The Porsche Panamericana was a design study built by Porsche and presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1989. Unlike the earlier 959 prototype that had also appeared at the show, the Panamericana was conceived purely as a styling exercise rather than a technical demonstrator, intended to hint at possible future directions for the 911, whose basic silhouette was then 26 years old. Its name recalled Mexican racing successes of the 1950s. The car was presented as a birthday gift to company founder Ferry Porsche, who turned 80 on 19 September 1989.
Mechanically the Panamericana was based on the Porsche 911 Carrera 4, using its rear-mounted, air-cooled 3600 cc flat-six engine producing 250 PS (250 hp) at 6100 rpm and 310 Nm of torque at 4800 rpm, paired with four-wheel drive. Reported top speed was 210 km/h. The bodywork departed from Porsche convention by using a removable roof and rear window structure, turning the coupe into an open cabriocoupe and abandoning the fastback roofline that had characterized Porsche's rear- and front-engined coupes since 1948. Horizontal flared sections above the wheel arches gave the car a distinctive appearance recalling the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL built between 1954 and 1962. Porsche described the design as deliberately exaggerated in places and as taking liberties beyond prevailing regulatory constraints. Its outer skin was made from composite materials including plastic sandwich construction, glass fibre and carbon fibre, incorporating some newly developed manufacturing solutions.
The Panamericana was built as a single unique example over the course of only a few months. It measured 4215 mm long, 1875 mm wide and 1250 mm high, with a wheelbase of 2270 mm and track widths of 138/137.5 cm. Porsche has stated that its horizontal roof concept influenced the ongoing development of the 911 Targa and contributed to the thinking behind the later Porsche Boxster roadster.
