Vision Spyder
Porsche envisioned the Vision Spyder as a modern take on the 1954 550-1500 RS Spyder. Built in 2019, it’s arguably on the same branch of the firm’s family tree as the 718 Boxster but it looks like a simpler, more basic model that falls in line with the speedster ethos. It’s fitted with a short windshield and a fixed, multi-point roll bar, but it doesn’t look like any type of top was designed for it. When it rains, drive faster or find somewhere to wait it out. Although images of the interior weren’t released, a top view of the Vision Spyder shows a two-seater cockpit with a pair of bucket seats and little else. It’s truly a back-to-the-basics machine.
Porsche confirmed the Vision Spyder is powered by a mid-mounted engine, though we don’t know if it has four or six cylinders. “The study served as the basis for further development of the design identity for combustion-engined Porsche sports cars,” according to the company. Some of its styling cues might permeate future models in the coming years.
Or as Porsche put it, “The study was intended to further develop the design identity of Porsche and provide a pool of ideas for future details. For example, the ultra-modern roll bar.” Stay tuned, in other words.
What’s next?
In the meantime, Porsche grouped the three prototypes and several other unseen models in a 328-page book titled “Porsche Unseen” (ISBN number 978-3-667-11980-3) that was released globally on November 12, 2020. Images by Stefan Bogner show the cars in great detail, and writer Jan Karl Baedeker tells each model’s tale.
Porsche will release information about a handful of other unbuilt prototypes in the coming weeks, and some of the cars it’s putting in the public eye for the first time will be displayed in its official museum in Stuttgart, Germany, in 2021. We applaud its efforts to share these cars with enthusiasts. Every carmaker is sitting on a stash of one-off design studies, but too often they remain shrouded in secrecy, never to be seen by anyone outside of the company. Bugatti also opened up its design studio in 2020, and we encourage other companies to do the same.