Porsche C88 Explained

Porsche C88
Type:Concept car
Manufacturer:Porsche
Stola
Production:1994
1 prototype
Body Style:4-door sedan
Layout:Front-engine, front-wheel-drive
Engine:1.1 L Type 369 H4
Transmission:5-speed Manual

The C88 was a prototype family car designed for the Chinese market in 1994 by Porsche in response to the Chinese government's invitation to a number of international automotive manufacturers for a new range of cars.[1] It was completed in four months by Porsche engineers and was displayed to the public at the 1994 Beijing Auto Show. The prototype is now on display in the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany.[2]

The four-door compact sedan body[3] was unlike any other Porsche, and did not feature the Porsche badge anywhere. It was designed with only one child seat--reflecting Chinese population control policy--and the prototype was presented by CEO Wendelin Wiedeking himself, who learned his speech in Mandarin.[4] According to Porsche Museum director Dieter Landenberger, "The Chinese government said thank you very much and took the ideas for free, and if you look at Chinese cars now, you can see many details of our C88 in them."The C88 was intended to broaden the market for Porsche designs to India, where it was also unsuccessful.[5] In the 1980s and 1990s Porsche was involved in engineering small cars for a range of manufacturers, including the Audi RS2, Lada Samara and SEAT Ibiza.[6]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Hart. Jeremy. Family planning. 2 January 2012. The Independent. 15 October 1995.
  2. Web site: Behind the Scenes: Porsche Museum Grand Opening. Motor Trend. 2 January 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20111005013052/http://motortrend.automotive.com/100640/112-0901-porsche-museum-grand-opening/porsche-911-gt1-and-c88-concept.html. 5 October 2011.
  3. Web site: Porsche Museum Pictures. https://archive.today/20120802085502/http://www.evo.co.uk/front_website/gallery.php?o=0&id=300127. dead. 2 August 2012. Evo. 2 January 2012.
  4. Web site: Marriage. Ollie. Gallery: Porsche's secret stash. TopGear.com 30 Oct 2012. 8 August 2013.
  5. Web site: VERGETEN AUTO #67: PORSCHE C88. Autofans.be (Dutch-language site) 13 May 2012. 8 August 2013.
  6. Web site: Totally Porsche . 2011-04-05 . 2017-06-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170626043202/http://totallyporsche.com/ . dead .