Porsche is a brand whose design feats have often amazer just as much as their engineering accomplishments have. And they’re cashing in on this fact by releasing a new book called “Porsche Unseen”. This book will contain 15 design studies that the company has never made public before.
To entice fans and enthusiasts to buy the book themselves, they’re offering a few samples. Some were shared on their press site (we’ll share them here too) and others will get a dedicated 911:Magazine video episode. But the majority of design studies will be reserved for those who buy the book. Of course, with the 3 designs they’ve shared here, you’re actually getting just 12 ‘unseen’ Porsches now.
This is a bit better than when Apple released “Designed by Apple in California” because at least these are products the public haven’t actually seen before. You can order a copy of the magazine from this website or the Porsche Museum Shop if you’re in the neighbourhood. The Porsche Online Shop still doesn’t stock it.
Here are the samples shared by Porsche from their news release.
From PRESS RELEASE
The Porsche 919 Street (2017; 1:1 clay model) was developed on the basis of the technology used in the Porsche 919 Hybrid, promising to make the exhilarating driving experience of the LMP1 race car available to amateur drivers. Under the outer shell are the carbon monocoque and powerful 900 PS hybrid racing drivetrain that helped the Porsche 919 to achieve numerous victories at Le Mans. The dimensions and wheelbase were also the same as on the race car.
With its spartan, puristic cockpit, the characteristic radiator grilles over the mid engine, red graphic elements and the suggested fins at the rear, the compact Porsche Vision Spyder (2019; 1:1 hard model) clearly calls to mind the Porsche 550-1500 RS Spyder from 1954. At the same time, 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.
The Porsche vision “Renndienst” (2018; 1:1 hard model) is the free interpretation of a family-friendly space concept for up to six persons. The design team designed a futuristic “space shuttle“ with exciting proportions. The study shows how the Porsche design DNA with its characteristic surface modelling can be transferred to an unknown vehicle segment for the brand. In the interior, passengers find a comfortable and modular travel cabin. The driver sits in a central driver’s seat. The all-electric drive technology is located in the underbody. As a result, passengers can enjoy an unexpectedly generous space and travel experience combined with Porsche-like flair.
The design process starts with a sketch. This is visualised in the next step as a 3D model. As soon as an idea is to be developed further, small models are produced in a scale of 1:3, then followed by hard models in the scale 1:1. In contrast to the development of a production model where several models are always developed with different styling formats, the vision projects, on the other hand, concentrate on a single vision model which serves as a protagonist for the central idea.
The book “Porsche Unseen” is now available from retailers with the ISBN number 978-3-667-11980-3. The design studies are presented in detail over 328 pages with impressive photos from Stefan Bogner and informative text by Jan Karl Baedeker. It is published by Delius Klasing Verlag and is also available in the Porsche Museum shop.
