One-off Porsche's odd concept car

Unique ONES Maybe not many people know the Porsche-built sports car in the late 1980s. In appearance, this sports car at a glance reminds us of the Porsche 911 made by the German automaker from the same era, but has an unusual appearance like a sand-buggy.

1989 Porsche Panamericana Concept. (Picture from: FabWheelsDigest)

The mentioned car was Porsche Panamericana Concept, is built on the basis of the all-wheel-drive 911 Carrera 4, and its bodywork was built with plastic and carbon fiber panels. This 2-passenger, 2-door sports coupe concept produced by Porsche AG. and presented to Ferry Porsche on his 80th birthday at the time. It designed by Harm Lagaay (designer) and Ulrich Bez (technical director) to renew the design of the Porsche 911. 

Interior and dashboard view of 1989 Porsche Panamericana Concept. (Picture from: FabWheelsDigest)

The Porsche Panamericana Concept is powered by a horizontally-opposed six-cylinder engine driving all four wheels and combined with 5-speed manual transmition system, that translated to a top speed in the 160 mph or beyond, and acceleration to 60 mph in under 6 seconds.

Left side view of 1989 Porsche Panamericana Concept. (Picture from: FabWheelsDigest)

There's an outstanding characteristic of the car were its wide wheel covers with the objective to have enough room for various sizes of rims and tires, so if necessary it could be transformed in an off-road car. FYI, the three part Speedline rims were made exclusively for this model.

Rear side view of 1989 Porsche Panamericana Concept. (Picture from: FabWheelsDigest)

The roof line was homogeneously streamlined and sloped gently towards the rear engine deck. It could be covered with a waterproof fabric with a pink zipper. Various roof configurations were possible be applied on the car, which implies as the car could be an hybrid of a targa, convertible, coupe and off-roader. 

Whether Ferry Porsche ever used to car to blast across sand dunes or pretend he was in a Group B rally race is unknown. With the growing financial crisis at Porsche at the end of 1980s put an end to the possibility of actual production. Today, the unique concept sits in Porsche's museum in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. *** [EKA [24072015] | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | FABWHEELSDIGEST | HOWSTUFFWORKS]

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