Missed out on the Porsche 911 R? Don’t worry, so did we. But Porsche is set to build a new pure Porsche for the masses

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Only 911 examples of the most-pure 911 in years were built, and lots of enthusiasts missed out and have since caused plenty of noise at club, dealer and internet level. So much so that management in Stuttgart has apparently taken notice of the level of angst, especially as many of those that did secure a 911 R quickly flipped them on the open market. Porsche, both locally and abroad, has expressed displeasure at speculators profiteering from its limited-edition models, so the rumoured solution is that the next pure Porsche will join the line-up as a regular model.

According to a report by respected UK publication Autocar, the pure 911 was confirmed by Porsche’s R&D chief, Michael Steiner, during the reveal of the new Cayenne. Understandably, very little detail is available at this stage, but this model could be the long-rumoured GT3 Touring Package (a GT3 sans the rear wing and some of the more aggressive aerodynamic addenda) or it could be an entirely separate model. It’s also unclear whether this new model is to make an appearance within the current life-cycle of the 991.2 911 generation, or whether it will launch with the 992 later in the decade. We suggest it will appear as a 991.2.

Porsche is also said to be readying a limited-edition Speedster for the Frankfurt motor show later this month and we’re sure this will spark another round of astronomic 911 prices.

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Initially, Porsche Cars Australia had suggested that the total local allocation of 911 Rs would not exceed 25, and the frenzy began as enthusiasts and speculators began circling the dealerships. The final allocation settled in the low-30-unit bracket, which wasn’t enough for me to secure my dream car. Full disclosure, I couldn’t really afford a $400,000 Porsche and I wasn’t trying to flip the car for profit. But with a bit of man math (my cobbled-together house deposit plus a serious amount of financing), I could just about get the numbers to line up for the most-desirable new car of 2016. I’d thought I’d keep the 911 R for a year, do a few good drives in it and sell it for what I paid or, with some luck, a tiny profit, having lived out my dream of owning a car as desirable as the R.

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Within weeks of the model’s arrival in Australia, rumours began circling of cars changing hands for $250K more than the $400K list price. Then two confirmed sales passed the million-dollar benchmark – one of which was sold to a UK investor – and it looked like the world had gone crazy. Third-party dealers then began openly advertising Rs for up to $1.2million.

Since the announcement of the 997.2 GT3 and it’s no-cost optional six-speed manual, coupled to the long-running rumours of a de-spoilered variant, 911 R values have come back a little bit (as have those of the 991 GT3 RS). Still, a 911 R is likely to cost you double what the first owner paid for it. It will be interesting to see what effect this new model has on future values of the R, and whether there is enough demand for pure Porsches that this new model will explode in value as soon as they drive (or are trucked) from the showroom for the first time.

Jesse Taylor