As if the return of Porsche to endurance racing wasn't enough, the German firm has stirred up even more excitement in the run up to this weekend's Le Mans 24-hour race by announcing that it will produce 80 examples of a "Martini Racing Edition" based on a 911 Carrera S. The exclusive model will be sold in certain markets across Europe, in China, Japan and Latin America.
Exterior
Porsche will only be offering the Martini Racing Edition in either black or white body colours, although it has added some other features to differentiate the car that bit more from the standard 911 Carrera S. Aside from the obvious Martini livery, a distinctive front apron has been fitted from the Aerokit Cup, which gives the car a racier appearance. Similar treatment has been extended to the rear end.
Interior
The first thing those lucky 80 owners will notice when they open the door is a stainless steel door sill with an illuminated red "911 Carrera S - Martini Racing Edition" emblem. Around the rest of the interior subtle reminders add to the special edition including dashboard accents matching the car's body colour fitted with a 'Martini Racing Edition' badge.
Further additions to the special edition include a sport design steering wheel, as well as the standard fitment of the Sport Chrono package. Also included are Porsche Communication Management (PCM) with the navigation module, Bose sound system, a black-faced tachometer and electrically-operated sports seats, which come covered in black leather.
Mechanicals
Porsche hasn't tinkered with the 911 Carrera S engine. The 3.8-litre rear-mounted flat-six still produces 400hp and when paired up with the PDK automatic gearbox and the Sport Plus button is activated, can accelerate to 100km/h in just 4.1 seconds from rest. And for those concerned about such things, it emits 202g/km of CO2.
Anything else?
Official pricing has yet to be announced for the 911 Martini Racing Edition, but judging by the past success of limited run Porsches, and with the hype surrounding the firm's Le Mans return, collectors will be keen to snap up one of these 80 examples pretty quickly.