The 911 at 50

On July 11, Porsche Centre Winnipeg hosted the unveiling of the special Porsche 911 Carrera "50 Years 911" for members of the Red River chapter and other interested Porsche fans. The Porsche Centre served up some tremendous hospitality along with soft drinks and delicious appetizers.

General Manager Michael Degroseilliers was a gregarious host and we enjoyed talking Porsche with him. But in the end the car was the star and it is a stunner!

The exterior features special Geyser Grey Metallic paint as a nod to the original 901; it's one of three exclusive 50th anniversary colours, the others being Graphite Grey and Black, both non-metallic. The feature car was also equipped with distinctive-looking LED headlights. Front air intakes are chrome and the turnsignals echo the shape of the first-generation "long-hood" 911 units.

Profile is standard 991, which means "classic 911"... anodized window trims also echo the ur-911.

Also exclusive to the 50th anniversary edition are the 20" Fuchs forged alloy wheels. Not sure I am personally smitten with the anodized "petals" but everyone else seemed to like them, and Michael assured me that they could be customized to my taste when I ordered the car. Sold! ;-)

Out back there is more chrome as well as a special "911-50" logo.

The option sheet on the special 50th 911. Some relevant numbers: 430 horsepower; 7 speed manual transmission; 4.2 sec 0-60mph; 303km/h top speed; $152,500.

The outside of the 911 Carrera "50 Years 911" is pretty special, no doubt. But where it gets really gorgeous is inside. The leather seats with houndstooth-check cloth inserts are simply spectacular. This is really as nice as a modern 911 interior gets, I reckon.

Does that not look classy and comfortable? Special 911-50 logo appears on headrests as well.

The dashboard is accented with tasteful brushed-aluminum trim. The 911-50 emblem appears above the glovebox along with the number of the particular car in the series, which is limited to 1,963 examples (get it?)

That beautiful interior deserves one more photo. Ausgezeichnet!

Unfortunately the "engine compartment" delivers all the visual excitement of a hairdryer. The good stuff (3.8 litre flat-six engine) is buried well beneath and produces 430 horsepower :-) (The Carrera S powerkit is standard)

Porsche Centre Winnipeg also treated attendees to some very nice swag: 911 posters reprinted from vintage originals, a fold-out brochure on the 901, a set of commemorative 50th-anniversary 911 postcards, and even a Porsche Centre Winnipeg license plate frame.

My thanks to Michael and the staff at Porsche Centre Winnipeg for their gracious hospitality and their generosity in hosting the event. The new Porsche Centre is a fantastic facility and I strongly encourage a visit if only to have a chat with Michael and ogle some gorgeous new Porsches!