2017 Porsche 919 Street Concept
About the Car
2017 Porsche 919 Street Concept
The design process: from the first drawing to the drivable prototype
The design process starts with a sketch. This is visualised in the next step as a 3D model. As soon as an idea is to be developed further, small models are produced in a scale of 1:3, then followed by hard models in the scale 1:1. “The virtual world is the first step, but you especially have to experience the unusual models in reality in order to understand whether a car has small, large or surprising proportions,” says Michael Mauer, Vice President Style Porsche. In contrast to the development of a production model where several models are always developed with different styling formats, the vision projects, on the other hand, concentrate on a single vision model which serves as a protagonist for the central idea.
“People all over the world love the timeless and innovative design of our sports cars,” says Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board at Porsche AG. “Visionary concept studies are the foundation of this success: they provide the pool of ideas for the Porsche design of tomorrow, and combine our strong tradition with trailblazing future technologies.”
The previously unpublished design studies are being presented exclusively by the Porsche Newsroom in a series of articles. The 9:11Magazine web TV format has also dedicated an episode to selected studies and examines the connection between the studies and the current production models together with Porsche Chief Designer Michael Mauer. For fans of the brand, the book entitled “Porsche Unseen” is released today by the Delius Klasing publishing house. Interested readers are given a detailed look behind the scenes of Style Porsche. A selection of studies will also be on display later for fans to admire live: the Porsche Museum will be integrating the models in the exhibition in 2021.
The design process: from the first drawing to the drivable prototype
The design process starts with a sketch. This is visualised in the next step as a 3D model. As soon as an idea is to be developed further, small models are produced in a scale of 1:3, then followed by hard models in the scale 1:1. “The virtual world is the first step, but you especially have to experience the unusual models in reality in order to understand whether a car has small, large or surprising proportions,” says Michael Mauer, Vice President Style Porsche. In contrast to the development of a production model where several models are always developed with different styling formats, the vision projects, on the other hand, concentrate on a single vision model which serves as a protagonist for the central idea.
2017 Porsche 919 Street Concept Front View 3/4
“Porsche intentionally has just a single design studio – located in the direct proximity of development,” says Michael Mauer. “Weissach is our epicentre. Instead of opening advanced design studios in the distant metropolises of North America and Asia, our designers come from all over the world to Porsche in Weissach in order to create the latest production sports cars and automotive visions at the heart of the brand. More than 120 designers, experts for interior, exterior, colours and materials, model builders, modellers and study engineers work in the Porsche Design Studio.
The design studies: on a journey of the mind into the future of mobility
“When it comes to the visions we develop, it is not about bringing every car onto the road. Instead, it is more a question of establishing creative space and a relationship with the future,” says Michael Mauer when describing the design process and adds: “There are two possibilities for continuing to develop as a brand: either you improve your products from the present, that is to say step-by-step. However, it is difficult to be really innovative in this process. Or you give free rein to your creativity. The idea is to let your thoughts jump to the day after tomorrow, and to then move back from there to tomorrow.”
Based on this idea, Porsche develops the product and brand identity which characterises and secures the appearance of all models in the long term. The design language for future models develops from the long-term vision. In this process, the higher-level goal is to combine the Porsche design DNA with state-of-the-art vehicle engineering. On the one hand, this secures the innovative capability of future Porsche models and, on the other, also provides an evolutionary reference to the rich history of Porsche.
2017 Porsche 919 Street Concept Rear View
Porsche 919 Street
The Porsche 919 Street was developed on the basis of the technology used in the Porsche 919 Hybrid, promising to make the exhilarating driving experience of the LMP1 race car available to amateur drivers. Under the outer shell are the carbon monocoque and powerful 900 PS hybrid racing drivetrain that helped the Porsche 919 to achieve numerous victories at Le Mans. The dimensions and wheelbase were also the same as on the race car.