Spied: Porsche 911 Speedster

Spied: Porsche 911 Speedster

Porsche looks to be thinking about a return of the Speedster body style for the current 911.

Spied: Porsche 911 Speedster

Porsche is at work on a new generation of the iconic 911, known internally as the 998, which will hit the road in about three years.

But the runout of the current model, the 997, looks as if it will include the reappearance of the long-dormant Speedster body style, which we haven't seen in a decade.

Our spy photographers have captured these shots of a 997 Speedster prototype being tested, and it looks ready to go.

In Porsche-land, the Speedster name is used on convertibles with cut-down windshields, lowered roofs and stripped-down interiors.

The Porsche Speedster legend starts with the 356 Speedster of the mid 1950s; it is among the most collectible of Porsche cars.

The last Porsche Speedster was seen on the 993 series, which was also the last of the air-cooled Porsches. It ended its run in 1998.

But the 993 Speedster was never available to the public. The factory built only two of them--one for Ferdinand "Butzi" Porsche, who helped design the original 911, and one for Jerry Seinfeld. The last volume production Speedster appeared in 1992-94 on the 964 series.

We hope to get a better look at this new Speedster soon.