Porsches that never made production
Porsche has built many cars in its history, including a lot of rare and low-number models.
There are, however, plenty of vehicles from the company’s back catalogue that never made it to production – and not all these Porsches were extreme sporting models.
As we will see, four-door saloons and humble hatches, roadsters and vans have all been considered before they were consigned to history.
Here are some of the cars Porsche never made, presented in chronological order.
1. 1953 Porsche 530
The family likeness to the Porsche 356 is obvious in the 530, which was a one-off prototype made to investigate the idea of a proper four-seat version of the marque’s sports car.
The 530 was built with a longer wheelbase and longer doors to aid entry to the roomy two rear seats.
There was also a reworked roofline to give more headroom to those in the back, while the rear end had more of a saloon style than the 356’s fastback shape.
Porsche didn’t pursue the 530 any further than the prototype stage, but a cabriolet version was also built to test the idea.
2. 1954 Porsche 542
Porsche was commissioned by Studebaker to come up with a smaller, more efficient four-door saloon than the US company’s usual fare. The result was the 542.
Four prototypes were produced by Porsche in Germany that were then sent to Studebaker in the US.
These cars were very different to Porsche’s own cars, but also included lots of thoughtful engineering solutions, including a 3-litre V6 engine and all-round independent suspension.
Unfortunately, when the cars arrived in the US, Studebaker was in financial straits and the company chose to go with more traditional models for fear the 542 would be too radical for its customers.
3. 1960 Porsche 754
In its bid to come up with a replacement for the gently ageing 356, Porsche looked at several designs from in-house and from other stylists.
One that caught the eye of Ferry Porsche was from his own son, Ferdinand Alexander, and it became the 754 prototype.
The 754 was a stepping stone between 356 and 911, with a front end that clearly showed how the new car from Porsche would appear.
Even so, not even familial ties would deter Porsche Snr from rejecting the proposal due to its four-seat layout when what he wanted was a 2+2.
The 754’s ungainly rear was ditched and a new fastback style was created to form the 901 that made its debut in 1963.
This also saw the platform under the 754 reduced from a 2.4m wheelbase to 2.2m for the 901.
4. 1964 Porsche 901 Cabriolet
Given how successful open-top versions of the Porsche 911 went on to be, it’s surprising the company only made this single 901 Cabriolet prototype in 1964.
It wasn’t until 1982 that the 911 SC Cabriolet joined the line-up.
Eighteen years before that, the 901 Cabriolet showed what a successor to the 356 Cabriolet could look like and there was demand for such a car from US buyers.
Yet Porsche remained cautious and decided against the 901 in drop-top form, and instead it introduced the targa model in 1967.
The 901 Cabriolet was sold to German racing driver Manfred Freisinger and stayed with him until 2001 in full working order.
5. 1966 Porsche 911 Roadster Bertone
You’d be hard-pressed to recognise this very pretty convertible as a Porsche thanks to Bertone’s delicate design.
The Italian coachbuilder spotted Porsche customers wanted an open version of the 911 but the German firm was not offering such a car, so Bertone joined with California Porsche dealer John von Neumann.
It took Bertone nine months to create the 911 Roadster Bertone, which had a much plusher cabin than the 911 it was based on.
The car was shown at the 1966 Geneva show and von Neumann and Bertone received several inquiries about it.
No firm orders were placed, though, so it remained a very desirable one-off, because Porsche had its new 911 targa waiting in the wings.
6. 1966 Porsche 911 HLS
Never one to rest on its laurels, only three years after the introduction of its 901 coupé, later renamed 911, Porsche was considering the car’s future.
This led to the company working with the University of Aachen to devise a more extreme model.
What the university came up with was the HLS, which was completely unlike the 911. It had a radically pointed nose and hinged canopy in place of doors, though underneath it was all standard 911 mechanical parts.
When the HLS was presented to Porsche, the company was underwhelmed and left the car lying until it was bought by 911 expert Manfred Hering in 2014 with the intention of restoring the car to drivable condition.
7. 1968 Porsche 911 four-door
Long before Porsche introduced the Panamera as a four-door sports saloon, US-based coachbuilders Dick Troutman and Tom Barnes had a crack at it.
Their four-door 911 was made by slicing a standard model at its B-pillar and creating an entirely new roof panel.
The back doors were rear-hinged, though there was still a central pillar for the door to lock against.
The cabin of this saloon was designed to be luxurious rather than sporting, so all four doors had electric windows, while there was leather upholstery, air conditioning and a wooden dash panel.
Used regularly by its first owner, the 911 saloon was 21in longer than a standard coupé and Porsche showed no inclination to replicate it.
8. 1970 Porsche Murene
The Porsche Murene was the work of Jacques Cooper, who was working for French coachbuilder Heuliez at the time, and Paul Bracq, who went on to great success at BMW – together, they produced a sweeping coupé based on the 914/6.
The plan was to tempt Porsche into commissioning the car and it made its debut at the 1970 Paris show. Not even its clever, double-hinged rear glass section could catch Porsche’s interest.
The German car maker was unimpressed and took the idea no further.
Left to rot in storage, Heuliez eventually took pity on the Murene and restored its one-off Porsche coupé in the 2000s. It was sold at auction in 2012.
9. 1970 Porsche Tapiro
Embracing the wedge style of design, Porsche worked with Giorgetto Giugiaro and Ital Design to come up with the Tapiro, which made its debut at the 1970 Turin motor show.
Based on a Porsche 914/6 platform, the low-slung Tapiro was claimed to have a top speed of 152mph.
It was certainly aerodynamically efficient, while the gullwing doors added plenty of drama to its already arresting shape.
The car was sold to a Spanish customer and was later badly damaged in a fire. Ital Design then bought the car back, restored it and put it on display in its museum.
10. 1973 Porsche FLA
As catchy names go, Forschungsprojekt Langzeit-Auto is not up there, so it’s hardly surprising Porsche quickly began referring to this design study as the FLA.
The car’s name means ‘long-term research project’ and was derived from Porsche looking at how cars could be made to last for longer.
The goal was a car that could last for 20 years and 300,000km (186,000 miles) at a time when many cars were rotting away by their fifth birthday.
Working with the German government’s Ministry for Research and Development, the FLA appeared at the 1973 Frankfurt motor show and stirred up a lot of discussion.
The only obvious hints that the FLA was a Porsche were its Fuchs alloy wheels. A rear-mounted, four-cylinder, water-cooled engine was distinctly un-Porsche-like at the time.
The car now lives in the company’s museum.
11. 1978 Porsche 995
Who better to ask to conceive a vision of a future sports car than Porsche, which is why Germany’s Federal Ministry of Research and Technology approached the company.
The brief was to create a four-seat sports car with an eye on fuel economy, safety and noise emissions.
Porsche’s answer looked a lot like a 928 thanks to its aerodynamic shape, but under the bonnet was a 2.2-litre four-cylinder, 16-valve engine connected to a five-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
Porsche reckoned the 995 would be capable of a 125mph top speed and average fuel economy of more than 32mpg.
12. 1982 Porsche C29
While the Porsche C29 itself didn’t go into production, the car it spawned did, in the shape of the 959, which went on to become one of the definitive supercars of the 1980s.
Before that, the C29 laid the groundwork for this as an aerodynamic study vehicle in 1982.
It was exhibited at the Frankfurt motor show in 1983, clearly pointing to how the 959 would look, even if the C29 was still a little rough around the edges.
Throughout 1982, the C29 spent a lot of time in Porsche’s wind tunnel, where its shape was refined to a drag coefficient of 0.31Cd.
This work pioneered the flush-fitting windscreen and underbody plastics that helped the 959 to its 197mph top speed.
13. 1983 Porsche 935 Street
This Porsche is unique for a number of reasons.
It was the first car built by its Exclusive programme that offered customers an almost limitless range of options.
This car was ordered by Mansour Ojjeh, whose company TAG (Techniques d’Avant Garde) was a sponsor of the Williams Formula One team – Ojjeh went on to have a long-term working relationship with the McLaren F1 team.
Not content with a 911 turbo, Ojjeh’s car had an uprated engine and 935 race-style bodywork. Together, this gave the car a top speed of 178mph and 0-62mph in 5.2 secs.
In keeping with its racing-car looks, the 935 Street had a rollcage, race harnesses and Recaro seats. However, it also had a wooden dash panel and central locking to add some luxury.
14. 1983 Porsche B32
As much the ultimate Q-car as the best van Volkswagen and Porsche never made, the B32 was built as a support vehicle for the 959’s assault on the Paris-Dakar rally.
It’s thought Porsche made 15 of these B32 vans, which used the 3.2-litre engine from the contemporary 911 Carrera, to give the B32 a 0-60mph time of 8 secs and 135mph top speed.
To cope with this, larger brakes and firmer suspension were also fitted to the B32.
Never a production model, Porsche did sell a handful of B32s to favoured customers, while the remainder stayed with the company as very rapid transport for parts and people.
15. 1984 Porsche 942
At first glance, this looks like a 928, but the 942 was a one-off car made as a present for Ferry Porsche’s 75th birthday.
Based on a 928, the 942 has a 10in (25cm) longer wheelbase to allow for a different roofline that provided more headroom and extra space for those sitting in the back seats.
This required reshaping the rear three-quarters of the car with new glass and a new hatch, yet it weighed only 75kg (165lb) more than a standard 928.
The 942 also had different bumpers front and back, which foretold the look of the S4 model. This birthday gift came with advanced projector headlights and a 5-litre V8.
16. 1984 Porsche 984
Porsche found financial security when it launched the 986 Boxster in 1996, yet it could have enjoyed the same sound footing if it had gone ahead with the 984 12 years earlier.
Designed as an affordable entry-point to the Porsche line-up below even the 924, this simple two-seat roadster was destined to have a 120bhp 2-litre engine, with a 150bhp version as an option.
It was said to handle superbly and would have cost the same as a Toyota MR2.
What killed the 984 was the stock-market crash of the late 1980s that caused Porsche sales to drop severely.
This led to cost-cutting at Porsche and the 984 was a sad victim of that decision.
17. 1987 Porsche 928 H50
Porsche recycled the one-off 928 that it had presented to Ferry Porsche for his 75th birthday to create the H50 four-door study.
The company had already dabbled with this idea working in collaboration with tuning firm AMG.
The H50 was an in-house design and added a set of rear doors that hinged from the back to allow for good access to this 928’s rear seats.
After it was shown a few times in 1987, the H50 lurked in storage until it was brought out to demonstrate the Panamera’s lineage.
18. 1988 Porsche Varrera
No, it’s not a misspelling – the Varrera was a car seriously considered by Porsche in the late 1980s.
Looking to widen its range, Porsche came up with a six-seat luxury MPV with performance way beyond anything a Renault Espace could offer.
Power came from a 3.2-litre flat-six from the 911 coupé matched to its gearbox, though the car’s main structure was the same as that used for the Volkswagen Sharan MPV.
Harm Lagaay was charged with making the Varrera appear distinctly Porsche-like, which included unique headlights and a cabin trimmed in leather. It sat on a set of Cup alloy wheels to give it more attitude.
However, none of this was enough to push the Varrera towards production and it was quietly dropped from any plans.
19. 1989 Porsche Panamericana
A Porsche off-roader? No, that would never work, or so many thought when they laid eyes on the Panamericana in 1989.
This green Porsche take on the beach buggy gave strong clues to how the upcoming 993 generation of 911 would look, and it was disguised as yet another birthday present for Ferry Porsche.
Styled by Harm Lagaay, it was shown at the 1989 Frankfurt motor show and used a 964 Carrera 4 as its base.
The bodywork was made from plastic and carbonfibre, while the wheels were unique items from Speedline.
20. 1991 Porsche 989
The 989 was easily the closest Porsche had come to making a four-door production car when it was revealed in 1991.
The styling was fully resolved and this looked to all the world like a car waiting to be launched.
This four-door family sports car was within a hair’s breadth of getting the green light, complete with a 4.2-litre V8 engine for a 155mph top speed.
When Porsche crunched the numbers, though, the 989 was too costly to make for the projected 15,000 sales it would generate, meaning yet another four-door project fell by the wayside.
21. 1992 Porsche 964 Carrera 2 Clubsport
Cash-strapped Porsche had to come up with some revenue-boosting ideas in the early 1990s. One of these was a Clubsport version of the 964.
Much of the Clubsport’s spec could be borrowed from the RS model, including its Cup alloy wheels, lowered suspension and bucket seats.
Like the RS, the Clubsport could also dispense with the rear seats, electric windows and airbags to cut 50kg (110lb) from the weight.
Although the Clubsport would be cheaper to produce than a standard 964, with both sharing the same engine, it could be sold at a price to tempt buyers put off by rising prices elsewhere in the range.
However, Porsche dropped the idea after a single prototype was built.
22. 1993 Porsche 964 Speedster Turbo-Look
Porsche built a single Speedster Turbo-Look car based on the 964 generation of 911 Carrera 2 as a prototype.
It remained the only one made from the ground up by the factory, but customer demand led to an innovative solution.
Rather than turn this Speedster Turbo-Look into a production model, Porsche offered buyers of the narrow-body Speedster the opportunity to bring their car back and have it converted under its Exclusive wing.
In all, 15 customers took up this offer, meaning the 964 Speedster Turbo-Look is one of the rarest cars in the history of Porsche and still not one that made it to official production.
23. 1993 Porsche C88
Out of all the cars that never made it into production under the Porsche umbrella, the C88 is the most and least surprising.
It’s unsurprising Porsche itself chose not to build this budget saloon, but what does raise an eyebrow is how this car came about.
It was commissioned by the Chinese government and Porsche completed it in short order to display it at the 1994 Beijing motor show.
Porsche reckoned this was a good foot in the door to a lucrative market.
The Chinese, on the other hand, copied the ideas from the C88 and promptly dropped Porsche from its plans, leaving the German firm with a car it didn’t want and no payment for its work.
24. 1995 Porsche 928 GTR
The Porsche 928 had been used as a competition car before, but the 928 GTR created by Max Moritz was the quickest.
It enjoyed semi-works backing, though Porsche always kept the project at arm’s length and would not commit to making any itself.
Perhaps this was because the 928 GTR turned out to be faster on track than the company’s own 911 GT3 model of the time.
A near-standard tune engine was used, but weight was trimmed down with lightweight body panels and a race exhaust.
25. 1995 Porsche 993 Speedster
There should have been just one 993 Speedster model from Porsche. It was built based on a Carrera 2 Cabriolet with a lowered windscreen, a smoothed-out rear deck and a dark-brown leather interior.
This car was made as a 60th birthday gift for Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, eldest son of the company’s founder.
As such, it was always intended that this car with a Tiptronic gearbox, RS seats, wood trim and special storage under the bonnet would remain unique.
However, avid Porsche fan and good customer Jerry Seinfeld fell in love with the shape and sent his silver 993 4S Cabriolet back to the factory to be converted to full Speedster spec – the factory obliged and a second 993 Speedster was born.
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