Filed under: Concept Cars, Etc.
Amateur designer daydreams: the Porsche Carma Concept
Click the image above for more hi-res shots of the student-designed Porsche Carma Concept
Add it up: four students at the Institut Superieur de Design in France, some complex modeling software, and the desire to come up with a super slippery Porsche. What do you get from that? This: the Porsche Carma Concept. The task was to create a car that cheated the wind in new ways, yet remained a Porsche in design and engine placement.
The body of the car seems to take a lot of cues from a lot of different cars, and frankly doesn't look much like a Porsche above the beltline -- in a Cayenne/Panamera world, what does any more? -- but that's not to say it's not a good looking car. We'd take one.
Aerodynamically, the car has a flat floor with two tunnels running the length of the body. But its most interesting feature might be the 928-esque rear end cap that extends slightly at speed to let air flow into the bodywork, where it passes over an internal spoiler and exits at the rear. Not that we're against those QE2-sized planks adorning some of the faster Porsches these days, but it is a very elegant solution to rear end lift. It will also make the car feel less like overkill when you're just popping down to 7-11 at 25 MPH for some morning coffee. In fact, if it actually works, we won't take one. We'll take three. Check out the video at the Carma Concept site, and be sure to check out hi-res pics of the car below.
[Source: Porsche Carma Concept site via Autoblog NL]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
rndmnme 4:06PM (11/19/2007)
Pssssst.... You spelled Karma wrong...
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Menice 4:21PM (11/19/2007)
wow what a space.
you being serious or did i miss something.
thats how they spelled it on the car-man
rndmnme 4:31PM (11/19/2007)
From Wikipedia: A "joke" is a short story or ironic depiction of a situation communicated with the intent of being humorous. It can also be used a slang term for a person who is not taken seriously by others in general or is known as being a failure. A practical joke or prank differs from a spoken one in that the major component of the humor is physical rather than verbal (for example placing salt in the sugar bowl).
digi01 4:45PM (11/19/2007)
I like it. Still evolutionary, but with a bit of Lancia Stratos thrown in for the greenhouse. I love how much the rear looks like the old 928s as well.
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AlfaMike 4:54PM (11/19/2007)
It's a Porsche Dino! Nice design, very sleek.
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GatorLCA 5:02PM (11/19/2007)
Just bring back the 914 already....sheesh
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jsjs 5:03PM (11/19/2007)
What a "rip-off" of Ferrari, Lamborghini and Lancia. LOL!
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mk 5:47PM (11/19/2007)
Even Toyota's old late-60's 2000GT is in this...
Porsche design is better, and more original than this, although one couldn't tell from the Cayenne...
Porsche is also more rounded and organic than this. hard lines and cuts aren't their design language.
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Mason Hill 6:18PM (11/19/2007)
Add a rear window and this is a winner. The 911 has evolved into a bloated image of it's former self, rather boring for the big price they ask. This thing would be an incredible improvement over what they currently make IMO. This guy has talent. So what if it "resembles" some other car(s), what doesn't?
Aaron B Brown 6:12PM (11/19/2007)
Beautiful machine.
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AMcA 6:53PM (11/19/2007)
They totally miss what makes the 911 shape great - the open, airy cabin. Most cars these days leave you feeling like you're sitting in a bucket, peering out. Not a 911. Plenty of glass, and a low beltline.
That's one of hte things that keeps me with Porsche.
This thing's just another bucket car you can't see out of.
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morgan 9:04PM (11/19/2007)
this is what happens when a konigsegg humps a porsche
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vectorbug 9:31PM (11/19/2007)
nice but it looks like a Miura.
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JaysonAych 11:35PM (11/19/2007)
I like it quite a bit. The CGT notwithstanding, Porsche design has been pretty stagnant lately. Of course, it's a bit of a challenge to keep a basic Porsche style that makes it instantly recognizable. This does that very well and while being very bold and progressive. Very well done!
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gmporschenut 9:27AM (11/20/2007)
Blasphemy, i know porsche sold out a little when they stopped making air-cooled engines, and don't get me started on the cayenne. That concept looks like a Muira. I'll just have to keep my 914 until i can upgrade to a 911. I better do it soon since porsche seems to keep nothing sacred these days.
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k.w.a 10:48AM (11/20/2007)
.. yeah i dont think a "porsche miura" will fare well with porsche OR lambo fans. it would actually be a nice design otherwise.
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Melmotte 3:19PM (11/22/2007)
Looks very much like a modernization of the old SP2 sports GT from VW of Brazil. Not so much like a Porsche. Make a nice VW tho...
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