Four Becomes Two? Porsche's Panamera Said to Shed Doors

Porsche’s Panamera, the four-door liftback that broke the Porsche passenger car mold, is ready to remold itself yet again, reports claim.

In response to BMW’s resurrected 8 Series grand tourer, rival minds in Stuttgart have a plan afoot to convert the Panamera into a two-door vehicle with a choice of roof options. Given the era in which we live, it feels almost foreign reporting on a non-SUV becoming a coupe.

German media reports (summarized by Autocar ) claim development of a two-door Panamera is relatively far advanced, and that we might see the final product next year. Both coupe and cabriolet offerings are in the works, the reports state.

In culling the Panamera’s rear doors and chopping its top, Porsche would have an alternative to the 8 Series and other high-end grand tourers, though 911 buyers might also be persuaded to give up rear-engine snobbery in favor of boosted interior volume and cargo volume.

Porsche doesn’t deny a plan is underway, but doesn’t confirm it, either. Speaking to Autocar, Porsche design boss Michael Mauer, who penned the original Panamera, didn’t spill any beans.

“As a designer there are no limits to what I can conceive. I believe it is the design department’s role to sketch and consider every model it can for the future so that we are ready should anyone wish to pursue a project,” Mauer said. “But if you are asking me to confirm if such projects are on the way then you are going to be disappointed. It is not my role to consider such things.”

Sources claim the new vehicle will ride on a shortened version of the Panamera’s platform and likely won’t carry the Panamera name. Powertrain options would be carryovers from the four-door. Should this come to pass, it wouldn’t be the first time Porsche massaged the Panamera into a new form. See the model’s Sport Turismo variant as Exhibit A.

[Image: Porsche]