The 981 Bergspyder is the Boxster Porsche should have built

Porsche reveals a secret single-seat, lightweight Boxster concept

Back in the '60s, Porsche built the 909 Bergspyder. Simply called the Bergspyder, it was a single-seat sports car intended for hill climbing competitions, featuring a lightweight body of only 384 kg. Despite its success in hill climb, the Bergspyder was short-lived, with the name eventually disappearing into the history books.

Fast forward to 2015, Porsche executives commissioned a project group from Weissach to build a sports car based on the 981 Boxster which would be as lightweight and minimal as possible. Inspired by the ultra-light 909 hill climb racer of the past, the 981 Bergspyder was born.

Much like its predecessor of the same name, the 981 Bergspyder is a single-seat, sports car without a top, door handles, or a windshield. In tribute to the 909, it only has a small, transparent wind deflector which extended around the driver. A tarpaulin made of faux leather extends all the way to the rear engine compartment and pays homage to the 356 Speedster.

Inside, the small cabin has undergone a lot of modifications in order to give it the proper single-seat look. Most of the components were also carried over from the 918 Spyder such as the seat. In place of a passenger seat is an additional storage space for a helmet, rain cover, and additional luggage.

After undergoing the intensive diet, the 981 Bergspyder only weighs 1,099 kg. Combined with the Cayman GT4's 3.8-liter boxer engine which produced 393 PS, Porsche claimed the 981 Bergspyder could sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in just over four seconds and record a Nurburgring lap of around 7 minutes 30 seconds.

Sadly, due to the question of registration eligibility, the 981 Bergspyder did not make it into production. Porsche says that a few markets would not allow the car to be registered for street use, which would have affected potential sales. Because of that, the unique Porsche 981 Bergspyder has remained a one-off concept and hidden until recently where it will first make its public debut.

Since the one-off Porsche has been revealed, perhaps some customers who wish to have one could convince Porsche to make several production models for private use.