Porsche ‘Vision 357’ Concept Celebrates Brand’s 75th Anniversary
75 years ago, on June 8, 1948, the 356 No. 1 Roadster became the first automobile bearing the name Porsche to receive its general operating permit, serving as the birth of the sports car brand.
To mark the company’s 75th anniversary, Porsche created the Porsche Vision 357 as an homage to the Porsche 356, and as an interpretation of Ferry Porsche’s dream of a sports car, the company said.
“We created a very special birthday present in the form of the Porsche Vision 357, one which uses the 356 as a basis to underscore the significance of our design DNA,” said Michael Mauer, Vice President Style Porsche. “The concept car is an attempt to combine the past, present and future with coherency, featuring proportions that are reminiscent of its historical archetype and details that visualize the outlook for the future.”
Built on the technology platform of the 493 hp 718 Cayman GT4 RS, the Porsche Vision 357 appeared at the special exhibition “75 Years of Porsche sports cars” at the Volkswagen Group’s “DRIVE” Forum in Berlin, which opened with an exclusive evening event on Jan. 25 and will be on exhibit until mid-February.
The narrow passenger cell features an abruptly sloping flyline and broad shoulders, the proportions of the Porsche Vision 357 evoking the lines of the 356, Porsche designers said. The windscreen sharply wraps around the A-pillars. As in its historic forebear, Porsche is pushing the boundaries of glass production: early 356 sports cars had a split windscreen with a bar down the middle. The split design was replaced in model year 1952 by a one-piece windscreen with a bend down the center. The A-pillars of the Porsche Vision 357 are black and visually unite the side window surfaces into a single unit. This DLO (daylight opening) graphic resembles the visor of a helmet.
The functional details are integrated and include the concealed door openers by the side windows and the tail lights, which sit behind a patterned array of points in the body itself. Another nod to the original is the grille pattern in the rear, in which the third brake light is integrated. Like all current Porsche models, the Vision 357 features a four-point light signet in front. The round design of the headlights is also a throwback to the characteristic lights of the 356, Porsche said, as well as parallels in the paintwork: the two-tone concept with Ice Grey Metallic and Grivola Grey Metallic.
The 20-inch wheels are made of magnesium and are equipped with aerodynamically advantageous carbon fiber hubcaps and central locks. Visually, they also recall the 356 A and 356 B Porsche wheels with drum brakes and rims with the notably large bolt circle of 205 millimeters.
The “75” anniversary logo adorns the doors and the front of the concept car, and there is nothing behind the lower area of the front wheels, which allows better ventilation of the wheel arches. The wrap-around, jointless front hood is fastened with quick-release mechanisms and threaded rods stabilize the large front spoiler. On the side sills, the Porsche designers employed natural fiber-reinforced plastic (NFRP) – as in the Porsche Mission R, the concept study for an all-electric GT racing car presented in 2021. Instead of traditional exterior mirrors, the concept car is equipped with cameras on the edge of the roof. The visible tailpipe trim in the rear is made of a blueish-looking titanium, while the inside of the tailpipe is made of ceramic.
Like the 718 Cayman GT4 RS, the Porsche Vision 357 has process air intakes positioned high behind the driver- and passenger-side windows, which designers adorned with comic-style “Air” decals. Like the “eFuel” logo on the tank cap on the right wing, the decals are reminiscent of motorsport decals. The naturally aspirated six-cylinder boxer engine draws 493 hp from four liters of displacement. The high-speed mid-engine would be designed for operation with e-fuels.
