Porsche is nothing if not willing to put a car that will tantalize enthusiasts into production, but not every car that should excite fans makes it into showrooms. Case in point, the followup to the 918 Spyder that was killed before it ever saw the light of day.
Marcos Marques, the brand’s project manager for e-fuels, revealed a few tasty details about the ill-fated concept car in an interview with The Intercooler. Intended to replace the 918 Spyder, which was retired in 2015, Porsche started developing the car on the Cayman‘s chassis.
Powered by a new 5.0-liter flat-eight, the engine was supposed to have a redline of 9,000 rpm, despite having a pair of turbochargers affixed to it. All in, the powertrain would deliver 750 hp (559 kW/760 PS) and 738 lb-ft (1,000 Nm) of torque.
Read: It Took Porsche Four Tries And Five Decades To Create The Perfect Four-Door Sedan
Marques described it as a “crazy car and it sounded amazing,” which isn’t hard to imagine. Equipped with a manual transmission, the concept must have been scientifically created in a lab to make enthusiasts go crazy.
Unfortunately, the car never made it into production, despite being tested on the roads around Porsche’s development center in Weissach. The plug was pulled suddenly on the project, because it “wasn’t the right car for that moment.”
“We’re an engineering company at the core and we’re always searching for new answers, different solutions, and sometimes those answers aren’t needed at that time,” said Marques. “But that’s all part of the engineering process. It’s what makes Porsche unique as a car company.”
The project did, however, have an impact on Porsche production, leading to the creation of the four-cylinder Cayman. It may have also been hinted at with the 2016 Porsche Le Mans Living Legend concept, pictured here. The concept was only revealed in 2020, but the automaker said it would have been powered by an “incredible-sounding” eight-cylinder engine.
While that may do nothing to make you feel less sad about the loss of the project, it is at least interesting to see what Porsche was thinking. It may also bring you some solace to be reminded that Porsche has confirmed that it will bring a new hypercar to the market after 2025.
