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Porsche is good at a lot of things, but one area where the company is better than anyone else is this: special and commemorative editions of cars. Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for the company’s latest offering, the 2023 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet America Edition. That name might be a mouthful, but the only words you need to know are the last two: America Edition.
That’s right, this is our own star-studded take on the 992-generation Porsche 911. It was built to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Porsche 356 America Roadster that debuted in 1952 – and by extension the 30th anniversary of the 964 America Roadster, which was self-built to celebrate the 40th anniversary of that original 356.
The America Edition is available in just one color: Azure Blue 356, a modern take on the original blue of the first 356 America. Those with a keen eye will notice the white stripe down the sides of the car with an even smaller red stripe down the middle. Basically they painted a Porsche red, white and blue. Appropriate.
At first glance, the wheels appear in plain white. Take a closer look: they actually have three different finishes that are meant to make them pop and evoke the silver wheels of the 356th Neato.
Additionally, the windscreen surround is painted black to give this convertible a sleeker look – tricking the eye into thinking the structure is thin and delicate, like the 356.
The star motif continues inside. The interior has a black base color but is adorned with all sorts of red, white and blue accents. Well, technically it’s not white. The company informed us that the color is actually Pebble Gray because white would stand out too much. It’s all about subtlety, which is what the US is known for.
The badges also have a bit of color on the back. “911 Carrera” is in white and “GTS” in Guards Red.
Small touches can be found throughout the interior – a white rev counter and red shift pattern and contrasting stitching are just a few. Porsche says it wants America Edition buyers to keep noticing new design aspects while owning and enjoying the car. Strangely, there is no numbered badge indicating where your limited edition example is located. On the center console, however, is the word “America” in traditional Porsche lettering
The door sills also bear the years 1952, 1992 and 2022 to commemorate 70 years of America Roadsters. And the ignition key is color-matched to the exterior of the car.
At its core, the America Edition is a 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet with a 3.0-liter, twin-turbocharged boxer that produces 473 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque, just like the non-America version.
This power is routed through an obligatory seven-speed manual gearbox. That’s right: You don’t get the America Edition with a PDK dual-clutch automatic. Porsche says the decision was made because of the enthusiastic preference for manual transmissions among American 911 buyers.
PASM is also part of the standard equipment. Likewise, a sports exhaust and the Sport Chrono Pack. Since Porsche is Porsche, there are still options. You have to pay for rear axle steering and carbon-ceramic brakes.
The “extended interior package” must also be paid for. According to the folks in Stuttgart, this pack gives you all the interior niceties you see. These include the 12 o’clock marking in Guards Red on the steering wheel and Guards Red cross-stitched seams on the inner edge of the wheel. It also adds the two-tone stitching on the shifter boot and adds a Guards Red cog pattern to the shifter.
Also vehicles specified with the extended interior package Sports seats Plus with double stitching in Guards Red and Pebble Gray with “911” quilting on the headrests in Guards Red and the backrest release eyelets in leather of the same color. Get the floor mats too the same two-tone Indian Red and Pebble Gray stitching. Finally, the vehicle key is painted in azure blue 356 to match the car and a leather key case with two-tone stitching and “America” embossing completes the package.
So if you really want to make your America Edition something special, the best thing to do is to take advantage of the extended interior package. It’ll cost you, but hey, what’s money when you’re buying a limited edition Porsche?
In terms of cost, the MSRP of the America Edition is $186,370 (including $1,450 for destination). That means the America Edition commands a premium of about $36,000 over the base GTS convertible.
You can expect dealers to get the vehicles in late 2022, and while they’re not quite spoken yet, Porsche expects them to sell out pretty quickly. A total of 115 examples will be produced – 100 for the USA and 15 for Canada.
