The Sonderwunsch personalization program has been responsible for some pretty cool one-off Porsches in the past, and its latest is no exception. Unveiled at Dubai’s Icons of Porsche Festival, the car is a tribute to the first-ever 911 Turbo.
“This very special car is not only a showcase of what is possible with our Porsche personalization programs,” said Manfred Bräunl, CEO of Porsche Middle East and Africa. “It also highlights the brave and pioneering Porsche spirit as we look back to the inspiration for this project – the ‘911 Turbo Nr. 1’.”
Produced as a 70th birthday gift for Louise Piech, daughter of Ferdinand Porsche, “911 Turbo Nr. 1″ was built in 1974 and, unlike the models that would follow, it featured the narrow-chassis body from the 911 Carrera. Despite the different sheet metal, it still debuted the big Turbo rear wing.
Read: 2024 Porsche Panamera Turbo ‘Sonderwunsch’ Gets The Midas Touch With Real Gold Flakes
On the exterior, it was finished in silver paint with black and red “Porsche” lettering down the side. Inside, Piech chose red upholstery with Tartan fabric seat inserts to complement the car’s exterior. The modern version features a similar silver paint finish and Porsche lettering in the same style as “911 Turbo Nr. 1.” This one-off creation is billed as the perfect way to celebrate the iconic sport car’s 60th anniversary, as well as the manufacturer’s 75th.
“The initial idea for this project began a year ago,” said Patrick Gallas, manager of Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur for the region. “We wanted to create a modern iteration of a car that was truly unique. Luckily for us, there is no shortage of Porsche cars that people label as icons. We elected to ‘remaster’ one of the greatest icons of them all – the original 911 Turbo that belonged to Louise Piech.”
Giant inflatable 911
In addition to the Sonderwunch 911, Porsche also brought a giant inflatable first-generation 911, and placed it right at the center of the show. Measuring in at 20 feet tall, by 26 feet wide, by 66 feet long (6x8x20 meters), it earned an official Guinness World Record as the “largest inflatable vehicle” on earth.
Dubai’s Icons of Porsche Festival also marked the local debuts for the third-generation Panamera, the 718 Spyder RS, and the Vision 357 Speedster concept. The Mission X hypercar, the 911 S/T, and a selection of classic Porsches were also on-hand at the show, which welcomed 27,000 fans in all.
