Porsche has been around for almost 90 years, and in that time, the German automaker has been responsible for bringing to life some of the most beautiful cars the world has ever seen. From the legendary 356 to the 959 to the 911 to the 918 Spyder, the list of oh-so-beautiful Porsches that have hit the market runs long and proud. But as many as these models are, can you imagine how many designs of Porsche models are locked in a vault inside Porsche's design studio in Weissach?

These models were never seen because they never made it to production, and while it’s unlikely that we’ll ever see any of them in real form, Porsche is taking the unprecedented step of pulling the curtains on these designs, revealing them for the very first time.

What’s all this about?

Porsche has always been apt at keeping company secrets close to its vest, and that’s what makes this whole project so surprising and exciting. The project is called Porsche Unseen, and it involves what the automaker calls its “hidden treasures” or designs that were never sent to production.

It’s incredible to think of how many of these never-before-seen designs Porsche plans to reveal over the course of the Porsche Unseen project. Considering that the automaker has almost 90 years of history to go back to, you can expect some design jewels along the way, including the first teaser of a model that, according to Porsche, was designed to celebrate the automaker’s success in motor racing back in the 1950s.

What do we make of this first teaser?

The teaser itself doesn’t reveal much because it’s so dark, but a little photo manipulation, including brightening up the image, reveals a lot of what we’ve never seen before. Basically, it’s an image of what can only be described as a purely evocative sports car as seen from behind. We don’t get to see the front section of the car but the rear section can be seen in all its glory.

Before we get there, we do see what looks like a small frameless windshield.

Notice the bulging fenders and the sports seats? Those are modern designs that back up our guess that this is a modern concept that Porsche designers probably worked on in recent years. The overall profile is low and sleek, too. This isn’t a design that was created a long time ago. It’s hard to make out even with the manipulation, but there does appear to be an engine bay vent at the back that’s similar with what the Porsche 911 992-generation has. Even the horizontal brake lights are design elements that you can see in the new 911.

Is it possible that we’re looking at a modern concept of the iconic Porsche 550 Spyder, perhaps one that’s based on the Porsche 911 992 generation? Or maybe this is Porsche’s new-age design take on what amounts to the most famous Porsche model of all time: the 356. Both the 356 and the 550 Spyder were built in the 1950s so there are intriguing possibilities here.

Why didn’t Porsche send this design to production?

That’s a question that only Porsche can answer at this point. Maybe Porsche execs weren’t satisfied with how the design turned out. Maybe the project was scrapped because it didn’t make sense from a business perspective. All of this is a matter of speculation; only Porsche has the answers.

What can we look forward to from Porsche Unseen?

A lot more of these never-before-seen designs. Again, we’re talking about one of the most famous automakers in the world with almost 90 years of existence under its belt. There are a lot of design models that we never saw over the course of those nine decades. Now we’re going to get a glimpse of some of them, and, judging by the first offering, we’re going to be spending a lot of time dissecting these could-have-been models in the coming months. We can’t wait.