The German automaker, Porsche, is literally inundated with requests from its ardent followers to develop a production version of each concept car it displays. But occasionally, these initiatives are compelled to be abandoned even before the concept models are shown to the public; instead, they wind up in the crusher or relegated to a remote area of the manufacturer’s museum. One example would be this stunning 981 Bergspyder prototype, which was constructed in 2015. This is the backstory of the race car inspired by the Porsche Boxster: Porsche created the 909 Bergspyder, a lightweight speedster for one person intended exclusively for hillclimb competitions, in the 1960s. It was the lightest Porsche ever, weighing only 847 pounds. In 2015, the iconic hillclimb vehicle celebrated its 50th anniversary. To honor the 909, Porsche’s Executive Board commissioned a unique vehicle based on the Boxster Spyder that was in production at the time. The 981 Bergspyder was a roofless single-seat racecar with green stripes and the same white paint job as the Porsche 909. It was built as light as possible.

Consequently, the innovative 981 Bergspyder, which weighed 2,423 lbs and was 476 pounds lighter than the normal Boxster Spyder it is based on, was the current interpretation of the 909. The 3.8-liter flat-six engine of the prototype speedster is taken from the Cayman GT4. According to Porsche, the concept car can complete a round of the Nürburgring in 07:30 and accelerate from zero to sixty miles per hour in just over four seconds. Porsche never gave its final permission to the concept, even though it had a functional prototype and was considered for production in the past since the car couldn’t be registered in many countries. The unique item was on show in Weissach prior to being transferred to the Porsche museum. But now that it has emerged from hiding, it will be seen at the Gaisberg Hillclimb race in 2019.