Porsche is using the occasion of the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed to reveal its latest concept car, the Vision 357 Speedster. It follows on from the Vision 357 coupe as part of Porsche's 75th anniversary celebrations and is even closer aligned with the company's first car, the 356 roadster.
Retro cues, modern stance
The front lights look vaguely reminiscent of those on the Porsche 356, though far more streamlined, while the rears shine through holes in the bodywork. The curves of the rear haunches emulate those of the 356, while a third brake light is hidden within the exaggerated vertical grille pattern that runs all the way from the top of the diffuser to the back of the asymmetric tonneau cover for the cabin. Ahead of that is a classically tiny windscreen befitting the Speedster tag.
Although it's clear that inspiration for the 357 comes from the original 356, the concept car has a thoroughly modern stance and slick, smooth surfacing, not to mention more than a little motorsport influence in its detailing. Take note of the blue tow eyes front and rear, along with the quick-release catches for the bonnet. There's a proper carbon-fibre roll hoop, too. Meanwhile, the front wing-mounted mirrors of the 356 have been replicated in the form of cameras.
The 356's simple wheels with a large bolt circle are referenced in the rather more modern 20-inch rims of the Vision 357. The concept's wheels are made of magnesium with carbon-fibre hubcaps.
Cabin made for racing
A single seat is installed in the Vision 357, using a CFRP (carbon-fibre reinforced plastic) shell that's integrated with the car's structure itself. Racetex-covered pads are designed to make all that more comfortable than it sounds, while the driver is held in place by a six-point harness. In front of them is a new take on the Porsche three-spoke steering wheel with extra controls in blue and a 12 o'clock marker in the same colour. Behind is a transparent panel showing the instrumentation while the dashboard is covered in a carbon weave and features a prominent power-on button to the left of the steering wheel.
Electric power and racing chassis
While the Vision 357 coupe used the underpinnings of the current Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS, the Speedster instead goes electric, using the powertrain of the 718 Cayman GT4 e-Performance prototype. That development car had up to 1,088hp in qualifying mode thanks to an electric motor on each axle, which slightly overshadows the first Porsche's peak output of circa 40hp...
Goodwood cavalcade
The Vision 357 Speedster won't be the only Porsche of interest at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed. The new 718 Spyder RS will be on hand, as will the stunning Mission X concept hypercar. Porsche will also mark 100 years of Le Mans with six winners: the 718 W-RS Spyder (winner of the 2.0-litre class in 1961), the 935 Martini (class winner in 1976) and the 911 RSR in the "Pig" design (winner of the GTE Pro class in 2018) and three overall Le Mans winners in the 936/81 Spyder, the 911 GT1 '98 and the 919 Hybrid from 2017.
Finally, a collection of 15 disparate Porsches will form a parade up the Goodwood hill twice each day of the Festival to commemorate the brand's 75th birthday, led by the "356 No. 1 Roadster". Fans of that car's style must be hoping that the Vision 357 concepts preview a new Porsche of the near future.