Porsche 959

Like other automakers, Porsche is up for experimenting with new things. While the German car company is most praised for its legendary sports cars, mainly the 911 and 718, Porsche is no stranger to deviating from its usual ways. This has resulted in some pretty interesting concepts over the years. What pushed the strife to explore new ways was, to an extent, Porsche’s financial trouble between the 1980s and 2000s. Interestingly enough, those were the years in which some of the most bizarre Porsche creations came to life. Even now, Porsche is churning epic new concepts, but sadly none of them transitioned to production models. While there are plenty of examples, I took it upon myself to find and research the five most obscure Porsche concept cars that time forgot. Some of them are more recent than you think, and this raises the question of why Porsche didn’t go through with them.

There is no shortage of companies that reimagine Porsche 911s and the automotive scene today, seems to be saturated but in a good way, with car companies that focus on tastefully resto-modding classic Porsches and giving them a unique twist. Names like Singer, Theon, Gunther Werks, REEN, and Gembala are a handful, that come to mind. But how to stand out amidst so many? Dutch company, Kalmar Automotive may have the answer. In the summer of 2024, the company unveiled its most groundbreaking project yet – the Kalmar 9x9.

Porsche as a brand has existed since April 1931. After a successful stint with Daimler and the consulting business that included the design and engineering of models like the VW Beetle and the 16-cylinder Auto Union Type 52, things finally started to fall into place, with Ferdinand Porsche’s dream of making the perfect sports car which came out in 1939. That said, the first mass-produced Porsche performance car – the 356 – did not arrive until well after WWII ended, debuting in 1948. Since then, the German marque has developed a stalwart image as one of the most prominent performance car manufacturers in the world. With a history spanning 93 years and counting, there are many iconic models, many of which were significant to Porsche’s development as a brand. Given Porsche’s storied history and rich motorsport heritage, the list of truly noteworthy Porsche models is impressively long. However, I managed to narrow it down to seven Porsche models, with each one being historically significant through the decades, and paving the way for future Porsches.

Some digital artists are content with basic flame paint jobs and slammed Civics. Then there’s Kyza, a.k.a Khyzl Saleem who has once again cooked up something that’ll have Porsche fanatics frothing at the mouth: a bonkers fusion of the legendary Porsche 935 Slantnose and the innovative and over-engineered Porsche 959 supercar.

While the Monterey Car Week has already witnessed its fair share of automotive showstoppers, few have dared to redefine the custom aftermarket genre quite like the Kalmar 9X9 and the Tuthill GT1 this year. While the 911 restomod scene is quite mature, this trend is now extending to other iconic models from the Porsche stable. Kalmar Automotive based out of Denmark, is calling their latest creation, the "world’s first retro hypercar," a bold statement that perfectly captures the essence of this beast. Inspired by legendary cars of the past like the over-engineered 959 owing to that distinctive fixed rear wing, the 9X9 blends classic aesthetics and cutting-edge performance.

We’re just a few days away from the Monterey Car Week and I have my radar on a few cars this year. One that caught my attention is this 1985 Porsche 959 (Vorserie), being auctioned off by RM Sotheby’s. Now the 959 is already pretty rare and special, but this particulate example was owned by the great, Dr.Ferdinand Piëch, Ferdinand Porsche’s grandson, who headed the Volkswagen Group for close to twenty years. Pïech of course was a key figure not just in Porsche motorsports but was also instrumental in reshaping the Volkswagen group along with bringing several noteworthy brands like Bugatti, Bentley, and Lamborghini under the VW umbrella. For those unaware, Porsche built several prototypes of the 959. Dubbed “V5KOM” or V5, this example is one of just five surviving Vorserie (V-Series) prototypes.

The Porsche 959 is a halo supercar from the ’80s, that was ahead of its time for a number of innovations. Essentially, a predecessor to the 918 Spyder and the iconic Carrera GT, the 959 started out as a Group B Rally car, known internally as the 953. The 953s were initially entered in the 1984 Paris-Dakar Rally, finishing 1st, 6th, and 25th. Porsche built the 959 as a road-legal version to satisfy F.I.A. homologation regulations, which required a brand to make at least 200 units.