Porsche Vision 357 Concept (2023)

Porsche Vision 357 Concept

75 years ago, on 8 June 1948, 356 No. 1 Roadster the first car with the Porsche name to receive its general operating license – the birth of the sports car brand.

Porsche is now starting its anniversary year with the Porsche Vision 357 and a reference to the Porsche 356 – Ferry Porsche’s dream of a sports car. As a tribute to this, the design studio brings the monolithic form into the present. Freed from the rules that apply to implementation as a series model, the Style Porsche Team manifests potential expressions of the design philosophy of the future: an example is the consistent improvement of the light signature, which is both progressive and visionary in the way it points towards the future. The basic concept reflects the interaction between tradition and innovation: what would the dream of a sports car from Ferry Porsche look like today?

356 as a basis for designing DNA

“We created a very special birthday gift in the form of the Porsche Vision 357, one that uses the 356 as a basis to emphasize the importance of our design DNA,” as Michael Mauer, Vice President Style Porsche, says. “The design studio is an attempt to combine past, present and future with coherence, with proportions that recall its historical archetype and details that visualize the prospects for the future.”

Built on the technology platform of the 368 kW (500 PS) 718 Cayman GT4 RS, the Porsche Vision 357 represents exceptional sports car performance. The exterior design studio is the highlight of 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 January 25, 2023. The design studio is presented at South by Southwest in Austin and at additional international events throughout the year.

Design has been an elemental component of the Porsche legend since the beginning. Visionary studies and concept cars form the basis for Porsche’s unmistakable yet innovative design. “Thinking about the future is one of Style Porsche’s core tasks. Design studios are the pool of ideas that feed tomorrow’s design,” says Michael Mauer. “We are constantly on the conceptual journey into the mobility of the future. Again and again, the history of the brand serves as a source of inspiration. Taking a look back at our tradition with a future concept car is not as paradoxical as it might seem. Creative Freedom is also important: This is where valuable ideas can emerge unhindered, those that help us imagine our consistent design philosophy in innovative new directions.”

Modern interpretation of the Porsche 356

With its monolithic form, the narrow passenger cell with a steeply sloping flyline and broad shoulders, the proportions of the Porsche Vision 357 evoke the lines of the 356. The windshield curves sharply around the A-pillars. As in its historical antecedents, Porsche pushes the boundaries of glass production: early 356s had a split windshield with a bar down the middle. The split design was replaced in the 1952 model year by a one-piece windshield with a bend down the middle. The A-pillars in the Porsche Vision 357 are black and visually unite the side window surfaces into a single unit. This DLO (Daylight Opening) graphic looks like the visor on a helmet.

The functional details are integrated and support the sculptural character of the vehicle. This includes the hidden door openers by the side windows and taillights, which sit behind a patterned series of points in the bodywork itself. Another nod to the original is the grill pattern at the back, into which the third brake light is integrated. Like all current Porsche models, the Vision 357 has a four-point light sign at the front. The round design of the headlights is also a return to the characteristic lights of the 356. There are also parallels in the paintwork: the two-tone concept with Ice Gray Metallic and Grivola Gray Metallic in the lower areas of the front hearkens back to the gray tones that were already popular in the 1950s’ the ones.

The wide track gives a bullish impression and improves driving stability. The 20-inch wheels are made of magnesium and are equipped with aerodynamically advantageous carbon fiber hubcaps and central locks. Visually, they are also reminiscent of a legendary Porsche wheel: the 356 A and 356 B with drum brakes had rims with the remarkably large bolt circle of 205 millimeters.

Sporty details from the 718 Cayman GT4 RS

The anniversary logo “75” adorns the doors and front of the design studio as a starting number. And it is far from the only detail from the racing world: there is nothing behind the lower area of ​​the front wheels, which provides better ventilation of the wheel arches. The wraparound, jointless front helmet is attached with quick-release mechanisms. Threaded rods stabilize the large front spoiler. On the side sill, the Porsche designers used natural fiber reinforced plastic (NFRP) – as in the Porsche Mission R, the concept study for an all-electric GT racing car presented in 2021. The basis for the sustainable materials are flax fibers from agriculture. Instead of traditional exterior mirrors, the design studio is equipped with cameras on the edge of the roof. The visible tailpipe at the rear is made of a bluish-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 located high behind the driver and passenger side windows, which designers have adorned with comic-style “Air” decals. Like the “eFuel” logo on the right wing fuel cap, the decals are reminiscent of motorsport decals. The naturally aspirated six-cylinder boxer engine theoretically draws 368 kW (500 PS) from four liters of displacement. The high-speed mid-engine would be designed to run on e-fuels.