Here's a little something...
911 4-Seater Prototype :shock:
Taking a Porsche's appeal and stretching it? It wasn't the first time and it wouldn't be the last time. In the late 60's, Porsche as a company was undergoing important changes, while the model range itself was remaining rather static. The 356 was long gone, and save for the lower-market 912, the 911 was all alone: the company was living on the rather specialized offering of two person sports cars. There were some things resembling seats in the back, as attested by their shape and cloth covering. However, these attempts by Porsche fooled no one, and owners would at most place small children or, better yet, dogs, in the rear ‘seats.’ Why not make the car more practical?
The idea has been around for a long time. Porsche’s roots were with the Beetle, the famous people-mover, and plenty of work had been done with expanding the size of that car. The 356 itself had four seat prototypes built in its era, and during the development of the 911, 911-like cars also featured larger, more accommodating rear. The progression to get a four seat 911 on the drawing board was natural. Two prototypes were built in 1969, which Porsche based on the design of the contemporary B-body 911. The wheelbase was extended about half a foot through the area between the rear edge of the door and the rear wheelhouse, precisely where the extra space would be needed for the rear passengers.
As is common with such projects, each of the prototypes incorporated different styling. One’s looks merely resembled that of the 911, a truly extended version of the sports car. The other car, which is pictured here on the right, had a tale that was more squarish, and also featured larger lights. Most notable is the rear-quarter windows, which some have remarked – in a decidedly uncomplimentary fashion – resembled those of an Opel Kadett coupe.
Ultimately, neither was very attractive and they were not approved for production. One did end up sticking around the factory for a number of years, serving as development ‘hack’. However, this would not be the end of the effort to expand the Porsche 911 beyond the two seater configuration. In the late 70’s, Porsche launched its 928, which it was quite convinced would take over from the 911 – a true four seat evolution. That did not end up being as successful as envisioned, and the 911 still remains, seating configuration unmolested. In the early 90’s, Porsche yet again added more seats to a 911 prototype, the four door 989 saloon, which did not enter production either due to cost concerns. Its looks did carry over to the then future-generation 911, the 993. Nevertheless, it seems we will, over the coming years, definitely see the 911 grow to sport four seats. Building on the success of their Cayenne SUV, Porsche has confirmed that it will produce a four seater model, which will obviously take styling cues from the venerable 911.
Source:
http://www.flat-6.net/forum/showcar....r_model_id=332