The Porsche 911 S/T is the kind of thing collectors and lifelong Porsche dreamers daydream about. A special edition built to mark the 60th anniversary of the iconic sports car, it’s not quite a track special. It’s a road car built with many parts from the track-focused GT3 and GT3 RS.
It gets the naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-6 from the GT3 RS, combined with a short-throw 6-speed stick built with a lightweight clutch and flywheel. But it looks like a roadgoing Porsche. Unless that is, you spring for the optional Heritage Design Package, which gives it numbered door panels and an interior inspired by 1960s race cars.
Porsche plans to build just 1,963 examples. That could make it the most in-demand Porsche model this year. Competition for the few available will be fierce — despite their nearly $300,000 price tags.
That doesn’t have to pose a problem for Porsche. The automaker could simply accept that flippers are likely to hoover up the thin supply and resell them for many times their original price.
But Porsche wants these cars to go to people who love them.
A Waiting Period to Deter Scalpers
So, the company has enacted an unusual rule. To buy a 911 S/T, you’ll have to lease it for a year. You can then purchase the car like any other owner with an expiring lease.
Car and Driver reports Porsche designed the plan to “limit the insane prices brought on by American flipping culture.”
The Drive reports, “The protective measure was explained by Porsche’s head of the 911 and 718 model lines, Frank Moser, at last week’s Rennsport Reunion 7.”
“We want to ensure the cars are available to reach true enthusiasts, to be driven and enjoyed for years to come,” Moser told reporters. So, Porsche won’t transfer legal ownership of a 911 S/T until the buyer has made a year’s worth of payments.
GM Has Tried Something Similar
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen an automaker try to restrict car scalpers. Last year, GM briefly enacted a policy that saw it revoke warranties on some popular models if buyers resold them quickly. The move came after several Corvette Z06 models resold for eye-popping prices.
Flippers, after all, can hurt an automaker’s reputation. When buyers see a car advertised for a specific price but discover it selling for far above that price, they tend to blame the company whose logo is on the car.
The move may not work — the car is rare enough and in sufficient demand that flippers might be willing to store it for a year and count on sales profits to make up for a year of payments. GM, after all, eased its anti-flipping rule just a month after enacting it.
But we’re glad to see Porsche trying. The 911 S/T deserves time on the road. Anything that might keep it in the hands of people who love to drive it is worth a shot.
