PORSCHE is celebrating 75 years in Britain with a special 911 GT3 inspired by the 356 sports cars shown at London’s Earls Court Motor Show in October 1951. Limited to just 51 examples, the UK-exclusive Earls Court 51 Edition pairs a specially developed green exterior with a leather and corduroy interior, lending the anniversary model a retro vibe.
Porsche Driving Centre Silverstone
Created with Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur, the team behind the brand’s personalised finishes, the edition is based on the 911 GT3 with Touring Package. That means a cleaner silhouette without the GT3’s fixed rear wing, alongside a naturally aspirated 4.0-litre flat-six producing 510 PS and a manual gearbox. Its Earls Court Green metallic paint takes its cue from an early 356, while Brilliant Silver accents on the mirrors, door handles and bonnet stripe add another nod to the vintage aesthetic.
Inside, Night Green and Chalk Beige leather are paired with corduroy seat inserts and Paldao wood on the gear selector and dashboard. Smaller details include an embossed outline of the 356, Union Jacks on the sun visors and a rear grille badge inspired by the Reutter coachbuilder emblem found on the original cars. There’s also a matching Porsche Design chronograph, leather weekender, scale model and commemorative book to complete the package.
Porsche
Porsche
The British connection began with Charles Meisl, a Prague-born car salesman whose enthusiasm for Porsche prompted him to call the company’s export manager in Stuttgart and arrange its Earls Court appearance. This saw him became an official importer in 1952, ordering cars one at a time for customers. Those early 356s soon appeared at British race meetings and hill climbs, with a young Jim Clark among the drivers to compete in one. In 1967, Vic Elford won the first rallycross event at Lydden Hill in Kent driving a 911.
Porsche isn’t short of any celebratory moments on track, as Richard Attwood shared its first overall Le Mans victory with Hans Herrmann in 1970, driving the now-famous 917. In 2025, fellow Briton Nick Tandy became the first driver to win all four major 24-hour endurance races outright: Le Mans, Daytona, the Nürburgring and Spa.
The festivities continued with a night out with Tom Hiddleston, who arrived at the 2026 Esquire Better Men Honours in the one-off Porsche Taycan Turbo S Sport Turismo Soho House One this week – created with Soho House, the electric Porsche made its first appearance on public roads that night.
Porsche has also restored a 1951 356 for the anniversary, giving it the same green paint and leather-and-corduroy treatment as the new GT3 while retaining its original 1.1-litre, 40 PS engine. That leaves a considerable 470 PS between the two, but the little 356 helped spark Britain’s love affair with Porsche, earning its place alongside the anniversary model.
by Felicity Carter