Slantnose Porsche 911 Turbo render is stunning

The Porsche 911 and pop-up headlights are two design icons of the motoring world, and while there have been Porsches fitted with the funky lighting arrangement, there’s only ever been one 911 with pop-up headlights – the limited-run Slantnose or Flachbau versions of the original 930 Turbo in the 1980s.

But here's a life-like render of what a modern 911 Turbo Slantnose could look like – and we have to say the results are stunning.

Mocked up by digital creator Glen Cordle and shared on Instagram, the retro-inspired 992-series 911 Turbo is a breath-takingly beautiful thing with its pop-up headlights, TVR-style slashes and rear airduct slats.

The rear wing has also been altered to complement the retro-centric vibe, with the whole arrangement loosely reminding us of the early Mitsubishi 3000GTs – albeit with a 911 cabin and back-end – thanks to the similar shaped lights, low nosecone and rectangular bumper design.

There’s also a dash of Porsche 944 to be seen in the front when viewed from above, with Cordle describing his creation as a “modern slant-nose”.

But while the car is undeniably stunning, 911 fans haven’t taken especially well to the rendering, loathing the absence of the 911’s signature round headlights and saying the slanted nose corrupts the iconic silhouette.

Pop-up headlights have been absent from the global new-car marketplace since 2004, when the C5 Chevrolet Corvette and Lotus Esprit went out of production, and while there’s no legislation stopping or preventing manufacturers from bringing them back, there are a raft of safety standards to adhere to.

The costs, time and R&D investment involved in meeting these various different standards around the world thereby rule out any potential resurgence of pop-up headlights, especially when you factor in the ever-accelerating wave electrification – a vehicle’s drag co-efficient has never been more important given the impact it has on an EV’s effective range.

There’s little doubt pop-up headlights are aerodynamic when they’re folded away, but there’s also no doubt they increase drag when activated and so there’s next to no hope of an EV being released with the retro technology instead of regular modern lights, which have next to no impact on drag whether they’re on or off.