Porsche’s lightest racer of them all, the 909 from the late 1960s, tipped the scales at just 384kg. It was clear, then, that Porsche’s engineers in Weissach were going to have to go to extreme lengths to save every last gram while building a modern interpretation of the legendary open prototype back in 2015. Based on the 981-generation Boxster, the modern Bergspyder is a single-seater speedster-style sports car, with no roof, windscreen, or door handles. There is a tonneau cover beside the 918-style bucket seat, which conceals a small luggage compartment big enough to store a crash helmet. 

Utilising weight-optimised components wherever possible and minimal sound insulation, the Boxster Bergspyder weighed just 1,099kg. Coupled with the 3.8-litre flat-six from the Cayman GT4, which kicked out 393HP, the Bergspyder’s power-to-weight ratio was mighty. Allegedly, a 7min30sec lap time around the Nürburgring was a realistic target. Alas, homologation and eligibility concerns intervened, and the feasibility study remained, well, a feasibility study. A shame, because it looks like it would have been a hell of a lot of fun – more so since Ferrari appears to have had exactly the same idea with the SP1 and SP2.  

Photos: Porsche