Is this Porsche's next convertible, a drop top 911 Speedster?

Porsche 911 Speedster concept

Porsche has just revealed its 911 Speedster concept at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the U.K., and when or if it goes into production, this will probably be the swansong for the current 991.2-generation of the iconic sports car.

The German manufacturer continues to stop a little way short of admitting that it will definitely go into full production, but Porsche has been officially describing the concept as a "potential series production version." And on top of that, prototypes of the droptop have been seen testing on roads in Germany, which likely wouldn't be happening if the company wasn't intending to put the car onto the production line.

The concept shares a chassis with the 911 GT3 and utilizes a six-cylinder engine producing what's said to be "more than 500 horsepower" and revs to 9000 rpm. This is also what we expect to see from an eventual production 911 Speedster, which will get the naturally aspirated 4.0-litre flat six powerplant from the GT3, which in that car develops 493 bhp and 339 lb.-ft. of torque.

Although the concept is equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox, if the production version of the car follows in the footsteps of the GT3 it will be offered with a choice of the manual or a seven-speed PDK transmission.

In something of a classic sports car style, the Speedster will have a lightweight tonneau cover instead of a retractable soft or hard convertible roof. Further weight-saving measures being taken will include the bucket seats being made of carbon fiber, while the comforts of air-conditioning, satellite navigation and a sound system are also dispensed with in the name of saving weight.

And although the body of the concept is based on the 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet, the front hood and the wings are all made of a lightweight carbon fiber composite material. The rear cover is also carbon fiber and connects behind the front seats covering a roll-over structure, and it has the 'double bubble' iconic design element that's been a feature of all 911 Speedster models since as long ago as 1988.

A production version is expected next year, and as only 356 of the 997-generation Speedster were built we should expect a similar low number of these to be produced too. As the last Speedster cost approximately US$66,000 more than the GT3 of its time, it suggests this one could retail from somewhere around the US$205,000 mark.