Porsche’s range of cars has dramatically increased over the past 30 years. Back then we all thought it was adventurous of Porsche to make a front-engined car, but today the German sporting manufacturer does so much more. Electric cars, SUVs and new entry-level models have all since joined the party – each available in endless varieties. However, Porsche might be cooking up a new member of the family.
The huge range of Porsche specifications on offer are a big part of this brand’s appeal to buyers. A 911 can be had in coupe, cabriolet or Targa body styles. Cayman and Boxster models also offer such a choice to entry-level buyers, but what if there was a third? Evidence suggests a sleek new coupe based on the Boxster might be on the cards.
Every car manufacturer will produce a host of concept designs before selecting what will actually grace Tarmac in the near future. Sadly for fans, these ‘what could have been’ models usually never see the light of day. However, Porsche recently opened the doors to its design house where a handful of forgotten concept cars got their time in the sun. One such car was the Porsche Le Mans Living Legend.
This petite sports car actually pays homage to the classic Porsche 550 racer. The Spider might be the first 550 that springs to mind, but a trio of coupes proceeded that variant and even claimed a class win at Le Mans – hence the concept’s name. While possessing a fixed roof, large roof panels open with its doors, and so basing this car on the Boxster with the necessary structural rigidity in its chassis already is a good move.
Just like Alpine has done with its A110, Porsche designers have interpreted the 550’s styling for the modern age. A smooth river pebble body sports a pair of rounded lights on its nose and prompt gills above its shoulders for cooling. A sloping roofline morphs into that distinctive split rear window and nearly rounded backside. It’s a handsome thing that became a 1:1 clay model back in 2016.
A curiously unique design trait on the Living Legend concept is its rear shell that rises and flips back as one piece to reveal the engine. From the pictures, it looks to be a similar mechanism seen on the Porsche 911 Targa. What engine? Porsche also revealed that it would have been powered by an eight-cylinder unit.
Sadly, this project went no further and the Porsche Le Mans Living Legend didn’t even get the opportunity to be ogled at a motor show. However, fresh evidence suggest that this concept could be getting a second wind.
This month it was discovered that Porsche had filed a series of patent drawing for a new model. Now, that in and of itself is nothing new, car makers do it all the time. However, a closer inspection of these drawings submitted on to the European Union Intellectual Property Office in February shows a car identical to this concept. Very interesting indeed.
The surfacing of these drawings mean one of two things… A boring explanation is that now Porsche has publicly shown the 2016 concept, it’s worried about someone copying the design – boo. The alternative explanation is that Porsche is gearing-up for the launch of the Living Legend as a production car. This seems plausible given that the Boxster platform is a ready and willing participant, meaning that a business case wouldn’t be hard to justify.
Porsche has launched an interesting string of limited run cars such as the 2019 911 Speedster, a vehicle that sets a trend for low volume derivatives. We think a somewhat retro sports car based on the Boxster is an entirely realistic possibility.
Keyword: Is Porsche working on a sleek new coupe?