Major sports car brand ‘could revive weirdest model' 40 years being discontinued – and it would leave drivers ‘tripping'

Scottish Sun

22-05-2025

This follows a string of other reboots
CAR COMEBACK Major sports car brand 'could revive weirdest model' 40 years being discontinued – and it would leave drivers 'tripping'
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A MAJOR sports car could be set to revive its "weirdest model" some 40 years after it was discontinued.
This iconic 1980s model could be a massive hit with car enthusiasts who would be "tripping over themselves" to get their hands on one.
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Porsche 930 Targa Turbo Flachbau is known for its flat nose
Credit: Alamy
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Porsche could be reviving the iconic car
Credit: Alamy
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Vintage models like these are gold dust for collectors
Credit: Alamy
The incredible Porsche Flachbau was sold throughout the 80s with just 58 first generation cars constructed, reports Motor 1.
Translated to "slant nose" in English, the 911 model is recognised for its flat nose instead of the car's trademark raised fenders and frog-eyed lights.
Although having only produced a few of the vehicles, the car company did revive the option for the 964 Turbo S, with exposed 928-style pop-up lights.
This isn't the first vintage vehicle to have a reboot.
The 911 Targa 4S Heritage Design Edition was inspired by the 1950s, while the 911 Sport Classic referenced models from the 60s.
Last year, the Porsche 959 made a reappearance some 37 years after it was first released.
The supercar is an icon of the 1980s and, at the time of its debut, was the world's fastest street-legal car with a top speed of 197 mph.
The incredible Porsche 959 was sold between 1986 and 1993, and just 292 units were built - according to Porsche themselves.
Among the car's famous owners included Bill Gates, the billionaire owner of Microsoft, comedian and Porsche aficionado Jerry Seinfeld, and even former Ferrari F1 driver Eddie Irvine.
However, 959-ownership might be about to get a tiny bit easier for Porsche fans... if you're happy to sit behind the wheel of a high-class knock off.
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That's because engineering firm Kalmar Automotive from Estonia have revealed their own take on the iconic 959 - called the 9X9.
Set to be available in standard, Sport and 'Leichtbau' forms, just nine examples of this extra special motor will be created as a tribute to one of history's most famous fast cars.
The top-spec of these features a bonkers 3.8-litre twin-turbo engine capable of delivering an eye-watering 930 bhp to all four of its wheels.
If that isn't enough, the experts at Kalmar have tweaked the car's bodywork to generate a claimed 1,450kg of downforce.
Possibly to keep things retro, the 9X9's interior combines digital displays with analogue dials, with both the navigation system and radio removed - although Bluetooth remains to allow for phone calls and media playback.
The company says each one will be coach-built to be totally unique, and that buyers can expect to take delivery of their one-of-a-kind 9X9 in July 2025.
Jan Kalmar, the founder of Kalmar Automotive, said: 'The 9X9 is Kalmar Automotive's tribute to one of the greatest road-going sports cars of the millennia, enhanced to the highest possible degree that technology today allows.
'The result is our creation of a brand-new class of vehicle, retro-hyper-car.'