No one would mistake our artist’s renderings and spy photo for anything other than a Porsche 911. The proportions, details and overall shape all share a compact puissance with the original car, now almost a half-century old. Yet the next 911 is anything but retro. Its design ethic never left anywhere, so there’s nowhere to which to return.

However, there are plenty of subtleties to announce the new car, seen now free of camouflage in these photo-illustrations by Larson. The headlights stand a bit more upright. The side mirrors have moved from the niches of their corresponding side windows onto the doors; this, perhaps, to reposition them out of the airflow paths defined by those more pronounced front fender contours. (Side mirrors are notoriously sensitive acoustic challenges.)

Overall, the car’s shapes are more crisply defined. Note, for instance, the character lines as the front fender peaks flow aft into the A-pillars. These are even more evident along the rear hatch break. The transition from backlight and rear wing to fender flanks is more complex than on previous models, the rear flanks broader and more muscular. In fact, to some eyes, this complexity causes some transitional uncertainty in the cabrio version.

Our earliest spy photos displayed air scoops on the flanks. Guess what? On closer examination, these proved to be mere stick-on appliqués. Also, headlights and taillights are accurately shown in the renderings here, as are the transitions of roofline and rear wing.

But for the freshness of that rear transition, the roofline and side glass remain iconic 911 shapes. Until, that is, you see the new treatment of sunroof, a panel that apparently rotates aft and downward following the backlight arc.

The rear deck and extendable wing of this next 911 are evolutionary of the current design, though the wider wing extends onto the side flanks. This portion of the car is more chiseled, with a hint of Aston Martin flair to the rear fascia.