An Italian ship carrying 2,000 cars including three dozen Porsches caught fire and sank in the Atlantic Ocean just off the coast of France. All 27 crew members aboard were rescued by the British military, though French authorities quickly began to clean up an oil spill caused as a result of the sinking.
German automaker Porsche confirmed that the doomed vessel was carrying four models of the 911 GT2 RS. Production of this specific model ended last February, but Porsche will manufacture a few more to make up for the lost shipment, according to Carscoops. Each vehicle carries a retail price of about $293,200.
The Stuttgart-based company wrote a letter to its Brazilian customers informing them that they would reproduce the model especially for them.
‘We are sorry to inform you that, due to a fire, a Grimaldi group ship, that was transporting your vehicle, sank on March 12, 2019,’ the company wrote to its customers.
‘And for that reason, your GT2 RS cannot be delivered.
‘As you may know, Porsche ended the 911 GT2 RS production on February 2019 and under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t be possible to give you another car. But, due to the nature of the situation, and considering that you’re a loyal and highly valuable customer for our brand, Porsche has decided to resume the GT2 RS production in Germany, and your vehicle will be produced in April, with delivery scheduled for June. ‘We recommend that you contact your local Porsche Center for further information.’ In addition to the 911 GT2 RS, Porsche had a number of other models that were lost at sea. They include 718 Caymans, Boxters, and Cayennes. In total, there were 37 Porsches aboard the Grande America.