Porsche is one of the most well-respected and iconic brands in the automotive business. Part of the German brand’s legacy is built on consistency in performance and aesthetics. The Porsche 911, Porsche 356, and the Porsche 550 Spyder are some of the most iconic sports cars ever made. However, Porsche had some stinkers, too. They were just hidden away in their shame. Enjoy judging some of the ugliest Porsche concept cars ever made. 

Porsche has made some ugly concept cars 

Concept cars deserve a little bit of leeway. This is a platform for car designers to go nuts and experiment. I support that, but it is fun to poke some fun at some stinkers now and then. 

Gear Patrol also credits a part of Porsche’s success with its commitment to a small lineup of core production cars (and a couple of SUVs that are basically cars). Even though it stuck to its guns over the years, some of these Porsche creatures have seen the light of day, and here they are.

The 1969 Porsche 911 B17

The first one is actually not that wild. The B17 was essentially the proto Panamera. Porsche wanted to make the little go-kart 911 a proper four-seater. The idea is not so bad, but the execution might cause you to give it a longer squinty look. It’s not that the 911 B17 is all that ugly, but the dimensions are just – off. 

Pininfarina, the legendary car designer, had a hand in this. The Italian car designers are most known for some of the most coveted Ferraris, but they also designed the MG BGT, making the B17 make much more sense. 

The Porsche FLA is a mess

As Gear Patrol cleverly asked, “what if Porsche decided to be Toyota?” I couldn’t have put it better myself. The FLA is a boxy little creation that could as easily been made by AMC as much as anyone else. It’s like you smashed a Toyota Tercel and an AMC Gremlin together – then made a weird wireframe body instead of a normal one. 

According to Gear Patrol, no matter how silly the FLA was, some practical bits and pieces did end up in 911s, but thankfully not too many. 

Say what you want about the Porsche Tapiro, but I love it 

The Porsche Tapiro concept car would be a monster collector car these days. This concept came out in 1970 and from the mind of the Italian car designer, Giorgetto Giugiaro. 

I know I said these were all ugly, but the longer I look at it, the more I like it. I agree that it wouldn’t fit very well in the modest Porsche lineup, but it is cool. 

If you think the Tapiro is ringing a bell, that’s because Giorgetto Giugiaro also designed the Lotus Esprit, Mk 1 VW Golf, and the Delorean DMC-12. 

The Porsche Cayenne Cabriolet is an inexcusable piece of trash

When automakers try to make SUVs convertibles, it is never ok. (Before you say anything, Jeeps, Broncos, Blazers, and the like don’t count. I’m not sure why these work, but they do.) 

The Porsche Cayenne has proven to be a smash hit. However, if it had two fewer doors and one less roof, it would have been a different story. The sporty SUV is already an annoying thing, but customers love it, so every company will pump them out until the sun explodes. That being said, we don’t have to stand by and let SUVs turn into two-door convertibles. 

Porsche, if you’re here, please let this one stay in the trash forever. Thanks. 

The Porsche C88 concept car should make you sad

I honestly don’t want to even talk about this one for long. The ‘90s were a tough time for Porsche, and it was willing to do anything it needed to do to sell some cars, even if that meant making this stupid little jelly bean. 

Porsche wasn’t even proud enough of the C88 concept car to put its name on it. According to Gear patrol, the idea behind this double flusher was to build and sell it in China as an economy car. The fact that the C88 never made it to production is a kindness most of the world will know, but those who do won’t ever forget.