Overview: Porsche 911 Spirit 70 in brief
Porsche isn't, if we go by historical evidence, a car manufacturer wont to the special edition. You know the sort of thing: a vehicle fitted with a few sundry odds-and-sods of extra, maybe a lick of an unusual paint colour, and then some sort of evocative nameplate like Calypso or Phoenix, all offered for a bit more than the regular car it is based upon.
However, what we have here in the eye-catching Spirit 70 is essentially a '992.2' Porsche 911 Cabriolet GTS T-Hybrid that is precisely what we say above - no mechanical changes from whatsoever, just the promise of some visual individuality and the tantalising temptation of limited-run status, yet all for a quite significant additional outlay because the Spirit 70 is restricted to just 1,500 units for the entire globe.
It's actually the third in a line of 'Heritage Design' 911s, following on from the Targa 4S Heritage Design Edition of 2020 (styled to look like a car from the 1950s or early '60s) and the majestic Sport Classic (a 2022 confection based on a Turbo Coupe and evoking the appearance of the 1960s and early '70s, most specifically the legendary Carrera 2.7 RS), and it completes the Heritage Design set of all three 911 body styles by bringing a round plaque to the engine cover on the Cabriolet's form.
As its name suggests, this Cabriolet's aesthetics are in the fashion of the 1970s and early '80s. We spent almost 1,200km in one to see whether the Spirit 70 is a true celebration of all things seventies, or whether it's a bit of a party pooper.
Pros & cons of the Porsche 911 Spirit 70
Pros: it's a storming performance car
Cons: you're paying nearly €80k for a paint and interior upgrade
What's different from the Porsche 911 Cabriolet GTS?
Well, the looks of the thing, primarily. Before you ask, that unusual shade on the body is called 'Olive Neo', and for people who are red-green colour blind (this correspondent, for instance) it's a devil of a job to describe the shade. Depending on the light shining on it, Olive Neo can look the green you'd expect it to be, but there's a strong brown tinge underlying the paint that makes the Spirit 70 positively chameleonic.
The Olive Neo is complemented by 'Bronzite', described by the manufacturer as a grey-gold and used for the surrounds for the centre-exit exhausts in the rear bumper, the boxy details in the front splitter and air intake area, and then for the gorgeous 'Fuchs' Sport Classic design centre-lock alloys.
On top of all this, Porsche layers a load of stickers, including three bonnet stripes that not only morph into three shade-on-shade bands on the folding fabric roof, but which also become a huge '911' logo on the nose that encompasses a gold company shield emblem.
On the doors is an unmissable '70' racing number lollipop graphic, there are discreet 'Exclusive Manufaktur' badges on the front wings, and on the Porsche's rump is a bespoke 'Spirit 70' script after the 911 legend.
Marking the final flourish is an offset Heritage Design circular logo on the Spirit 70's engine cover, which we've already mentioned, but overall it's essentially the stickers, paint and Bronzite detailing which make this Cabriolet stand out.
Olive Neo is a unique colour for the Spirit 70 only, so presumably Porsche will tell owners of other 911 models who try and specify it to go take a running jump, but while we can't decide if the styling of this historic-themed 992 is either too gaudy or actually great, we can say that over the years, we've driven a lot of 911s of varying types, colours and, um, specialness... and few, if any, garnered as much attention as the Spirit 70 did while we were driving it.
Even better news: all of that attention was positive, rather than offensive gestures. So if you're an extrovert, maybe the Spirit 70 is worth the outlay after all.
Performance of the Porsche 911 Spirit 70
• T-Hybrid drivetrain is an absolute monster
• Cabriolet steers oh-so-sweetly for a soft-top
• Spirit 70 is no different to the GTS behind the wheel
Let's make no bones about it: sampled in isolation, the Porsche 911 Spirit 70 is an extraordinary machine. Its 'T-Hybrid' drivetrain, marking the beginning of a new part-electrified era in the venerable 911's story, is ridiculously powerful.
Making 541hp and 610Nm, it can shunt the 1.75-tonne Spirit 70 - one of the heaviest 911s in history - from 0-100km/h in just 3.1 seconds, although the car is rear-driven and therefore a bit traction-limited in slipperier conditions.
But that one benchmark stat does not truly convey how devastating this car is for roll-on acceleration, because only medium applications of the throttle at motorway speeds can put your licence at huge risk if you're not paying careful attention. Linked up to a typically faultless PDK dual-clutch auto and the sort of ultra-crisp throttle that feels more naturally aspirated than turbocharged, the Spirit 70 feels every bit as face-bendingly rapid as a full-on, capital-T 911 Turbo of only a few generations back; maybe even as swift as the 991.2, for example. It's outrageous.
Better still - and enhanced by the drop-top capabilities of the Cabriolet - is the noise. There's no worry here that the eTurbo, as it is known, and the electric motor in the PDK will dampen the Spirit 70's vocal ardour, because this is one of the most tuneful 'mainstream' 911s we've heard in years.
Breathing through a standard-fit sports exhaust system, the Spirit 70 is definitely more alluring than the 3.0-litre in the Carrera, Carrera T and Carrera S stablemates, if not as beguiling as the soaring symphony you'd get from the 4.0-litre of a GT3, but there's (appropriately) a more old-fashioned Porsche-like guttural grumble to the big 3.6 slung out the back, which translates into a semi-feral roar and then shriek as you close in on the 7,500rpm rev limiter.
Make sure you're only doing that last act in the lower gears, though, because venturing up to such engine speeds at the top of third and fourth will soon see you doing the sort of monumental pace that is only appropriate on a racetrack.
Then there's the brilliant ride-and-handling balance, that means the Spirit 70 can play the pseudo-GT one minute and the pseudo-hardcore-sports-car the next - no, anti-Cabriolet fans, stop scoffing. The 992 open-top is easily the best 911 Cabriolet we've ever seen from a dynamic perspective and while it's admittedly not quite as tack-sharp in its responses as the related Coupe, it nevertheless is astounding what a compromised car like this is capable of.
Beautiful, accurate and ideally weighted steering links up to Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) dampers and a 10mm-lower 'Sport' chassis to provide the Spirit 70 with the sort of body and wheel control, agility, responsiveness and rich level of drive engagement that other soft-tops can only dream about.
Yet when you drop the pace, the Porsche is reasonably comfortable and quiet, even with the hood down. There's a neat system to mount the wind deflector aft of the front seats electrically by using a switch down on the console, while it will raise and lower its fast-acting fabric roof on the move at speeds of up to 50km/h.
In terms of both the acuity of its handling and the ease of operation of switching its cabin from closed up to open to the elements, the Cabriolet easily tops the admittedly cooler-to-look-at 911 Targa all ends up, for instance.
However. The major caveat here is that the Spirit 70 drives no differently from the regular GTS Cabriolet T-Hybrid. Unless, while driving, you can catch the Pasha interior trim out of the corner of your eye in this limited edition, or you're staring at the green-numbered dials a little too regularly, you won't ever discern anything about the Spirit 70 dynamically that sets it apart from the GTS. It's exactly the same.
It's a shame Porsche couldn't do something just to step the 70 apart from its sibling, even if that was only a modest power upgrade (something the T-Hybrid emphatically doesn't need, you understand, but you get the point) or some bit of chassis tech that the GTS wasn't privy to. As it is, what you're looking at here is a driving experience identical to that of the GTS, only all dressed up in some fancy clothes.
Interior, practicality, tech & comfort of the Porsche 911 Spirit 70
• Vivid Pasha interior really channels the '70s vibe
• Quality and ergonomics of the highest standard
• Not the most practical high-end soft-top in the world
The basic architecture of the Spirit 70 is as per any other 992.2-generation 911, which is to say bloody brilliant. The layout of the switchgear and controls is intuitive, all the tech on it works exactly how you want it to and the driving position is exemplary in every regard.
Like any 911, and especially any 911 Cabriolet, the practicality isn't great - Porsche tells us there's a 135-litre front boot and a then a 163-litre 'open' luggage space behind the front seats. This is a very highfalutin way of saying 'if you want to go grand touring on the continent in your Spirit 70, you're going to have to sling your suitcases onto the otherwise-useless back seats'.
Therefore, what marks the Spirit 70's cabin out is Pasha. And, boy, has Porsche gone to town with this eye-swirling material. Formerly seen on the seats of its cars from 50 years ago, Pasha was usually black-and-white, but in here the latter shade has been replaced by the Olive Neo of the bodywork instead.
And this green-and-black psychedelic fabric is on the seat centres, the door cards and that strip-like ledge running transversely across the dashboard, while it is even inside the glovebox too, and used for a carpet mat in the front-boot storage area of the 911.
We happen to like the Spirit 70's Pasha look, as it's certainly distinctive and gives the interior of the Cabriolet a really special air, but we're well aware it will be too garish for some people's tastes - who would've probably preferred a more straightforward black-and-white check instead.
Beyond all the Pasha, the Spirit 70 has dials in its digital cluster that have white markers complemented by green numerals, something it shares with the other two Heritage Design 911 forebears, and which is also supposed to thematically link it back to the 356, while the same colour is seen on the Sport Chrono dial high up on the dash. Finally, there's a gold plaque on the passenger-side fascia, which says which number of the 1,500 global run is represented by the Spirit 70 you're sitting in.
Irish pricing & rivals of the Porsche 911 Spirit 70
• Costs €366,922 in Ireland
• That's €78,156 more than the GTS Cabriolet
• Going to be very rare, which is the point
There's no getting around this. The Spirit 70 comes with a load of desirable kit as standard, and it does get one or two features (beyond the exterior colour, wheels, decals and bespoke paint) that the GTS doesn't - principally, full tinted HD-Matrix LED headlights and 18-way-adjustable Adaptive Sports Seats Plus in the front.
But €78,000-plus for just different aesthetics, in the main? Is that worth it? Even for the novelty value of the Spirit 70? Difficult to say. We love this limited-edition Porsche 911 Cabriolet, yet it doesn't seem like the most sensible choice - whereas, for instance, its immediate predecessor, the Sport Classic, was the only way of getting a new 911 Turbo in the 2020s that was both rear-wheel drive and fitted with a manual gearbox. The Spirit 70 lacks for a defined chassis or drivetrain USP to genuinely mark it out as something different.
Verdict - should you buy the Porsche 911 Spirit 70?
If you've got the (vast amount of) money needed for it, and you were either born in the 1970s or spent your formative years growing up in that flare-riddled decade, and you really, really like the colour of cargo pants, then yes, absolutely buy the Porsche 911 Spirit 70. It's something a bit different to look at, inside and out, and the source car it is based upon is nothing less than truly exceptional.
However, rationality says we must conclude by reiterating that the Spirit 70 costs a staggering seventy-eight grand more than the 992.2 GTS Cabriolet and doesn't offer anything additional in the driving stakes to justify that huge uptick in expense. That being said, when you're talking about open-top 911s that cost at least €289,000, then maybe buyers simply won't care about the chunky premium required for the Spirit 70. In reality, it's another interesting and highly talented addition to the immense 911 canon.
FAQs about the Porsche 911 Spirit 70
Do I have to like disco to enjoy the Spirit 70?
No, you don't have to stream the greatest hits of Earth, Wind & Fire through the Porsche's fabulous (yet optional) Burmester sound system while driving to get the best of the Spirit 70, nor must you be fond of the spangly lightshow afforded by a glitterball. This writer, for instance, was born in 1979 (ahem) and the Porsche was still mighty appealing to a child emphatically of the 1980s.
Do we know how many examples of the Spirit 70 are coming to Ireland?
There isn't a set limit, aside from the overarching limitation of 1,500 units in total for the entire world. Therefore, it's a case of each individual market getting any allocation of the Spirit 70 on a 'first come, first served' basis with the usual thing about securing production slots. Although we'd expect this car to be vanishingly rare here - single-digit sales, most likely.
Want to know more about the Porsche 911 Spirit 70?
Is there anything else you'd like to know about the Porsche 911 Spirit 70? Or anything you feel we haven't covered here? Then just head over to our Ask Us Anything section and, well, ask us anything. We'll do our best to answer your questions.
