What if a Next-Generation Porsche 911 Broke Away From Tradition to Look Like This?

Courtesy of a creative artist with a hunch for car apparel and fashion – the culprit is Bruno Arena, from Changan Europa Advanced Design Center – a prospective 911 proposal emerged online. If the Changan name rings zero bells and whistles, then note that it’s a state-owned carmaker from the People’s Republic of China. Its design studio is in Turin, Italy, which would be a point to consider when gazing at the following project.

The new design suggestion for the 911 – although unimaginably defiant of everything Porsche holds sacred regarding looks – is interestingly familiar, intriguingly attractive, and arguably better than the last fifty years’ worth of unshaken adherence to the all-too-familiar lines.

For starters, I did a little experiment with one of the images and launched an internet-wide visual search for it. What was the first suggestion? That’s right: Porsche 911. Still, I can take the plea of allegiance to the camshaft republic that this shape is eerily familiar – but not related to Porsche. (If you can name a suitable resemblance, type it in the comments section).

It’s disturbingly exciting to see the sacred shape of one of the world’s most instantly-recognizable automobiles – if not the most recognizable, bar none – being manipulated in such a way. It exudes self-confidence and – I never knew this would be possible to affirm about a Porsche – sportier demeanor.

More muscular in stance, the contours bear an unmistakable reminiscence on the Porsche design DNA. Under the virtual chisel of Bruno Arena, the 911 appears abruptly carved out of a flying saucer depiction from the early 50s – with edgy front and rear ends.

The back of the car is slightly elongated behind the axle and gently curves upward to meet the descending flyline. A small lip just under the rear window – carrying a continuous LED strip as a third brake light – enhances the widebody stance.

The profile is very fluid – were it not for the strikingly classic round headlamps, this design could have been an endless debate about its provenance. The circles with lights in them clear any doubts – that feature has remained unchanged for five decades (but it did receive a beautification once in a while).

Sure, anything is possible in the realm of pure hexadecimal imagination, so the almost non-existent ground clearance could be interpreted as a poetic license. The oversized wheels demand – a better word would be “command” – tires so sociopathically low-profile it would be unsafe to leave children unattended next to them.

In conventional car algorithms, those shallow side walls reprimand traffic jams and garages. They crave flat, deserted, and no-speed-limit roads. If Porsche had earned a synonym, that would be “fast.” Or agile. Or quick. Or grippy. Or exciting. Or… you get the hint.

The author of this high-definition pixelated Mona Lisa of the Porsche family probably likes to play practical jokes because I couldn’t think of another reason for which he left ambiguous cues about the powertrain.

On the one hand, the massive air vents behind the doors – the scoops that adorn other 911s, too – would traditionally translate to internal combustion. The air-grabbing pockets sculpted in front of the rear wheel well direct much-need oxygen to the turbochargers.

However, the front is very EV-oriented, with its devastating lack of openings. Even the real-world Taycan is more open-headed than this unnamed digital dream. The 911 sketch has the looks but in an awkwardly uncomfortable expressionless manner. Its mouthless soul is strengthened by the flat surfaces lying in absolute stillness.

Reviving a traditional feature of earlier 911 models, namely the forward-extended hood, helps lengthen the front of the vehicle and gives it a dynamic look. The LED headlights, seamlessly integrated into the wings, bear the typical 911 round and upright form.

It reminds me of a snake’s head – motionless eyes, cold-blooded impassibility, no forewarning mimic of any kind. But that’s subjective, and the car is very allusive throughout. An aggressive front spoiler and cutthroat rear diffuser leave little to the imagination when talking speed and athleticism. This 911 wish-upon-a-star idea has a very flowy overall profile, reducing drag to a minimum.

Remember the massive ducktail from the first Carrera RS 2.7? Long gone, but not forgotten – the rear features a symbolic protuberance under the back window. The recess in the deck lid just underneath accentuates the impression of downforce generated by fast-moving air streams.

The wheels, on the other hand, are claustrophobically deprived of pressure-relieving escapements. The gargantuan turbine that will become the very fast-spinning five spokes will suck air inward without giving it a second thought. Suitable for brake cooling but bad for aerodynamics. Then again, we can always envision a radical new approach: hidden air ducts running under the car’s floor.

One distinctive feature of this particular design – albeit very discrete – is the absence of conventional mirrors. The flat candy bar-like outward extensions at the root of the A-pillars could be rearview cameras – a bluntly obvious statement about the car’s digital cladding. Although the inside is left in the dark (and at our reverie’s free-roaming grace), we can assume it to be just as contained and introverted as the outside.