Porsche unveiled its fourth-generation Speedster in 2010, to both celebrate Porsche Exclusive’s 25th anniversary and recall the image of Porsche’s popular 356 of the 1950s. Based on the rear-wheel-drive Type 997.2 GTS, the new variant boasted an uprated 408 horsepower, 3.8-liter Variocam-Plus Type MA101 engine mated to Porsche’s seven-speed Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) transmission, which sent power to a limited-slip differential. The new Speedster also included Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) and Porsche Carbon-ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB) as standard equipment. Spoked black alloy wheels were shod with high-performance 235/35ZR19 and 295/30ZR19 tires. Equipped with Sport Chrono-Plus, the Speedster was capable of quite extraordinary performance: 0–60 mph in just over four seconds, and 190 mph on the track.

Like previous Speedster models, the new version was strictly a two-seater, with luggage space behind the front seats covered by the now-familiar hump-backed tonneau. It retained the shortened, raked windshield of its forebears, and added wider front fenders and an aggressive nose from the Sport Design Package. The rear quarters were Turbo-like; nearly identical to those of the all-wheel-drive 911 family. The new 997 Speedster was offered in either Pure Blue or Carrera White with a black canvas folding “Emergency” top. All were lavishly trimmed in full leather, down to the door closure straps and flaps on the air-conditioning vents. Optional were special color-coordinated checkered-flag panels in the centers of the adaptive sports seats. The exterior featured tinted front lights, black headlight rings, a black windshield frame, and other black trim. Special sill covers announced to those entering the car exactly what they were getting into, and the Speedster logo also appeared on the parking brake lever and seatback upholstery.

Only 356 numbered examples were built by Porsche Exclusive, 100 of them reserved for American customers. Many were snapped up by owners of earlier-generation Speedsters and vanished into private collections. The car offered here is even more desirable than all but one other of its brethren; it carries the last number in the series: 356.

Porsche enthusiasts know that it is nigh onto impossible for a private buyer to acquire the first – or last – of any Porsche model from the factory, making this visually stunning automobile unique from a collector’s perspective. Before it left the factory on 3 April 2011, this very automobile was pressed into service by the factory for promotional activities, appearing in various books and marketing brochures.

Speedster number 356, finished in True Blue, its upholstery in black with those checkered flag accents, was specifically ordered through Rusnak Porsche in Pasadena, California, by an executive at the Dreamworks film studios in Los Angeles. It was equipped with Bridgestone tires and an XM radio option. Its Certificate of Authenticity states that it carried a retail price of more than $204,000. After about two years the car was sold back to Rusnak, who quickly re-sold it to a customer in the mid-West. It was then acquired by the current owner.

Still in new condition, this head-turning car is supplied with a re-issued window sticker, a special folio containing the owner’s manual and other documents, a tool kit, factory car cover, and a Porsche Certificate of Authenticity.

For the serious collector of Porsche Speedsters, this is an incredibly rare opportunity to acquire a uniquely numbered example.