Porsche marks the 30th anniversary of the famed Goodwood Festival of Speed with the Porsche Vision 357 Speedster. The new concept car is the sister model to the closed Porsche Vision 357, with which the sports car manufacturer launched its own anniversary-year celebrations recently.

In design terms, an homage to the 356, technologically, the all-electric Porsche Vision 357 Speedster is based on the 718 GT4 e-Performance.

“The Porsche Vision 357 is a nod to the first Porsche model line, Ferry Porsche’s dream sports car. And since the 356 has burned itself into the collective brand memory as both a convertible and a coupé, the same logic applies to the concept car: there can only be two,” says Michael Mauer, Vice President Style Porsche.

“The Porsche Vision 357 Speedster embodies the essence of the brand. Driving pleasure and driving dynamics combined with an extremely purist form. As with the Mission X that we presented just a few weeks ago, this model demonstrates that even with fresh design genes, the Porsche DNA shines through.”

The Vision 357 Speedster is based on the technology of the Porsche 718 GT4 e-performance. So the electric motors and battery technology come from the Mission R, and the chassis from the 718 GT4 Clubsport. Following its world premiere at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the design study will be displayed at this year’s Rennsport Reunion in the USA at the end of September.

Purism, design reduced to the essential

The concept car has the squat, shortened windscreen that is typical of a speedster. Spanning the right side of the car is a tonneau cover of the type once common on open-top sports cars. The driver’s headrest appears suspended in the air due to the technically designed carbon rollover element behind it. Behind that is the charge port door and the anchor for the classic speedster top.

Cameras replace the exterior mirrors. As in the classic forebears, they are not positioned on the doors but further forward on the fenders. In the open-top 357, they feature a new, aerodynamically optimized shape reminiscent of wings.

The interior is reduced to the essential and fully tailored to the driver. The low-slung seat position is quintessentially sporty. The CFRP seat shell is integrated into the monocoque. The driver sits on Racetex-covered pads and is held firmly in place by a six-point seat belt with a blue belt strap.

The instrument cluster sits atop the steering column as a transparent surface. The racing steering wheel exemplifies lightness, while the impact absorber appears as if suspended. The individual controls, meanwhile, revisit the blue accent color from the exterior.

The entire dashboard is in a carbon-weave finish. As an alternative to a conventional glove compartment, blue straps in the upper right section can be used to secure accessories. Simple fabric straps replace conventional door handles. It’s a detail from the racing milieu that saves weight.

Goodwood Festival of Speed

The British Sunday Times once described the legendary hill climb at the Festival of Speed as a “cross between the Monaco Grand Prix and the Royal Ascot”. A demanding course lined by hay bales, the 1,86 km course is challenging for driver and car alike.

The circuit runs through the grounds of Goodwood House, the estate of Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, 11th Duke of Richmond. The avid motorsport enthusiast established the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 1993.

Some 180 000 motorsport fans, on average, attend the event for historic and modern racing cars at the site in West Sussex in southern England each year. To mark the 75th anniversary of the Porsche brand, a sculpture by artist Gerry Judah will be the centerpiece of the Festival of Speed.

Electric era

With its latest concept cars or one-offs, Porsche seems not only to be celebrating its 75th anniversary of existence but also preparing its clientele for a (complete?) shift towards electricity.

Of course, it is also investing in research about alternative ‘e-fuels‘ and will surely still have ICE or hybrid cars for a fairly long period, but the electric clock seems to tick, even for the mythic sports car company from Zuffenhausen.