Porsche’s near-perfect 911 GTS is getting a new, limited-production variant for 2023. Capitalizing on the long-standing “America” nameplate, the 2023 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet America Edition offers up the dream of open-top, West Coast grand touring in a classic icon of German motoring. Unfortunately, the grandeur of that dream is surpassed only by the sobering reality of today’s high-end car market. Porsche only plans to send 115 of these to the continent for which it’s named — and 15 of those are headed to Canada.
Dynamically, you won’t be missing much. The America is based on the 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet (available with manual transmission and all) but adds no unique mechanical elements to that already-delightful package. What you’re getting here is the look — Azure Blue exterior paint with Guards Red and (just plain old) white accents. Yes, it’s a German grand tourer slathered in star-spangled awesomeness in an homage to a very different drop-top “America” model from 70 years ago, the 1953 356 America Roadster.
“Passion for driving a Porsche runs deep in the United States. In particular, there is something special about hitting the road in an open top 911 with a manual transmission that fits perfectly here,” said Porsche Cars North America President and CEO Kjell Gruner. “This is also the perfect time to add another ‘America’ model to our story as we look back on 70 years since the 356 America Roadster and 30 years since the 964 America Roadster.”
The vertical steering wheel stripe, two-tone shift boot, interior trim with double stitching, “911” seat embroidery, leather seatback releases and two-tone stitched floor mats are all part of the optional “extended” interior package. This bundle also includes a color-matched Azure Blue key fob and custom leather holster (shown above). By Porsche standards, this upgrade really isn’t that outrageously expensive — just a touch over $7,500 — so we expect it’ll be a near-universal add-on.
That is of course unless somebody believes there will be future collector value in having one of only a few built without said package. As we’ve seen over the past few years, Porsche speculators will hang their hats on just about anything. Either way, the markups on these will probably be well in excess of ten times the price of those stripy bits, so why not? All-in, the 2023 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet America will set you back $193,880 (with the extended interior; $186,370 without it) including a $1,450 destination charge before the inevitable ADM. Porsche says it will hit showrooms this fall, but if you’re just learning about this car now, chances are you’ve already missed the boat. Godspeed.
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Source: www.autoblog.com