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The Porsche 356, its first-ever sports car, debuted 75 years ago. It created one of the most powerful brands in the world that’s gone on to build some incredible machinery. Now, 75 years is a long time, and many things have changed ever since. As Porsche prepares for its next 75 years, it’s decided to celebrate its beloved 356 while also trying to imagine what the future of the sports car will look like. The result is the “Vision 357.”
The Vision 357 isn’t something you can buy. It’s a design exercise, a concept car meant to show off Stuttgart’s design prowess. As such, it features some futuristic cues not found on any other production car. The most striking feature is its visual lack of well-defined headlights and taillights.
The lights are hidden behind the bodywork, which receives hundreds of tiny holes behind where the source of illumination sits. The result is a car that sort of has headlights, but not really. They’re functional, at least as far as the render goes, but you’ll be hard-pressed to see any plastic lenses anywhere.
Despite the 357 being a look into the future, the hypothetical sports car is not electric. The tailpipes are something of a giveaway. Like its predecessor, the 357 would feature a rear-mounted combustion engine. In this case, it’s the 493-horsepower engine from the Cayman GT4 RS, on which the concept is based on. So while it may not look much like any Porsche today, it would certainly sound like one.
If it were available for purchase, the 357 would run on what Porsche calls e-fuels. These sustainable fuels are meant to provide a future for combustion-powered enthusiast cars. And this isn’t just a pipe dream. The automaker is actively investing in this technology to get it off the ground. It’s one of the reasons why it’s been hesitant to even mention the thought of a 911 powered by electric motors and batteries. Like the 357, electric power is just not suitable for Porsche’s most cherished sports car.
So while the Vision 357 is just a concept, it’s a look forward to the future of the brand’s design. Not all vehicles from Stuttgart are going to feature blended-in headlights, taillights, or ultra-wide exposed rear tires, but these elements might be seen individually on some future models. As Porsche says, it has its entire future ahead of it. This car just helps define that.
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