In an interview where he waxes lyrical about the 914, Porsche design chief Michael Mauer mentions a wish to see a modern equivalent—an entry-level sports car designed for purists.

Mauer, who has headed the Porsche design team since 2004, expressed his thoughts on the 914 and a potential successor for an interview published by the German automaker last month.

He said he'd like to see Porsche introduce a sports car to target buyers who might normally opt for something like an Audi TT RS or Golf R.

1958 Porsche 550A Spyder

1958 Porsche 550A Spyder

The car wouldn't necessarily be cheap, he said, but it would be simple in design and likely devoid of most of the luxuries you normally find in a modern Porsche. It would essentially be designed for purists, where everything is mechanical and electronic aids are almost non-existent. He described such a car as reflecting Porsche's earlier DNA and pointed out the 550 as another source of inspiration.

“A much cheaper entry-level Porsche would be the right thing to do, but that’s not my approach,” Mauer said. “Puristic, reduced, 'back to our roots,' I think the time has come. That would be typically Porsche again.”

Don't get your hopes up too much. In the same interview, Mauer said getting Porsche to launch a small, lightweight sports car like the 550 and 914 would be difficult because of modern safety requirements. He also said convincing the sales department of the merits of such a car would also be a challenge.