Despite the later successes and established iconic design, the 911 Spyder remains for Porsche and the whole automotive landscape, some sort of unicorn; an unreplicated, dreamlike beast.
This, along with the overall challenge of rethinking the Porsche design led to Project 411. Sticking to timeless cues of the ‘50s-’60s, like aligning the headlights with the front wheels or a smoothly wrapped bodywork are part of the formula that makes the general Porsche design so iconic. Those same principles were used in rethinking the 911, this time with an electric power plant, contemporary lighting system, electronics, and mechanics… Hypercars of today are cool, but reaching 400 Km/h on a runway is pretty useless. The 411 is designed with a new primary scenario, creating a new class of vehicle; the luxury highway cruiser. The concept envisions a not-so-distant future where, with the perfection of autonomous driving, some highways will allow higher speed limits in this mode. Removing the human error from the equation will allow safe cruising at speeds of 200, 300 or even 400+ Km/h, giving business people and the likes a viable alternative to flight as well as a real reason for boasting about that exotic car.
The interior follows smoothly and organically the curves and lines of the general design language. Smooth, minimalistic curves are sculpted by narrow bands that seem to protrude from the dashboard and embrace the occupants with the two seats. Even though the headroom is pretty restricted for optimal aerodynamics, the interior offers ample legroom for the primary use scenario of the car; autonomous cruising. To achieve the performance and range needed at sustained high speeds, the concept may make use of inductive, on-the-go charging, where the road is provided with inductive charging stripes underneath the tarmac.
The relatively small car battery is kept constantly charged this way, making the vehicle literally suck the power from the road as it goes, similar to electric trains. Hypercars of today are cool, but reaching 400 Km/h on a runway is pretty useless. .. The 411 is designed with a new primary scenario, creating a new class of vehicle; the luxury (mainly autonomous) highway cruiser. The concept envisions a not-so-distant future where, with the perfection of autonomous driving, at least some highways will allow higher speed limits in this mode. Removing the human error from the equation will allow safe cruising at speeds of 200, 300 or even 400+ Km/h, giving business people and the likes a viable alternative to flight as well as a real reason for boasting about that exotic car.
Just like the original Porsche icons, the skin is shrink-wrapped around the car package, providing minimum drag and minimalistic aesthetics, steering clear of fake cuts and other mannerisms. In a similar fashion, the headlights are arranged to define the front geometrically while having a little aerodynamic impact. The goal here is to bring the muscular look to an electric car. The rear is again, mainly aerodynamic, with a movable spoiler and the rear lights creating a tunnel of “infinite” light, hinting again at subtle, smooth power. The honest geometric approach of the 411 means all the air ducts are exposed and active parts of the design, creating an endless continuum for a car that is beautiful from the inside and out. The honest geometric approach of the 411 means all the air ducts are exposed and active parts of the design, creating an endless continuum for a car that is beautiful from the inside and out.
