Modern Porsche 959 Redesign Looks Astounding, Would Sell Like Hot Cakes

You only need to look at its closest rival, the Ferrari F40, to realize just how unassuming the 959 appeared compared to its levels of performance. When launched in 1986, the 959 became the quickest road-legal car ever produced with a maximum speed of 317 km/h (197 mph), though it could reportedly go even faster than that.

Unfortunately for Porsche, its model didn't enjoy that title for long as the Italians in Maranello quickly fought back with the equally wonderful Ferrari F40. Officially, the red mid-engine supercar blipped the 959's top speed by just 4 km/h (just over 2 mph), but some consider the debate over which was actually faster still unconcluded.

Luckily, with the heat of the moment gone, people now like to look back on both cars with equal fondness. Their rivalry is considered the starting point for everything that followed in the performance vehicle segment and, if you consider all the firsts these two models brought, it's easy to understand why.

For all its engineering greatness, the 959 was never the best car to look at by common standards. However, its technological advancements made it a lot easier for people to get over its weird proportions and, particularly, that huge rear overhang.

Well, it turns out that overhang wasn't as massive as your eyes would have you believe. The Sketch Monkey, one of our favorite digital artists and pretty famous YouTube and Instagram user, decided to imagine what a modern Porsche 959 would look like and, in the process, he also identified what it is about the legendary model that gives it its unique look.

It turns out that the rear overhang is pretty much the same length as on a contemporary 911. So, what is it, then? Well, you may have missed it if you never really asked yourself that question, but once you see it, it seems instantly obvious: the shoulder line that's almost perfectly parallel to the ground. Instead of that dip right after the rear wheel that all 911s get, the 959's kept going straight only to finish with the wing.

The Sketch Monkey took a three-quarters rear image of the 959 and proceeded to apply some modern Porsche design elements to create a 2021 successor for the classic model. We can't tell whether it's the 959's aura (it probably is) that makes us love the end product so much or it truly is a nice design, but we'd instantly splash the cash if this were something you could buy at a dealership. And, we suspect, a lot of other people would feel the same way about it.

You can watch the entire process in the clip below, as well as a quick deconstruction of the original 959's design.