Porsche has unveiled three brand new special-edition 911s. Based on the dynamic Gen 2 991 Carrera 4 GTS Coupe, the series has been given the theme of British Legends, celebrating three British racing drivers who have taken Porsche to the top step of the podium at the Le Mans 24 Hours.
British Legends: Richard Attwood
Richard Attwood helped to claim Porsche’s first Le Mans victory in 1970. Driving the 917 with its legendary flat-twelve engine in the Porsche family colours of Salzburg Racing, Attwood and partner, Hans Herrmann, outlasted many other competitors (including the updated 4.9-litre 917s) to reach the finish in first position overall. Only 16 of the original 51 starters reached the chequered flag.
Herrmann – a Porsche factory driver from the early 1950s – had promised his wife that a Le Mans win would be his last ever race. After the race, he kept his word and retired. Attwood raced another 917 at Le Mans in 1971, finished second and retired at the end of the season.
British Legends: Nick Tandy
After a blistering early career in Ministox and single seaters (Formula Ford and F3), Nick Tandy first blipped on Porsche’s radar with an incredible Carrera Cup debut at Dijon for Konrad Motorsport in 2009. Finishing second with no testing in the highly competitive Carrera Cup Germany at Dijon, Konrad invited him back for the Abu Dhabi race, where he impressed again, thus earning himself a full season Carrera Cup drive for 2010.
2010 took Tandy from strength to strength, and he narrowly missed the Carrera Cup DE title to Rene Rast. The championship was Tandy’s in 2011, at which stage he shifted up to the world stage, ending up in Porsche’s LMP programme, taking his first Le Mans win in 2015 alongside Earl Bamber and Nico Hülkenberg. He continues to be an integral part of the Porsche works driver lineup.
British Legends: Derek Bell
Born in leafy Pinner in 1941, Derek Reginald Bell went on to claim wins at Le Mans – four of them with Porsche – and remains Britain’s winningest Le Mans racer.
Bell’s first Le Mans 24 was in 1970: the same race won by Richard Attwood in a Porsche 917. Driving alongside Ronnie Peterson in a works Ferrari 512S, the car was forced to retire from the race, but Bell stayed on afterwards to help his friend Steve McQueen film the classic Le Mans. The Ferrari used in the film caught fire with Bell in it, and he narrowly escaped unharmed.
Derek Bell’s most memorable wins at La Sarthe came when teamed with Jacky Ickx. The pair claimed victory for Mirage in 1975 and then for Porsche in 1981 and 1982. Bell’s other Porsche Le Mans wins came in 1986 and 1987, alongside Hans Stuck and Al Holbert.
Porsche 911 Special Editions
The ‘British Legends’ 991s are based on 991 Carrera 4 GTS models and come with options including LED headlights, Sport Design body styling and satin-finish mirrors, lots of carbon and a Union Jack badge on each car with the driver’s signature alongside. Porsche says:
“Using the design of the winning race cars as the starting point of each car, joint workshops between Porsche Cars GB and the drivers ensured their passion was built-in to each 911. The ideas were then taken forward by the design team at Style Porsche in Weissach and the craftsmen at Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur in Stuttgart.
“Each British Legends Edition is finished intricately by hand in the new Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur workshop. Special features such as the Satin finish black door mirrors, carbon floor mats with Alcantara® edging and a steering column casing in Alcantara® make their first appearance on this 911.”
The 911 Carrera 4 GTS British Legends Edition is on sale from 9 October, priced at £122,376 inc VAT for Attwood Red – add an extra £900 for Tandy White or Bell Blue paint.