When people talk novelties in the Porsche 911 range, the 992.2 mid-cycle revamp coming later this year is probably the most popular topic. However, despite the massively satisfying November 2022 introduction of the lifted 911 Dakar, the still-reigning 992.1 family has one more asphalt devil to deliver. That would be the Porsche 911 ST, a Neunelfer that could hardly be more desirable.
If you ask the Germans, they’ll tell you the ST is set to become the next piece in the Porsche Heritage Design puzzle, following the Sport Classic introduced last year. As such, the designation of the upcoming road car is borrowed from a lightweight 911 built to race in the early 1970s.
However, if we look past pedigree and focus on what these rare, modern Porschas have to offer, the Sport Classic can be summarized as a RWD 911 Turbo with a seven-speed manual, which is brilliant.
Essentially, Porsche is diving into its parts bin for these specials, not just picking some of the best bits, but also offering mixes that are otherwise forbidden, at least if you want to keep your car stock (yes, there are conversion kits out there).
The 992 Porsche 911 ST is essentially a manual 911 GT3 RS Touring
In reality, the 911 ST will be more of a 911 GT3 RS with a manual, the kind of combo we haven’t received in a decade. You see, two generations ago when the rear-engined sports car was in its 997 days, you could have the Bugatti challenger that is the Turbo, as well as the sharper, more track-friendly GT3 and GT3 RS N/A derivatives with a stick shift.
However, as with most performance offerings on the market, the spreading of massively capable dual-clutch transmissions meant that go-fast machines with three pedals became a niche within a niche, so most of them were dropped.
For the ex-gen 991, Porsche initially removed the stick shift option from the Turbo, GT3 and GT3 RS. However, during the final days of the 991.1, the company introduced the 911 R, essentially a stick shift-only GT3 with a shaved rear wing—the active unit borrowed from the base Carrera was still there, but the fixed aero piece of the GT3 had disappeared. With only 991 units built, speculators went crazy, pushing prices from the $184,900 MSRP to well beyond $500,000.
Porsche replied by reintroducing the manual option on the revamped 991.2 GT3, along with a stick-only Touring Package that (you guessed it) removed the fixed wing. And while 911R values are still rising today, the plan worked, as there were other, more affordable ways of enjoying that magic formula.
The automaker got the message and kept the six-speed manual, along with the Touring Package alive for the present 992.1 GT3, even allowing customers to spec the Touring with a dual-clutch PDK (total freedom, baby!).
Nevertheless, we never got our manual GT3 RS back, despite this having been a fan favorite for the 997. Heck, it was even the only transmission choice for the reverred 911 GT3 RS 4.0 last hurrah.
So, while you can only buy the 992 GT3 RS with a PDK and a massive wing—Porsche quotes the stopwatch dedication as the obstacle for offering a manual and/or a clean posterior—the 911 ST will change all that.
911 ST specs
Sure, this is not perfect, as the six-speed ST will be a limited edition with a bonkers price. But the sheer idea of enjoying GT3 RS goodies like the 518 hp 4.0L (up from 500 hp in the GT3, but you can feel it) and the double-bubble roof while rowing your own is enough to get us excited.
Of course, you’ll still be able to tell an ST apart from the standard Carrera and not just thanks to that roof. That’s because the special will mix and match multiple parts from the GT3 (vented hood, center-lock wheels) and GT3 RS (CFRP doors, front wings—minus the top vents—and others).
Pricing and production run for the 992 911 ST
Back in 1970 and 1971, Porsche built 24 units of the OG 911 ST. However, we’re expecting the modern version to be closer to the 911 Sport Classic, of which 1,250 units are being built for a price of $274,000.
The 992 Porsche 911 GT is set to debut in the coming months. Meanwhile, you can listen to its high-revving, atmospheric growl in the Car Spy Media video below, which sees the rear-engined coupe being pushed hard on the Nurburgring.
