Porsche marks 75 years of building sports cars in 2023, with a host of celebrations planned.
To kick off the festivities, the company has revealed a special retro-inspired concept car, called the Vision 357.
The name is a deliberate reference to the 356 No.1 Roadster: the very first Porsche sports car to be granted a general operating permit on 8 June 1948.
Retro-futurism on show
Designed purely as a concept car, the Vision 357 has been ‘liberated from the regulations’ that apply to regular production vehicles. The result is an extreme one-off, based on the platform used for the raucous Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS.
The Style Porsche team has given the Vision 357 the appearance of a narrow cabin sat atop widened bodywork. This is an obvious nod to the shape of the Porsche 356, while the wraparound windscreen and black A-pillars are meant to evoke the shape of a visor on a racing helmet.
Both the headlights and tail lights are mounted beneath bespoke perforated covers. The headlights blend Porsche’s modern ‘four-point light signet’ with a traditional round design.
A central grille pattern at the back of the Vision 357 is a homage to the engine cover on the 356.
Classic looks, modern materials
Despite its retro inspiration, the Vision 357 makes use of thoroughly modern materials. Natural fibre-reinforced plastic (NFRP) makes up the side sills, including natural flax fibres.
Magnesium is used for the 20-inch alloy wheels, which wear carbon fibre aero covers, while titanium and ceramic parts feature on the exhaust tailpipe.
The Vision 357 also borrows its mid-mounted 4.0-litre flat-six from the 718 Cayman GT4 RS. Notably, unlike the rear-engined production Porsche 356, the original No.1 Roadster prototype of 1948 also had a mid-engined layout.
However, the 500hp output of the engine in the Vision 357 slightly exceeds the 40hp of the first 356…
A special 75th birthday present
Porsche opted for a two-tone finish for the Vision 357, with Ice Grey Metallic and Grivola Grey Metallic paint used for the bodywork. Both colours were chosen to mimic the grey tones popular during the 1950s.
Michael Mauer, vice president of style at Porsche, commented: “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”.
The Vision 357 concept will be displayed at the Volkswagen Group’s ‘DRIVE’ forum in Berlin. It takes pride of place in a special ’75 Years of Porsche sports cars’ exhibition, and is on show until mid-February.
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