It’s Wednesday morning, and that means Porsche has just released a new ‘Top Five’ video. This time we’re taking a walk through their concept hall to look at the five most unique concepts Porsche has ever shown to the public. Some of these cars look far more like production cars than a ‘concept’ might warrant, but perhaps that’s the beauty of a relatively small company like Porsche. They dream it up, and then they make it a reality. Without further ado, here are their choices.
#5 – 1959 Porsche Type 754 T7
Having already finalized the “T6” body style for 356 use, the “T7” designation was given to this larger four-place sports coupe in an effort to modernize Porsche’s design language and move further steps ahead of the competition. It is instantly recognizable as the progenitor of the 911 just four years later. You can see the 754’s inspiration in any longhood 911.
#4 – 1988 Porsche 989
The 989 was, surprisingly, designed to be Porsche’s first four-door production car. With the sales successes of the 928 in the mid-1980s, Porsche wanted to release a second front-engine V8 sports grand tourer, this time with full 2+2 seating and four doors. The 989 concept was shown a few times, but eventually in early 1992 the project was shelved. Design inspiration from the 989 continued to see the light of production in Porsche vehicles for many years to come, just look to the headlights and you’ll instantly see 993.
#3 – 2002 Porsche Cayenne Cabriolet
The roofless SUV design that we now see on the streets in the form of Nissan’s Murano CrossCabrio and Land Rover’s Range Rover Evoque Convertible is owed, at least in part, to Porsche’s Cayenne Cab concept. Making use of Targa-esque design, featuring a very low ride height, and only two-doors, the Cayenne is an oddball among Porsche’s designs. It almost works.
#2 – 2010 918 Spyder
Back seven years ago, Porsche debuted a 918 concept at the Geneva show. It looked wild at the time, but the production 918 ended up looking nearly indistinguishable from the concept.
#1 – 2015 Mission E
It has been nearly two years since we first saw the Mission E, and while a bit of information leaks out here and there, we’re still waiting for Porsche’s Tesla-fighter. The car is very sleek and appears quite sporty with dramatically flared fenders and wheels pushed out to the very corners of the car. When it does arrive, we’ll be ready for it.
Personally, I would argue that 1993’s Boxster concept car was the most advanced and forward-thinking concept that Porsche has ever produced, and that it certainly deserves a place on this list. But what should be removed to allow the Boxster in?