How a Porsche 911 Slantnose Could Achieve Series Production

      Porsche

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      Many enthusiasts adore the Slantnose Porsche 911. While it may not be universally appreciated, a substantial number of enthusiasts are fans—including some beyond just the random commenters online. One affluent buyer even commissioned Porsche to create a unique version, called the Flachbau RS, as part of their exclusive Sonderwunsch program. This particular model is unlikely to go into mass production, but as a Porsche executive mentioned to The Drive during Monterey Car Week, a Slantnose 911 could eventually become available to the public.

      Historically, the original Slantnose 911 began as a custom creation. Mansour Ojjeh, the owner of Techniques d’Avant Garde (TAG), requested the iconic 935 Street through the Sonderwunsch program. Porsche completed the order in 1983, and due to the subsequent demand, the manufacturer offered this flat-top design to additional customers. Porsche estimates that 948 of these cars were produced in the 1980s.

      When The Drive inquired about the possibility of a similar situation arising today, Porsche's Vice President of Product and Individualization, Alexander Fabig, affirmed, “Yes. The concept of Sonderwunsch has always been intended as inspiration for our production models.”

      Fabig elaborated, “We have numerous instances over the past 50 years where a product’s essence began as a unique customer request. As you noted, it often evolves through the process from becoming an exclusive Manufaktur option, potentially becoming a standard choice later, and then even emerging as a production model.”

      He presented additional examples to illustrate this trend:

      “For instance, the X50 and X51 power kits originated from individual customer requests. Initially, they were offered as options, and eventually, the 911 Turbo S materialized from that original concept. So, it’s quite possible that we’ll see something similar—not exactly the same, but aspects of it or reimaginings of [it] as a production offering.”

      Currently, Porsche has a system in place for those who want custom paint colors. These colors remain exclusive to the purchaser for one year, after which they become part of the company’s catalog to recover development costs. Fabig suggested that a similar approach could be applied to more drastic projects, like the Slantnose.

      The Flachbau RS showcased at Monterey Car Week is derived from a 2018 GT2 RS. Consequently, it is a high-performance vehicle with a 3.8-liter twin-turbo flat-six engine producing 700 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque. While it’s unlikely that a future Slantnose 911 will feature that same configuration, it doesn’t imply that it would be underpowered. It's worth noting that the current-generation Turbo S delivers 701 hp thanks to its innovative T-Hybrid system.

      It's important to remember that this doesn’t serve as a definitive confirmation of a series production Slantnose 911. However, if such a model is revealed in the future, keep this article in mind.

      Do you have a tip or question for the author? Reach out directly at: caleb@thedrive.com