Porsche 911 Le Mans Centenary Edition revealed not coming to Australia

The Porsche 911 Carrera GTS Le Mans Centenary Edition pays tribute to the iconic endurance race, with all 72 examples set to be sold exclusively to French customers.

German car-maker Porsche has unveiled a limited-run 911 sports car, celebrating the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race’s 100th anniversary – but don’t expect it in Australian showrooms.

The 911 Carrera GTS ‘Le Mans Centenary Edition’ will be produced exclusively for Porsche customers in France, with its 72 examples reflecting the 72 continuous years the car-maker has competed in the iconic event.

Revealed a fortnight after the 24 Hours of Le Mans celebrated its 100th anniversary – where Porsche was unable to score its 20th victory – the limited-edition variant is based on the 911 Carrera GTS variant, with a number of features harking back to the marque’s past successes in the event.

The sports car’s ‘Le Mans Silver’ paint is bespoke to the Centenary Edition, inspired by the first Porsche to compete in and win its class in the endurance race – the 356 SL – in 1951, which also wore the number ‘46’ on its doors.

Additional exterior highlights include a 1923-2023 Le Mans badge on the engine cover, gold wheels and rear-quarter window air vents, which are teamed with red seatbelts inside to honour the Porsche 911 GT1-98 race-winner from 1998.

The 911’s interior is upholstered in ‘Graphite Blue’ suede – complemented by an embossed Le Mans ‘Circuit de la Sarthe’ track layout on the centre console lid – with unique side sill plates and a numbered plaque on the passenger’s side of the dashboard.

The 911 Le Mans Centenary Edition is mechanically identical to the rear-wheel-drive Carrera GTS, with its 3.0-litre, twin-turbo flat-six engine producing up to 353kW and 570Nm – mated to a seven-speed manual or eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

According to Porsche France, the 911 Carrera GTS Le Mans Centenary Edition is priced from €237,819 (approximately $390,000) plus on-road costs – or about €79,000 ($AU129,500) more than the ‘standard’ Carrera GTS.

Australia has previously received a limited-edition, current-generation Porsche 911 for the local market, with the GT3 Touring 70 Years Porsche Australia Edition arriving in late-2021.

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