Volkswagen preparing a sports coupe? Futuristic sketch has fired up the imagination of car enthusiasts.

This is just a sketch, shared on his LinkedIn profile by Stepan Rehak, Volkswagen's design spokesperson. In his series, "Blast Form the Past," Rehak posts sketches of prototypes (or parts thereof) of cars that were either intended to be built or to outline the brand's development philosophy. In the first episode, we admire an idea born in 2017 in the mind of designer Tibor Juhasz – a successor to the legendary SP2 model.

The sketch shows a compact body with enormous silver wheels, immediately reminiscent of the DeLorean from "Back to the Future." However, the inspiration lies in another car, which Volkswagen produced in Brazil from 1972 to 1975. The SP2, as we're talking about, took its name from "Sao Paolo" or "Sports Prototype."

Volkswagen from 1973/photo: press materials

A small, two-door car with sporty styling was intended to be a remedy for the market turmoil in South America. The car was based on the Karmann Ghia VW Type 14 with a Type 3 engine . Its design was captivating, but its performance was disappointing (the SP was also developed as the Sem Potencia – without the power). The engine developed only 75 hp (in an updated version) and accelerated from 0 to 100 km/h in less than… 18 seconds. Aware of this, Volkswagen began work on the SP3 with an engine from the Passat and an interior designed by Porsche, but along the way, management changed its mind and the plans were shelved.

It's a shame that the modern idea remained only on paper, as a prototype of a small coupé built on the VAG Group's MEB platform would have been a prime candidate to open a new chapter in Volkswagen's history – a fully electric one. However, this didn't happen, and the premiere model in the EV line was a small hatchback – the ID.3.

The world needs small, agile coupes, so if not Volkswagen, perhaps another startup manufacturer will offer something? Just look at initiatives like the Slate – a small pickup truck with customizable bodywork. Why wouldn't that be impossible with a small sports car?