Porsche Unseen

Porsche Vision Spyder (2019)

Puristic, flat and damned fast, James Dean's "Little Bastard" and the Carrera-Panamericana racing cars of the 1950s inspired the new interpretation of the Porsche 550 Spyder. At the same time, the design identity of Porsche sports cars with combustion engines was further developed n the study.

"Porsche Unseen" - Fifteen years of hidden prototypes and concepts finally unveiled to the world!

The design process starts with a sketch. This is visualised in the next step as a 3D model. As soon as an idea is to be developed further, small models are produced in a scale of 1:3, then followed by hard models in the scale 1:1. “The virtual world is the first step, but you especially have to experience the unusual models in reality in order to understand whether a car has small, large or surprising proportions,” says Michael Mauer, Vice President Style Porsche. In contrast to the development of a production model where several models are always developed with different styling formats, the vision projects, on the other hand, concentrate on a single vision model which serves as a protagonist for the central idea.

Under the title “Porsche Unseen”, Porsche is for the first time publishing design studies from 2005 to 2019 which have until now been kept under lock and key. The sports car manufacturer is showing spectacular visions of 15 different cars. In this way, Porsche is offering an exclusive insight into its design process – from the very first drawing to the finished model ready for series production.

“People all over the world love the timeless and innovative design of our sports cars,” says Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board at Porsche AG. “Visionary concept studies are the foundation of this success: they provide the pool of ideas for the Porsche design of tomorrow, and combine our strong tradition with trailblazing future technologies.”

Based on this idea, Porsche develops the product and brand identity which characterises and secures the appearance of all models in the long term. The design language for future models develops from the long-term vision. In this process, the higher-level goal is to combine the Porsche design DNA with state-of-the-art vehicle engineering. On the one hand, this secures the innovative capability of future Porsche models and, on the other, also provides an evolutionary reference to the rich history of Porsche.

“When it comes to the visions we develop, it is not about bringing every car onto the road. Instead, it is more a question of establishing creative space and a relationship with the future,” says Michael Mauer when describing the design process and adds: “There are two possibilities for continuing to develop as a brand: either you improve your products from the present, that is to say step-by-step. However, it is difficult to be really innovative in this process. Or you give free rein to your creativity. The idea is to let your thoughts jump to the day after tomorrow, and to then move back from there to tomorrow.”

The previously unpublished design studies are being presented exclusively by the Porsche Newsroom in a series of articles. The 9:11Magazine web TV format has also dedicated an episode to selected studies and examines the connection between the studies and the current production models together with Porsche Chief Designer Michael Mauer. For fans of the brand, the book entitled “Porsche Unseen” is released today by the Delius Klasing publishing house. Interested readers are given a detailed look behind the scenes of Style Porsche. A selection of studies will also be on display later for fans to admire live: the Porsche Museum will be integrating the models in the exhibition in 2021.

“Porsche intentionally has just a single design studio – located in the direct proximity of development,” says Michael Mauer. “Weissach is our epicentre. Instead of opening advanced design studios in the distant metropolises of North America and Asia, our designers come from all over the world to Porsche in Weissach in order to create the latest production sports cars and automotive visions at the heart of the brand. More than 120 designers, experts for interior, exterior, colours and materials, model builders, modellers and study engineers work in the Porsche Design Studio.

VISIONS UNSEEN

Porsche 906 Living Legend (2015)

In this vision of a super sports car, the Porsche 906 provided the proportions and design cues. Particularly innovative is the visual impression of the car being two bodies pushed into each other. The gap between the elements serves as a ventilation duct for a powerful mid-engine.

Hypercars

Porsche Vision 918 RS (2019)

The Porsche 918 Spyder was a milestone as the first hybridised super sports car from Weissach. In 2019 the designers created a new fascinating evolutionary stage of the 918. With further developed drive and chassis technology as well as an aerodynamically perfected body, the Porsche Vision 918 RS would once again set standards on the road and racing track.

Porsche Vision 920 (2019)

How to combine the formal language of Porsche's road sports cars with the functional design of a prototype racing car? With the Porsche Vision 920 the design team has created an extreme hypercar. The aerodynamically optimised body and the central cockpit blur the boundaries between racing track and road.

Porsche Vision E (2019)

In Formula E, the technology of the future is tested under high performance and pushed to its limits. Based on the Porsche 99X Electric, the design team developed a radically light single-seater racing car for private racers. The fully electric driving experience should be breathtaking.

Porsche 919 Street (2017)

With the Porsche 919 Hybrid, Porsche has won the 24 hours of Le Mans three times. Based on the LMP1 racing car, Michael Mauer and his team developed this vision of a special series for private racing drivers.

Porsche 917 Living Legend (2013)

At the wheel of the Porsche 917 KH in the red and white livery of Porsche Salzburg, Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood won the first overall victory for Porsche at Le Mans in the summer of 1970. When Porsche returned to the LMP1 sport in 2013, the team in Weissach developed a modern interpretation of the winning car of yesteryear. The Porsche 918 Spyder served as the technical inspiration. "In the super sports cars from Porsche, you always have the feeling of practically sitting on the road between the high wheel arches," says Michael Mauer. "We wanted to emphasise this even further."

Porsche Boxster Bergspyder (2014)

The Porsche 909 Bergspyder was the lightest racing car ever used by Porsche in motorsport – it weighed in at just 384 kilograms. With the Porsche Boxster Bergspyder, Michael Mauer and his design team took a bow to the legendary serpentine sports car. At the same time they showed that the Boxster 981 series, with its low weight and powerful mid-engine, is also suitable for conquering the twists and turns of the Alps.

Porsche 911 Vision Safari (2012)

"We believe that no other car brand can combine the themes of sports cars and off-road as credibly as Porsche," says Mauer. The Porsche 911 Vision Safari was created in 2012 and based on the 991 generation 911. With its raised chassis, reinforced wheel arches, massive bumpers and motorsport-inspired cockpit, the study is reminiscent of the legendary 911 Safari, which were used in the 1970s in the East African Safari Rally.

Porsche Le Mans Living Legend (2016)

This extreme road sports car based on the Porsche Boxster is reminiscent of the groundbreaking Porsche 550 racing coupé that started in 1953 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The front and rear bonnet open in opposite directions and fuel is supplied via a central nozzle at the front. At the rear is an eight-cylinder engine with excessive sound development.

Porsche Macan Vision Safari (2013)

The Porsche Macan is a real off-road wonder – and virtually predestined to prove its versatility on gravel roads and rally tracks. That's why the design team in Weissach has put the Porsche Macan Vision Safari as an off-road-suitable three-door model on coarse-grained wheels.

Porsche 904 Living Legend (2013)

This study of an especially compact and puristic lightweight sports car is reminiscent of the legendary Porsche 904 from 1963. Under the cover there is a monocoque chassis made of carbon, as used in the VW XL. The Porsche 904 Living Legend, which weighs barely 900 kilograms, could have been powered by a high-revving motorbike engine.

Porsche Vision 916 (2016)

A study by one of Porsche’s design interns, the Porsche Vision 916 has compact dimensions similar to the Porsche 916, which was developed as a prototype in the early 1970s. However, this Little Rebel is driven purely electrically by four wheel hub motors. It pays homage to the car designer Ferdinand Porsche and his first Lohner-Porsche racing car with four-wheel drive from 1900.

Porsche Vision Turismo (2016)

The shiny silver prototype was first developed as an experimental study of a super sports car with four doors and a rear engine. "But then we discovered that the idea could be implemented even better with a purely electric drive," Mauer recalls. So the Porsche Vision Turismo served as a blueprint for the development of the Porsche Taycan.

Porsche Vision "racing service" (2018)

What might a Porsche for up to six people look like if a feeling of spaciousness was the goal? The design team answered this question with an unusual concept car: the Porsche Vision "racing service". The body of the car is designed from a single mould and forgets all conventions. In the cockpit, the driver sits in a single seat that takes up little space in the autonomous driving mode. In the rear, passengers feel like they’re in a comfortable and spacious lounge.

Spin-Offs

Little Rebels

What’s next?

The process: from first drawing to drivable prototype

Design studies: journey of the mind into the future of mobility