Oh please let this be true!! New 356?
Mar 23, 2009 | 09:03 PM
#1
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Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 12,211
Oh please let this be true!! New 356?
From Autoblog:
Porsche 356 Speedster reborn
In the run-up to the Volkswagen Bluesport's unveiling, the business case for the mid-engine roadster was being hashed out in the blogosphere. In order for VAG to make a profit on a production version of the Bluesport, the chassis would need to underpin at least new two models: one from VW and another from Audi. But a variant from Volkswagen's new parent – Porsche – was always in the background. German auto pub AutoZeitung decided to cobble together its own interpretation of the Porsche version and came up with this: the Porsche Speedster.
If Porsche decides to adapt the Bluesport's platform for its own model, expect it to slot in below the current Boxster sometime in 2013. Power could be provided by a either a 1.4-liter four-pot or, more likely, a variant of the Audi TT's 2.0-liter TFSI putting out around 250 hp to the rear wheels through a dual-clutch gearbox. Weight distribution would be a thoroughly entertaining 45:55 front-to-rear, with an overall curb weight of around 2,600 pounds. Porsche could employ its PASM active suspension system and offer carbon-ceramic brakes as an option, but as the kit list expands, the Speedster's price would get dangerously close to the Boxster's -- one reason this project may never see the light of day.
Porsche 356 Speedster reborn
In the run-up to the Volkswagen Bluesport's unveiling, the business case for the mid-engine roadster was being hashed out in the blogosphere. In order for VAG to make a profit on a production version of the Bluesport, the chassis would need to underpin at least new two models: one from VW and another from Audi. But a variant from Volkswagen's new parent – Porsche – was always in the background. German auto pub AutoZeitung decided to cobble together its own interpretation of the Porsche version and came up with this: the Porsche Speedster.
If Porsche decides to adapt the Bluesport's platform for its own model, expect it to slot in below the current Boxster sometime in 2013. Power could be provided by a either a 1.4-liter four-pot or, more likely, a variant of the Audi TT's 2.0-liter TFSI putting out around 250 hp to the rear wheels through a dual-clutch gearbox. Weight distribution would be a thoroughly entertaining 45:55 front-to-rear, with an overall curb weight of around 2,600 pounds. Porsche could employ its PASM active suspension system and offer carbon-ceramic brakes as an option, but as the kit list expands, the Speedster's price would get dangerously close to the Boxster's -- one reason this project may never see the light of day.
Mar 24, 2009 | 05:38 AM
#8
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Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 12,211
I am hoping for that small hatchback, too, but the details on the mechanicals give me more hope. The roadster? I'm sure it would sell like hotcakes, but I'm more of a hardtop guy. I just wish they'd give it retro 356 looks with modern mechanicals...
I smell a business opportunity.
I smell a business opportunity.
Mar 24, 2009 | 08:57 AM
#9
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 5,967
From: the north.
I am hoping for that small hatchback, too, but the details on the mechanicals give me more hope. The roadster? I'm sure it would sell like hotcakes, but I'm more of a hardtop guy. I just wish they'd give it retro 356 looks with modern mechanicals...
I smell a business opportunity.
I smell a business opportunity.
I think it looks like a Fiat 500 to be perfectly honest....
