It’s one thing to find your dream car, but another entirely to dream of it and bring that very car to life. This degree of ideation and customization is exactly what Porsche offers through their Sonderwunsch program. With a variety of services available for classic, current, and future vehicle production, Porsche is making dream a reality.
To better understand exactly what this program is, we’ll first need to look at the terminology itself. The word “Sonderwunsch” translates from German to mean “Special Wishes” and originated from“Sonderwunschabteilung,” a group within Porsche that handled special modification requests going back to 1970. This department customized series vehicles, and even occasionally created unique “one- off” models.
Today, the Sonderwunsch program lets customers dream bigger than ever before by restoring, or even fully recommissioning classic and current Porsche cars. In some cases, this even means customers working directly with designers and engineers to realize their vision.
At the start of any Sonderwunsch project is a consultation to understand both the client goals, and the vehicle slated to be worked on. In this meeting, a variety of paint and material samples can be compared and seen in various lighting conditions, giving inspiration for the first round of design implementation. Next, the client previews the project in rendered images to allow adjustments before any physical work is done to the vehicle.
Depending on the scope of work, projects can fall into three categories: Sonderwunsch Factory Commission, Sonderwunsch FactoryRe-Commission and Sonderwunsch One-Off.
‘Sonderwunsch Factory Commission’ grants customers expansive creative control over color and trim selections before production and delivery of the vehicle. With this option, the car is built exclusively for the person designing it. ‘Sonderwunsch Factory Re-Commission’ grants the ability to re-specify options on an existing vehicle as far back as the 356, as if it were a factory-new order. Working through a state-of-the-art facility in Atlanta, and two facilities outside Stuttgart, Germany, Porsche Classic manages all Sonderwunsch Factory Re-Commission projects, regardless of model line or model year. With the help of a dedicated personalization consultant, the expert technicians and craftsmen, and the customer themself, the vehicle will leave the factory, like new, in its final dream state.
Throughout the process, the cars receive a full mechanical overhaul, down to each internal component of the engine and transmission. With over 82,500 Genuine Porsche Classic parts, along with current model Genuine Porsche parts, the team has excellent access to the components necessary to ensure each vehicle is just as capable as it is beautiful.
The exceptional mechanical team is matched with dedicated artisans at the helm of the visual redesign process as well. The body of the car will be thoroughly examined by paint and bodywork experts, and returned to original specifications should any evidence of previous damage arise. From there, the team will strip the body down to bare metal and protect against future corrosion with an epoxy base coat. With the base layer set, the new vision starts to come to life as each coat of color is applied. While the client may certainly choose to opt for non-permanent decals if they prefer, any desired livery for these projects is typically hand painted, sparing no design detail.
As crucial as the exterior is, the interior is where driver and machine become one. While work is underway in the paint booth, the upholstery team is in action-utilizing templates to exact the vision brought forward by the client in their future cockpit. When designing this area, owners can adjust almost any aesthetic element throughout. From dashboard materials, fabric options, and a seemingly endless variety of stitching colors, no two vehicles need be the same. In fact, the option to create a ‘non-repeatable spec’ is available to ensure that will remain the case, confirming that your build is one-of-a-kind forever.
The final category of the program, ‘Sonderwunsch One-Off’, is the most exclusive of all. This option allows customers to modify both mechanical and structural components of current street driven Porsche vehicles. The initial example of this segment of the Sonderwunsch program is the Classic Club Coupe, which was developed on the Type 996 911 platform using a 1998 911 Carrera. As there was no Classic Club Coupe initially, the Porsche teams collaborated with the client, Porsche Club of America, to integrate all the features needed to make this dream a reality. By implementing specific design and mechanical elements like a ducktail spoiler, custom paint, a double bubble roof, a bespoke interior, and GT3 drivetrain, the client and Porsche teams created a one-of-a-kind machine that looks right at home in the Sport Classic line-up.
With their specialized tools and expertise at the ready, it’s easy to see how Porsche makes dreams come true- from old to new.
This article appeared in our June 2024 Issue
