Why didn't this Porsche concept get green lighted? | FerrariChat

Why didn't this Porsche concept get green lighted?

Discussion in 'Porsche' started by bitzman, Dec 11, 2020.

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  1. bitzman

    bitzman F1 Rookie
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    wallace wyss
    The trouble with old classic cars is that they draw off some of the same money that would buy a brand spankin' new car.
    The solution? Design a car that recalls the spirit of a great classic from your own stable. Kind of like say, you had the seed of Man o' War in a freezer and were still able to inseminate a Dam to sire a great great great grandson.
    So now when an author thought of a book called Porsche Unseen, we find out Porsche actually considered making a "modern" homage car honoring the 904GTS, one of their first mid-engined cars, built for both road and track.
    The prototypes featured range from 2005 to 2019, 15 top-secret designs in all accompanied by photos, from Stefan Bogner and text written by Jan Karl Baedeker. It is a sizable book for that subject, 328 pages and reveals the creative process from first sketch to the finished product. Every model featured is fascinating in its own right, but the 904 really grabbed our attention.
    The PR release did not reveal if all had drivetrains or were just well finished clays but I saw it's the concept that counts.
    The 904 Living Legend was built as a 1:1 model back in 2013. But some of the design cues did make it to production, maybe in the 918 Spyder , Taycan and 718 . Even the rear light bar is used on most current Porsche models. Even though the 904 Living Legend never was green lighted you have to applaud Porsche for going up every tributary.

    Porsche even admits this concept grew out of a VW Concept, Volkswagen XL1 done a few years before the 904 Living Legend . The XL1 was designed to be hyper-efficient, not built for all out speed and boasted a carbon monocoque chassis. They started sketching a small, back-to-basics sports car on that chassis, and that led them back to the 904. The goal was a simple sports car.

    Now if you really want to see how radical they were thinking it wouldn't have used any Porsche engine but instead a two cylinder Ducati motorcycle engine from the 1199 Superleggera. At the time it was the most powerful twin-cylinder engine in the world, good for about 200 horsepower and 99 lb-ft of torque. That would have helped the car weigh in at under 2,000 pounds, with a 0 to 60 time in the mid-5 second range and a top end of about 160 mph. Now if you like revs, how about that V2 winding out to say 12,000 rpm?

    Throw in the great handling that a mid-engined car can deliver if properly fettled and this would have been a winner. Alas VW is selling Ducati and maybe not enough people remember the 904..so this one remains just a memory in a book of memories.
    Any inside stories on why it was red-lighted?

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  2. Mang

    Mang F1 Veteran
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    Mike S.
  3. Bluebottle

    Bluebottle F1 Veteran
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    Looks very nice, but more like a Cayman than a 904. Personally I think "homage" cars are rubbish - they never look as good as the real thing. Design should move with the times, rather than be a pastiche of past glories.
     
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  4. bitzman

    bitzman F1 Rookie
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    Same car as it was also proposed for VW. I have to get that book to see the other unseen designs, a real treasure trove for sports car designers.
     
  5. NeuroBeaker

    NeuroBeaker Advising Moderator
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    It would have been an awesome Cayman.

    All the best,
    Andrew.
     
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  6. David_S

    David_S F1 World Champ
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    Certainly not bad, but SO close to being simply completely awesome...

    In today's environment? I'd sure settle for "not bad," but always hope for "completely awesome."
     
  7. Boomhauer

    Boomhauer Formula Junior

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