It’s that time of the year again for Toronto’s automotive community, the Canadian International Autoshow. Following the success of last year’s edition of the show, it is certain that this year’s promises to be even better, albeit with some significant changes occurring to the brands present on the floors. Porsche showed up to the event with 2 Canadian premieres, and its latest lineup of cars, which I was really looking forward to seeing. Do note that I will be speaking about these cars in more details in later posts. This is just a summary of what is present at the show with regards to Porsche themselves and the privately-owned cars that on display as well.

1. Porsche 718 Boxster Spyder

The long awaited version of the Boxster, the Spyder, was shown to Toronto’s press at the autoshow, though the car made it’s Canadian premiere at Montreal’s autoshow in January. This was my first time seeing one in person, and immediately I fell in love with the car. With its lightweight body and flat-6 engine producing 414hp, the Spyder definitely offers a lot of performance given its price point of $110,000 CAD. Add to that the fact that it is available with a 6-speed manual transmission, and you got one of the most purist cars available in the market today.

2.Porsche 718 Cayman GT4

The new iteration of the Cayman GT4 made its Canadian debut at this year’s autoshow. It can be said that this is at the moment Porsche’s “hottest” model, in other words, in heavy demand. This car can be thought of as the Boxster Spyder’s twin(how interesting). Powered by the same engine as the Spyder also mated to a manual transmission, in addition to a very aggressive-looking exterior design, there are no surprises as to why there is a lot of buzz over this car. Just like the Spyder, deliveries are expected to begin this summer.

3. Porsche Taycan Turbo & Turbo S

The marque’s first and highly anticipated electric model, the Taycan, was presented on its floorspace in the form of two examples: a Turbo and a Turbo S. This car has been a big topic in the automotive industry, specially with regards to Porsche’s ability to have its share in the electric car market, which a lot of car manufacturers are getting into lately. The market launch of the Taycan is only a month away, and while it will definitely be some time before we begin to regularly see these cars on a frequent basis, it was great to get an in-depth look of the cars beforehand.

4. Porsche 911(992) Carrera

Another Canadian premiere for Porsche, but nothing new to be perfectly honest. The 992 was revealed back in late 2018, but only in Carrera S and 4S form. As is customary for Porsche, the base and 4 models follow thereafter. Because the 992 uses the widebody for all of its models, the base and the 4 only differ from a performance aspect, in addition to the latter being PDK only. Producing only 380hp compared to the 450hp seen in the S models, it is evident that Porsche increased the horsepower difference between the two models. With a starting price of $111,000 CAD, this model finds itself in a very competitive territory in terms of price point.

5. Porsche Cayenne(9YO) S Coupe

This is another model from Porsche that has been shown for quite some time now. The coupe version of the 9YO Cayenne is a vehicle that you either like or dislike. Peronally, the coupe SUV style of body has never appealed to me, and I much prefer the regular Cayenne which I find to be a very beautiful looking model, but I can understand that there is that demographic of European SUV buyers to whom this body style appeals to. Both models share the same internal components, albeit the different bodystyles, which is the same scenario as the Panamera. In terms of sales and demands, I see dealers having less coupes on inventory than they would the standard Cayenne, just as there are less Panamera Sport Turismos than normal ones. That being said, I am only giving a prediction, which can be either 100% correct or incorrect.

6. Porsche 935 Tribute

I already wrote about this particular 935, which belongs to Pfaff Porsche, and you can check out that post here. When I saw the car at the dealership, it had Pfaff decals over its body for promotional purposes. During that visit, I was informed that the car was going to be displayed at the autoshow, and because it was going to be at Porsche’s booth, the decals would be coming off. I must say, without those decals, the car stands out even more than when I saw it at the dealership, and I can finally say that naked carbon fibre really suits the car much more than painting the car with a livery of any sort. It is really difficult to believe how putting graphics on a car can influence its look.

Bonus: Privately-owned Porsches

7. Porsche 959 Komfort

Sitting in one of the privately-owned car corrals was a 1987 959. Interestingly, I have seen this very example in the past, and it has the distinction of being the first 959 that I see in person. A tour-de-force back in its day, the technological features that this car has are such as height adjustment at the turn of a knob are unbelievable to this day. You can essentially say that it was the prototype of what would be the modern 911 Turbo models, beginning with the 993. As for colour combinations, it is difficult to say which is exactly my favourite, as there were so many to choose from back then, which complimented the car flawlessly. Nonetheless, the Guards Red with the while wheels is a perfect combination for the 959.

8. Porsche 918 Spyder

Porsche’s latest attempt at a road car with racing-derived technology, the 918, was also on display. With this now being a 7-year old car, it continues to impress to this day. This particular car is a non-Weissach model with a Black on Black colour combination. This aforementioned colour combo gives this car a very conservative look in my opinion, and really suits the car’s design.

9. Porsche 911(991.2) Speedster

Seen is also a Voodoo Blue 911 Speedster. Having seen a Guards Red example a few weeks ago, which you can read about here, I am now biased. Every time I search for Speedsters on car sales websites, I always notice that a majority of them have the heritage appearance package. As a result, I find that it has lost its appeal, and the cars that really stand out are the ones ordered in PTS colours like this one. With these cars being very limited, it is likely that this is one of the nicer ones I will see for a while.

10. Porsche 911 Reimagined By Singer

You can say I either did or didn’t save the best for last. If you are big into air-cooled Porsches, then you should know what a Singer is. For those that don’t know, they are 964s which are rebuilt into works of art. Now, I won’t get into much more details, but I can promise that this is a car that I will discuss certainly in the future. On display thanks to Pfaff, this is only the 3rd singer that I see in person, and perhaps the best one as well. When you see these cars, you really gotta take your time to look at the details of it, such as the camber on the wheels, its detailed exhaust, and smaller details such as the rear grille. They really are a marvel of engineering. While inner details such as the engine and interior are not shown, their presence must be acknowledged. It is obvious once you see these cars that you are able to understand why they are difficult to attain.

In closing, Porsche had a very strong presence at this year’s iteration of the autoshow without doubt. Demonstrating the “fixed” 718 models, in addition to its version of an electric car, it comes to show that the new decade is already having a positive outlook for the marque. That aside, it was great to see some rare models go on display courtesy of private collectors. Sometimes, it is the only way to see such models together, as dealerships would rarely get such cars in their inventory, if not never. If you are interesting in knowing more information and potentially attending the Canadian International Autoshow, running from February 14th to the 23rd, you can follow this link.

Best Regards,
Juan Reyes-Abreu