A cargo ship called Grande America carrying a large batch of Audi and Porsche cars sank off the coast of France on 12th March. The ship sank following a fire that broke out in one of the containers on deck, taking with it some 2000 cars that were on board. Several of these cars were Audi A3, A5, Q7, RS4, and RS5. Porsche confirmed on Tuesday that there were Porsche cars on board as well out of which 4 were 911 GT2 RS worth $292,200 (approximately Rs 2.02 crore) each.
The Porsche GT2 RS was discontinued in February this year and possibly the last four of them aboard Grande America were heading to their homes in Brazil. But delivery couldn’t happen and hence Porsche has now said that it will resume production of some 911 GT2 RS and deliver to the customers who lost their cars in the shipping accident.
The letter from Porsche Brazil acquired by Carscoops reads: (translated) ”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. And for that reason, your GT2 RS cannot be delivered.
“As you may know, Porsche ended the 991 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.”
Besides the 911, there were other Porsche cars on board including Caymans, Boxters, and Cayennes. The 27-member crew of Grande America was rescued by a Royal Navy vessel that moved in from 240 km away. All crew were saved in time and no serious injuries were reported.