What if Porsche had introduced a lightweight roadster in the ’80s, before anyone was thinking of the Boxster and even before Mazda re-ignited the class with the MX-5 Miata? It could have actually happened.
The Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany is showing off its Project: Secret! exhibit starting Wednesday through January featuring numerous concepts and design studies that have been developed over the years. Some of them have already been teased through a series of videos from Porsche, but now 14 previously secret cars will have their tarps removed and go on display for the public to see.
And one of those is the Porsche 984, a two-seat roadster that was studied from 1984 until 1987 as a small, lightweight sports car. According to Porsche, it was developed out of a project from SEAT, a future Volkswagen subsidiary. It was intended to sell for around 40,000 German marks – which could be guestimated into the territory now occupied by the Porsche Boxster and other small German roadsters. Still more expensive than the Miata would come in five years later, but much cheaper than the then-new 911 Cabriolet.
It was powered by a 2.0-liter flat-four with just 135 horsepower, though, and there was an emphasis on low fuel consumption.
Predating the Mercedes SLK, the 984 was also fitted with a folding hardtop roof. And even all-wheel drive was being developed.
Sadly, the 984 was scuttled in 1987. As was the 989, a four-door Porsche that looks worlds better than the Panamera that came along 20 years later. It too, was a front-engined, V8-powered four-seat Porsche made for the “family,” or a “family” of businessmen. While the look went on to inspire the 996-era 911, the 989 never made it to production as planned by 1995.
If you make it to Stuttgart between now and January 11, this looks to be a must-see exhibit.
By Zac Estrada
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