Recent 917 concept was inspired by firm’s 1970 Le Mans-winning car
Recent 917 concept previewed the brand’s plans for a successor to the groundbreaking 918 Spyder
Porsche design boss Michael Mauer is deciding whether the firm’s new hypercar, due around 2025 as a successor to the 918 Spyder, should be styled futuristically or with a retrospective nod to some of the greatest cars from the company’s past.
The firm recently released a Porsche 917 Concept design study (above) to mark the 50th anniversary of its 1970 Le Mans victory, with Mauer saying it reflected ongoing discussions over the next-generation hypercar.
“If you launch a new hypercar then you can go extremely modern in your thinking or maybe just go back to our sports car roots and take inspiration from some of the many icons in our history,” he said. “When you look at the 917 Concept then, personally, I love it. You look at it and you immediately make the connections.
“But as a designer who believes that the next hypercar should point to the future, I’m not so sure. There is always the option to look into history, but sometimes you can also take the option to create some history.”
Porsche CEO Oliver Blume confirmed that plans for a next-generation hypercar are under way, but said its future hung on a decision on its powertrain: “If we want it to be electric then we must wait, because battery performance is not where we need it to be yet in order to meet our performance targets.
“It is not decided though that the car will be fully electric. There are opportunities with hybrid, too. We will make a decision when the time is right.”
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Source: Autocar
