In 2018, Porsche took us by surprise with a 935 race car for the modern era. Although based on the existing 911 GT2 RS and built using parts from the 919 Hybrid, 911 RSR, and 911 GT3 R, the modern 935 looks incredibly similar to its sibling, produced between 1978 to 1981. With Porsche now making tribute cars from the past, what if Porsche decides to create a modern rendition of the 959 in 2019?

A crazy but cool idea

Although it seemed far-fetched a while ago, the idea feels legit and totally doable now. Just like the 935, the 959 could be revived using existing underpinnings. Porsche could opt to give the outgoing 911 a spectacular exit from the market with a modern 959 based on the 911 GT2 RS. A modern 959 may look totally different from the 911, but so does the 935, yet Porsche managed to design its body from scratch. Thus the German company surely has the capability to build a modern 959 as well.

With the 991-generation 911 signing off, Porsche could also develop the 959 around the new, 992-generation sports car. Now you could argue that it may take a while for Porsche to launch a new GT3 or GT2 and that the 959 might not arrive in 2019 because of that. Well, the 959 doesn't have to be based on the GT2 RS. Unlike the 935, which is a race car, the 959 would be a road-legal sports car. So Porsche could use the upcoming 911 Turbo as a base.

Although not yet available, the Turbo is already in the works and will probably arrive by the end of 2019. This would give Porsche time to work on the 959 as well and have ready just in time for a 2019 launch. This is pure day dreaming, of course, but my point is Porsche could do it if it wanted to.

And here's why it should.

A supercar ahead of its time

Introduced in 1986, the 959 took the sports car segment by shock. Originally designed as a Group B rally car, the 959 was ahead of its time, and it was far more advanced than the 911. It had a twin-turbo engine, all-wheel drive, a six-speed transmission, and amazing performance.

The 959 was designed at a time when Porsche had no fewer than three front-engined cars in its lineup: the 924, 944, and 928. The Germans were actually considering killing off the 911. The original sports car was already 20 years old in the 1980s, and some Porsche representatives believed that the rear-engined car had no future.

As a result, Helmuth Bott designed the 959 also with the purpose to prove that rear-engined sports cars can survive with the right technology. It wasn't particularly successful though. The world was barely recovering from an economic crisis, and the car was very expensive at the time. Less than 350 units were sold. However, it paved the way for the first all-wheel-drive 911 and saved the iconic nameplate from extinction.

The low sales helped the 959 become a rare exotic and a highly prized collectible. It's one of the reason why Porsche should revive the 959 name in the 21st century! What do you think, should Porsche revive the 959 for 2019? Let me know in the comments.

Further Reading

Read our in-depth review of the 1986 - 1989 Porsche 959}

Read up on the 2017 - 2019 Porsche 718 Cayman}

Learn all there is to know about the 2019 Porsche 911}