Image: Anthony Colard
Fans of Porsche will remember a model called the 928. With a front-mounted V8 engine, it carried a DNA quite different from the quintessential 911, which was kind of the point. Though it never replaced the 911, and has suffered much ire for even being involved in that discussion, the 928 was killed off in 1995.
Recently, a French designer named Anthony Colard designed a modern version of the 928 for Porsche. Colard produced a series of sketches, drawings and renderings of what he calls the 921 Vision Concept: a coupe with a front-mounted V8. The Internet has gotten quite excited over Colard’s designs because nothing gets the faithful going like a discussion of dogma.
The funny part is that Colard is not even a Porsche employee. He interviewed with Porsche for a job, was told that his designs were bereft of “clean and simple designs,” and thus invented his concept as a response.
“Designed as a job application for Porsche, this was a very quick project (2 weeks),” Colard said. “Simple but efficient, the idea is to bring back the 928 model to the current line-up at Porsche. Keeping true to the original four-seater aluminium body design, the car has a slick and simple bodywork without any fancy speed activated wing or things like that. It stays clean and true to its origins.”
“The front end is very tidy and designed with very few lines, the volumes yet express strength and refinement with precise detailing in the lamps to show the technological quality of the car.
“The rear echoes back to the original 928 design with its very specific glasshouse, here now with a floating A-pillar to emphasize the curvature and continuity between windshield and side windows. The tail shows its Porsche DNA by mixing the original 928 recessed lamp design with the new Porsche 991 lamps. The lower valance stays simple, integrating in orderly fashion the number plate and reflectors above a double exhaust diffuser.”
Porsche has changed a lot since the 928 had its run. The automaker now has three front-mounted models—Cayenne, Panamera and Macan—some of which have V8s, and others which will soon have turbo fours.
What do you think of Colard’s 921? How does it fit with Porsche’s ethos? Does it go too far or not far enough? Let us know what you think.
Image: Anthony Colard
Image: Anthony Colard
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