THE PORSCHE VISION 357 CONCEPT IS THE EPITOME OF RETRO-COOL THAT THE WORLD NEEDS.
The 356 No. 1 Roadster was the very first car built by the Porsche brand, it was so long ago the Porsche crest hadn’t even been created yet. It was a compact mid-engined 2-seater with all of 40 hp on tap. It was the car that launched the brand, by 1965 there were 78 000 produced in a few variations. It’s just about anniversary time for the car, and as is the norm by automakers of this calibre, the best way to celebrate it is to create a concept car. This is where the Porsche Vision 375 Concept enters the fray. The best way to describe it is retro-cool, and it has to be the best-looking concept seen by the automaker in ages. Of course, you can tell that we’re fans of the 356, spurred on by recreations by the likes of Rod Emory from Emory Motorsports with his Outlaw builds. Being a small car, the obvious choice for the base platform is the smallest Porsche in the range, the Cayman. Seeing as the R&D department was footing the bill, the concept has made use of the best parts from the 718 Cayman GT4 RS. “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,” as Michael Mauer, Vice President Style Porsche, says. “The design study is an attempt to combine the past, present and future with coherency, featuring proportions that are reminiscent of its historical archetype and details that visualise the outlook for the future.”
“Thinking out loud about the future is one of the core missions of Style Porsche. Design studies are the pool of ideas that feed the design of tomorrow,” says Michael Mauer. “We are perpetually on the conceptual journey into the future of mobility. Time and again, the brand history 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 unfettered, ones that help us imagine our consistent design philosophy in innovative new directions.” The Vision 357 has a narrow passenger cell, a sloping fly line and wide haunches as per the 356 and the windscreen wraps around the A-pillars, which are black and so tie in the side window surfaces into a single unit. Door handles are hidden, as are the taillights and a 3rd brake light in that redesigned rear-end and grille pattern. The tailpipe trim is made of titanium, while the inside of the tailpipe is made of ceramic. Up front, the Porsche four-point headlights are made to look round like the 356 too. There are lightweight magnesium 20-inch wheels with carbon fibre hubcaps and central locks. Paintwork is two-tone with Ice Grey Metallic and Grivola Grey Metallic. Wing mirrors are now cameras. The GT4 RS engine, a 4.0-litre normally-aspirated 6-cylinder boxer, is in play and that means there’s 368 kW on tap that can make use of e-fuels too.
Take a look at the YouTube video from the Top Gear crew as they take a closer look at the most amazing-looking Porsche concept ever, the Vision 357 which is a retro-cool car that simply must go into production because daaaaamn: FIRST LOOK: Porsche Vision 357 – The Best Birthday Present Ever? | Top Gear
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