2006 Porsche 911 Review

Is Club Coupe Best Future Collectible Porsche Available?

To celebrate Porsche Club of Americas 50th Anniversary, Porsche has created the perfect birthday gift - a special edition 997-generation 911, based off the new 911 Carrera S. Aptly named the Club Coupe after the cross-continental club, it bears unique exterior and interior appointments, special commemorative accents, and a few additional surprises which will surely pique PCA club members interests.

Aside from fancy fifteen spoke 19-inch alloy wheels, an option on the normal Carrera S, what sets the Club Coupe apart from other 911s visually is its exclusive paint color. All fifty models (one for each year of the clubs existence - how clever) will be finished in Azurro California, a modern interpretation of the vivid Azure Blue, a shade of blue which is synonymous with the Porsche Club of America and one of the most popular paint options on Porsches first car, the 356. Azurro California also makes an appearance in the Club Coupes interior, where it adorns the center console, and if desired, the seatbacks.

Inside, there are a handful of minor spec changes to suit the special occasion. All Club Coupes come standard with a tarted up interior that features a variety of sports goodies, including special contoured buckets, a sports shift knob and black instrumentation. Other add-ons include stainless steel kick plates embossed with the Club Coupe logo, as well as a special commemorative plaque located on the drivers door which shows the vehicle number, in case you may have forgotten about the Club Coupes exclusivity.

Of course, building a car for a specialty club - a Porsche specialty club at that - requires a great deal more than just aesthetical enhancements. This is why Porsche has chosen this special vehicle to debut its new X51 power kit, an in-house modification package which draws on Porsches racing know-how to make the most out of the upgraded Carrera S engines 3.8-liter displacement. Open what normally would be the trunk on a conventional 911 and youll spot the large-displacement H-6, complete with new carbon fiber air cleaner housing. Underneath, a whole host of modifications including larger throttle bodies, cylinder head and exhaust mods, a sports exhaust system, reprogrammed ECU and optimized air flow help the engine to breathe easier and create more power.

Just how much additional power does the X51 package net? Porsche claims the Club Coupe generates 381-horsepower and 306 lb-ft of torque, up from the standard Carrera S 355 and 295 respectively. Officially, this makes the Club Coupe the most powerful non-turbocharged 911 that Porsche has ever sold in North America, and resultantly one of the quickest and fastest too, taking just 4.4 seconds to reach 60 mph , before reaching a top speed of 186 mph. All things considered, the Club Coupe is pretty impressive for a commemorative edition.

Because the 911 Club Coupe is built off the Carrera S, its only logical that Porsche offered key dynamic packages with this special model. PSM, Porsches stability control system, and PASM, the active damping suspension system with adjustable ride characteristics, are both standard on the Club Coupe, ensuring that drivers are able to achieve optimal handling without sacrificing ride comfort. The Sport Chrono Package Plus, which includes the much talked about dash-top stopwatch, is fitted as standard equipment on all Club Coupe models; PCCB, Porsches Ceramic Brake system is, however, optional.

So, how do you get hold of one of these blue babies? Being an active member of PCA would be a good start, as members have first dibs on the entire production series. The purchasing process for the 911 Club Coupe is done completely over a special website (www.porsche.com/911clubcoupe), which contains details, terms and conditions. In the highly unlikely event that the clubs members do not purchase the complete stock of 48 units by the open purchase date of August 15th, 2005, the remaining cars will be made available to the general public. Exclusivity, like fame, isnt one of those things that comes cheap or easy: Porsche has set the MSRP for the special model is a lofty $99,911.

According to Porsche, only 48 cars will be put on sale out of a total of fifty. Where did the other two go? One will be randomly given to a North American PCA member as a part of the Golden Anniversary draw, on September 12th, 2005. To find out more, visit the aforementioned website. The press kit has no mention of where the final vehicle went. Our guess is that it was pre-sold to PCAs President, or will end up at a historical Porsche museum of some sort.

With about 84,000 individual and active members, Porsche Club of America is one of the largest, independent single-marque automobile clubs in the world. There are a total of 139 chapters in Canada and the U.S., and chances are, theres a chapter in a town or city near you. Like all clubs, PCA had a humble beginning - its roots can be traced back to Blackies Grille in Alexandria, Virginia where founder Bill Sholar and eleven fellow Porsche enthusiasts congregated on September 13th, 1955 over one common interest - their Porsche sports cars. For more info on the clubs history and what it has to offer, PCAs website can be found at www.pca.org.