Porsche will celebrate 75 years of sports car manufacturing in 2023 and has a series of celebrations planned.
To kick off the festivities, the company revealed a special retro-inspired concept car called the Vision 357.
The name is a deliberate reference to the 356 No.1 Roadster: the first Porsche sports car to receive a general operating license on June 8, 1948.
show retro futurism
Designed purely as a concept car, the Vision 357 has been “freed from the regulations that apply to regular production vehicles”. Based on the platform used for the raucous Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS, the result is an extreme one-off.
The Style Porsche team gave the Vision 357 the appearance of a narrow cabin atop a widened body. It’s a clear nod to the shape of the Porsche 356, while the wraparound windscreen and black A-pillars are meant to evoke the shape of the visor on a racing helmet.
Both the headlights and taillights are mounted under a custom perforated hood. The headlights combine Porsche’s modern “four-point light signature” with a traditional round design.
The central grille graphic on the back of the Vision 357 is a nod to the 356 engine cover.
Classic Look, Modern Materials
Despite its vintage inspiration, the Vision 357 utilizes thoroughly modern materials. Natural Fiber Reinforced Plastic (NFRP) constituting the side members, including natural flax fibres.
Magnesium is used for the 20-inch alloy wheels with carbon fiber aerodynamic shells, while titanium and ceramic components are used for the exhaust tailpipes.
The Vision 357 also borrows the mid-mounted 4.0-liter flat-six from the 718 Cayman GT4 RS. It’s worth noting that, unlike the rear-engined production Porsche 356, the original No.1 Roadster prototype from 1948 was also mid-engined.
However, the 500hp output of the Vision 357 engine is slightly higher than the 40hp of the previous 356…
A special 75th birthday gift
Porsche opted for a two-tone finish for the Vision 357, with the body painted in Ice Gray Metallic and Grivola Gray Metallic. Both colors were chosen to emulate the gray tones popular in the 1950s.
Michael Mauer, Vice President of Style at Porsche, commented: “We have created a very special birthday present in the form of the Porsche Vision 357, which is based on the 356 to emphasize the importance of our design DNA.”
The Vision 357 concept car will be presented at the “DRIVE” forum of the Volkswagen Group in Berlin. It takes its place in the special “75th Anniversary of Porsche Sports Cars” exhibition, which is on display until mid-February.
Also read:
One-off classic 911 Targa celebrates 50 years of Porsche Design
Porsche 911 GT3 RS review
Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT review