Photo: @sugardesign_1 on Instagram
Similar to how the Ford Motor Company intended to replace the Mustang with the Probe, the Porsche 911 should’ve been replaced by the 928. Peter Schutz, who acted as head honcho in the 1980s, is the gentleman who saved the rear-engined sports car from turning into a front-engined grand tourer.
Schutz joined the Stuttgart-based automaker in 1981 when the Neunelfer was already facing the grim reaper’s scythe. The first American chief executive officer of the German company immediately overturned that decision - much to the dislike of lead engineer Helmuth Bott - and the late Schutz cemented his legacy by overseeing the 959 project. Although he singlehandedly ushered the company into supercar territory, Porsche lost a heck of a lot of money on each 959, a mistake that got Schutz fired in 1987.
Deceased in 2017 at the ripe age of 87, the one and only Peter Schutz made Porsche’s high-ranking executives and bean counters understand how much the 911 matters for customers and the brand alike. Porsche did not dare to experiment too much with the Neunelfer since the 1980s, which is why there are slim chances for the boxer-engined sports car to receive a wagon option.
The enthusiast-offending design study in the photo gallery comes from Sugar Chow, the pixel artist who also gave us the Giulia Sportwagon that never saw the light of production because Alfa Romeo is bleeding money.
Although I personally like the styling, I understand why the Panamera Sport Turismo-inspired body style doesn’t sense. For starters, the rear hatchback opens up to reveal the twin-turbocharged boxer engine instead of a trunk. And secondly, the rear quarter windows spoil the otherwise elegant lines of the 992 generation. But even more importantly, where do you actually fit a pair of child-sized rear seats considering the location of the force-fed mill?
Alas, the design study will remain just that because Porsche has no trouble selling every single 911 on the lot, including high-priced special editions.
Deceased in 2017 at the ripe age of 87, the one and only Peter Schutz made Porsche’s high-ranking executives and bean counters understand how much the 911 matters for customers and the brand alike. Porsche did not dare to experiment too much with the Neunelfer since the 1980s, which is why there are slim chances for the boxer-engined sports car to receive a wagon option.
The enthusiast-offending design study in the photo gallery comes from Sugar Chow, the pixel artist who also gave us the Giulia Sportwagon that never saw the light of production because Alfa Romeo is bleeding money.
Although I personally like the styling, I understand why the Panamera Sport Turismo-inspired body style doesn’t sense. For starters, the rear hatchback opens up to reveal the twin-turbocharged boxer engine instead of a trunk. And secondly, the rear quarter windows spoil the otherwise elegant lines of the 992 generation. But even more importantly, where do you actually fit a pair of child-sized rear seats considering the location of the force-fed mill?
Alas, the design study will remain just that because Porsche has no trouble selling every single 911 on the lot, including high-priced special editions.
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