Porsche 904 Living Legend Concept Revealed for First Time

Inspired by a hybrid Volkswagen this Porsche 904 concept car never saw the light of day. Until now. 

Porsche like most automobile manufactures creates many concept vehicles. More often than not the concept cars don’t ever come to fruition. However, often elements of the design can make it to production vehicles down the line. A lot of the concept cars are never seen by the general public. Recently Porsche has began to reverse that trend and they are revealing and celebrating many of their concepts from the last fifteen years. One of the more intriguing vehicles that was recently unveiled was the 904 Living Legend concept which was a tribute to the original 904 GTS from the ‘60s.

This 904 along with several others are profiled in the new book “Porsche Unseen.” Ranging from 2005 to 2019, the book features 15 top-secret designs accompanied by photos from Stefan Bogner and text written by Jan Karl Baedeker. Its 328 pages give us a never-before-seen look into the creative process used at Porsche. It showcases every step from the first sketch to the finished product. Every model featured is fascinating in its own right, but the 904 really grabbed our attention.

The 904 Living Legend was built as a 1:1 model back in 2013. Obviously, the car never made it to production, however you can see some elements of it in several Porsche cars that are on sale today. Perhaps most obvious are the 918 Spyder design cues, but you can also see some Taycan and 718 in the 904 concept. Even that rear light bar is used on most current Porsche models. Even though the 904 Living Legend never made it as a stand-alone product, it certainly was not a wasted effort. Still, it would have been a pretty damn sweet car.

The concept was inspired by the Volkswagen XL1 that debuted as a concept a few years before the 904 Living Legend was penned. If you remember the XL1 it was designed to be hyper-efficient, not for all out speed. Porsche’s design team was intrigued by the XL1’s carbon monocoque chassis. They started sketching a small, back-to-basics sports car based on it. They came to the conclusion that this could be a modern day 904. It would not be a super powerful and complex monster, but a lightweight, and simple sports car. That is something that is in very short supply in today’s sports car world.

The XL1 had a Ducati motorcycle engine from the 1199 Superleggera. At the time it was the most powerful twin-cylinder engine in the world. It was good for about 200 horsepower and 99 lb-ft of torque. Those may not be eye-watering sports car numbers, but the 904 Living Legend would have likely tipped the scales at less than 2,000 pounds. Figure on a 0 to 60 time in the mid-5 second range with a top speed of about 160 mph. All being done with a V2 engine revving to an ear piercing 12,000 rpm just behind your head. That sounds like a hell of a ride to us. Throw in the magical handling that Porsche is known for and this is a concept that we would love to see come to life.

Let us know what you think of the 904 Living Legend as well as all of the other recently released Porsche concept cars. Head on over to the Rennlist forums and vote for your favorite.

Photos:  Porsche.com; Stefan Bogner

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Joe Kucinski

Joe has been obsessed with cars since he got his very first Matchbox toy in the ‘70s. In 2003, he found a new obsession in track days that led to obtaining his SCCA competition license in 2015. In 2019, he became a certified driving instructor for the National Auto Sport Association. His love for all things four wheels has never wavered, whether it's driving some of the best cars in the world on the racetrack, tackling 2,000-mile road trips in 2-seat sports cars or being winched off the side of a mountaintop in a Jeep. Writing for the suite of Internet Brands Auto Communities sites, including Rennlist.com, Ford Truck Enthusiasts, 6 Speed and more allows him to share that knowledge and passion with others.