porsche's figures: 911 R (991), 991 cars; 991 Speedster, 1,948; 992 Sport Classic, 1,250; 992 S/T, 1,963. The 1973 Carrera RS 2.7 reached 1,580 cars against a planned 500.

How can I check the factory options on a limited Porsche?

For a US-market car with a 17-character VIN (1981 and later), the VIN can be decoded into the factory option codes recorded for it. For earlier cars such as the 356 and Carrera RS 2.7, Porsche's Certificate of Authenticity (Production Specification) is the factory record.

How many Porsche 356s were built?

Porsche says some 78,000 356s were built from 1948 to 1965, starting with 52 hand-built cars in Gmünd, Austria, before production moved to Zuffenhausen.

More Porsche research

Sources

Every figure in the summaries above is cited on its model page, which lists its own numbered sources: Porsche Newsroom, Porsche Museum and Porsche Classic pages, official race results and dated auction records. Wikipedia is used only where no primary source was found and is labeled as a secondary reference.

Independent reference published by CarWhere — not affiliated with or endorsed by Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG.