While the 911 dominates Porsche’s brand, there are some special projects that were never revealed.
While Porsche prides itself on creating models that defy the laws of design and performance, the brand continues its innovation behind closed doors until the right time comes for an official unveiling. Throughout its years as an industry leader and fan favorite, Porsche has shown the automotive world some of the most influential models that help shape the sports car market into what it is today. Sadly, many Porsche concept vehicles have yet to see the light of day because of various reasons and explanations. Porsche is proud to highlight some of its never-before-seen concepts alongside the announcement of its new Vision GT concept.
Porsche Mission R
Racing is still the beating heart of Porsche. And with the Mission R concept, unveiled in 2021, the company presented its vision for customer racing in the future. It’s a fully electric Porsche racecar made from innovative materials, and with the sort of eye-popping levels of acceleration and power that you would expect from the people who brought you the award-winning Taycan all-electric sportscar.
Porsche 984 Concept
Between 1984 and 1987, the Porsche Development Centre in Weissach, Germany, was busy working on a top-secret prototype called the Porsche 984. Conceived as a lightweight, aerodynamic roadster, it was designed to provide an affordable entry-point into the Porsche range. Porsche engineers wanted the 984 to major on fun, so the weight was kept low and the engine power modest. It also featured a folding hard-top roof, quite the innovation at that time. Unfortunately, the project was shelved because of the plummeting US dollar in 1987.
Porsche Le Mans Living Legend
The 550 Spyder is one the most iconic cars ever produced by Porsche, but the first sports car out of Zuffenhausen to be designed for racing was in fact a hard-topped version, the 550 Coupé. And it’s the car that provided the inspiration for the extraordinary looking Le Mans Living Legend.
The Renndienst
Styled on the VW racing service van (‘renn’ is a shortened form of the German word ‘rennen’, or racing, while ‘dienst’ means service) that was used by the factory racing team, this futuristic minivan has room for six people and features a modular travel cabin. Importantly, this being a Porsche, the Renndienst is more than just a practical bus. Combining sportiness with comfort, the driver sits in a central lounge chair, which gives the passengers a greater view of the road ahead and takes up less cabin space than a conventional row of seats. The 2018 Renndienst also features all-electric drive and autonomous capability and hints at an exciting future for the sports car brand.
Porsche Panamericana
The Panamericana is a fabled Mexican roadrace, deemed by many as the toughest of them all in its 1950s heyday, whose name would later famously act as inspiration for the naming of the Porsche Panamera Sports Saloon and Sport Turismo. The Porsche Panamericana, however, was a roadster concept study that would turn out to be one of the best birthday presents that Ferry Porsche ever received.
Source: Porsche
