Porsche unveiled its latest limited edition 911 Carrera Sunday, the 2023 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet America. Unveiled at the 2022 Porsche Parade in Pocono Manor, Pennsylvania, the automaker says the America will be one of the rarest Type 992 models when it reaches showrooms in late 2022 for the 2023 model year.

“Passion for driving a Porsche runs deep in the United States. In particular, there is something special about hitting the road in an open top 911 with a manual transmission that fits perfectly here,” said Kjell Gruner, president and CEO of Porsche Cars North America Inc., in a statement.

“This is also the perfect time to add another ‘America’ model to our story as we look back on 70 years since the 356 America Roadster and 30 years since the 964 America Roadster.”

The 2023 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet America

Unlike the initial America Roadster, you wouldn’t call the newest America model spartan, and it boasts far more power than the original. Credit the 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged boxer 6-cylinder engine; it generates 473 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque. 

Standard equipment includes Sport Exhaust, the Sport Chrono Package, and Porsche Active Suspension Management Sport, which lowers the ride height by 10 mm (0.39 inch). Up front, the America Roadster is fitted with 16-inch cast iron brake rotors with six-piston aluminum fixed calipers, while 14.9-inch rotors in the rear with four-piston fixed aluminum calipers reside in the rear.

Rear axle steering and Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes are optional.

A bespoke wardrobe

It’s all wrapped in an exterior painted Azure Blue 356, which takes its hues from the 1953 356 America Roadster and is exclusive to this model for 2023. It’s accented by a satin black windshield frame, white and silver spoke wheels, and special red America badging.

Inside, it’s not red, white and blue. But you will get black seats, red seat belts, a heated GT Sport steering wheel, and a Pebble Grey instrument panel accented in red stitching. The instrument panel also features a white tachometer and instrument cluster. In case you forgot what you paid for, Porsche embosses the word “America” in the leather center console armrest. 

You’ll also notice the illuminated door sill plates celebrate the 70th birthday of the 356 America Roadster.

For those who want just a little bit more, there’s the optional extended interior package. This adds a red mark at the top of the steering wheel, two-tone stitching, along with “911” stitched in red on the headrests. Floor mats also get gussied up, and the vehicle key is painted Azure Blue 356 to match the car, and a leather key pouch with two-tone stitching and “America” embossed on its exterior.

So, how much will it cost?

If you’re interested in the 2023 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet America, it will set you back $186,270, while the same vehicle with the extended interior package will cost $193,880. Both prices include a $1,450 destination charge. Look for it to arrive in U.S. showrooms in late 2022.

While saying, “a very limited number will be created,” the company did not reveal how any will be built, although online reports put the number at 115, all of which will be sold here.

A long tradition

Special edition Porsches for the American market are nothing new, with Porsche producing its first one in 1952 — the 1952 Porsche 356 America Roadster. Porsche built 16 at the request of Max Hoffman, Porsche’s sole American dealer at the time.

Sparsely trimmed, lacking turn signals, carpet, wipers, side mirrors, or exterior door handles, it’s sheathed in an aluminum body by Glaser-Heuer and weighs a mere 1,334 pounds. Power came from a 70-horsepower, 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine and was capable of reaching 110 mph.

Hoffman had been selling Porsches stateside since 1950, and this lightweight roadster was developed for Hoffman as a more affordable model. And while the 70-horsepower engine may seem meager to modern eyes, it was far more powerful than the 40-horsepower mill then in use. 

It’s among the rarest 356 models ever built. 

Porsche revived the America in 1992 as part on the Type 964 generation 911, limiting production to 250 units. That model used the wide body, brakes, suspension and 17-inch Porsche Cup wheels of the 911 Turbo.“This is also the perfect time to add another ‘America’ model to our story as we look back on 70 years since the 356 America Roadster and 30 years since the 964 America Roadster,” Gruner said