Porsche 357 concept celebrates 75th birthday of iconic sports car

July 2023: 357 Speedster revealed

Porsche follows stunning 357 coupe concept with the must-have sequel: a jaw-dropping new 357 Speedster concept.

Story continues: Porsche 357 concept celebrates 75th birthday of iconic sports car

The Porsche 357 concept has debuted at the Volkswagen Group’s Drive Forum in Berlin.

The concept is designed to celebrate the 356's 75th birthday, which marked the start of the Stuttgart marque’s sports car production in 1948.

The example shown here is purely a concept car that Porsche says brings the iconic 356’s “monolithic form into the present day”.

Underneath the low-slung, wide-body sports car is a 718 Cayman GT4 RS, including that car's 368kW 4.0-litre flat-six powerplant and seven-speed PDK transmission.

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Unlike the electric 718 GT4 ePerformance test-bed, the 357 isn’t a glimpse into the brand’s electric future, or the next 911.

There are plenty of interesting details, such as the camera mirrors and LED lighting signatures that shine through perforated body work without ditching the brand’s DNA.

A host of Porsche 356 details remain in the 357, including the shape of the glasshouse, side profile and alloy wheels that recall the original 356’s large 205mm bolt circle, and an extreme wide-body treatment constructed from natural-fibre reinforced plastic. This material is similar to carbon-fibre, but with sustainable flax fibres rather than carbon.

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The glass in the 357 also nods to the 356 in its innovation – referencing the split glass forming into a single piece – while its black a-pillar gives a seamless transition that Porsche says resembles a helmet visor.

Functional aerodynamic experiments include concealed door handles that sit behind patterns in the doors, and LED lights which shine through perforations in the bodywork at the rear.

“Let’s just say that without the 75th birthday this year, most likely, that car that you see there [the 357] would have been part of the Unseen Book 2.0," chief designer at Porsche, Michael Mauer, told Wheels.

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Return of the Renndienst?

Another curious choice was including Porsche’s ID.Buzz-based Renndienst concept van as the tow car for the 356, though Mauer extinguished any imminent production plans for a Porsche van.

“[Renndienst] didn't start with a task to think about possible extension of our portfolio, that was really an exercise trying out how far the design DNA thing can be stretched.

“There are technical possibilities to bring this [van] on the road”, said Mauer, though he added it isn’t a production study, but rather “part of trying to explore all the corners of possibilities for Porsche.”

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With Porsche’s 75th birthday occurring in 2023 (which, incidentally, coincides with 100 years of the Le Mans 24-Hour Race), we’re certain to see more Porsche concepts, tributes and events this year.

Mauer even said so himself:

“We are celebrating 75 years. This is one birthday present, stay tuned for what you will see over the whole year.”