Ferrari Has A "Special Projects" Team. Porsche Has The Sonderwunsch Program
You may have already heard of Ferrari's "Special Projects" team that handles one-of-a-kind, bespoke, client-requested cars, from Peter Kalikow's Ferraris to racetrack titans. But Ferrari isn't the only sports car company with a special requests department. Porsche has the "Sonderwunsch" Program.
What Is Porsche's Sonderwunsch Program?
"Sonderwunsch" translates to "special requests." Unofficially, Porsche began taking "special requests" from customers in the mid-1950s, but the program wasn't activated officially until 1978. It entailed making customizations to cars and indeed crafting one-off vehicles.
The First Activity Of The Sonderwunsch Program
The first Sonderwunsch car in 1955 was a customized Porsche 356A, belonging to German industrialist Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach. The addition? A simple rear windshield wiper. This was highly unusual for the era, but Porsche obliged, and a customization movement was born.
Fred Stein Archive, Getty Images
From Small Fixes To Cracked Windshields & Beyond
Porsche's Stuttgart Zuffenhausen factory was soon filled with requests for small repairs, such as adding a windshield wiper to a Porsche 356 B Carrera 2. Not an easy feat by 1960s standards, but a Porsche mechanic was finally able to complete the job (after cracking the windshield twice!).
Curimedia | P H O T O G R A P H Y, Wikimedia Commons
The Early Cars Of Sonderwunsch
Before we explore Porsche's more recent Sonderwunsch creations, let's take you back to the 1970s, when the car customization program really came into its own. These are the early cars of Sonderwunsch.
Brian Snelson from Hockley, Essex, England, Wikimedia Commons
The First Full Car Produced By Porsche Sonderwunsch
The first real production job undertaken by the Sonderwunsch program was in 1968, when Porsche was tasked with customizing a Porsche 911 2.0 to take part in a special rally—a 14,000 mile slog from London to Sydney, Australia. The tail pipe was extended to the roof for river crossings, the exterior was fitted with a steel tubular frame to reduce collision impact, and the 911 was outfitted with a more powerful engine.
1975: The 917K Conversion
Prior to this conversion, it was a racer only, but in 1975, spirits manufacturer Count Gregorio Rossi di Montelera had a genius idea: why not turn Porsche's 240 mph racing beast into a street-legal car? It was fitted with turn signals, a rear muffler, and exterior mirrors, making it street-legal in France where the Count lived.
Curt Smith from Bellevue, WA, USA, Wikimedia Commons
1983: The 935 "Street" Model For A Saudi Businessman
In 1983, Porsche received a special request from Saudi Businessman Mansour Ojjeh, to build him a customized Porsche 935 dubbed the "Street" model. Fitted with a Flachau body, a Creme Caramel leather interior, a Candy Apple paint job and wood panelling on the interior, the car was powered by a 3.3L twin-turbocharged flat-six engine that produced 845 hp and ran at a top speed of 183 mph.
1989: A Gold Series For Qatar's Royals
In 1989, the Qatari Royal Family ordered a series of seven Porsche 959s, but not just any ordinary 959s—which would have been expensive enough. They asked that Porsche's special requests program paint them in three different, unique colors. These were: Sahara Beige, Royal Blue, and Silk Green. As standard, the 959 came with a 2.8L twin-turbocharged flat-six engine that produced 444 hp and was the world's fastest production car when introduced in '86, with a top speed of 197 mph.
Alexander-93, Wikimedia Commons
1997: A Blue-On-Red 911 GT2 Coppa Florio
What if Porsche could take an already rare 911 GT2 (just 193 units were ever built) and make it even more special? Well, they did in 1997, when a customer requested an ultra-light blue paint known as "Coppa Florio," with a "Can Can Red" full leather interior. The wheels of this car were also painted with the Coppa Florio blue.
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2004: A 911 Turbo Cabriolet Takes Sonderwunsch Global
In 2004, Porsche received a request from furniture designer and architect Carlo Rampazzi, for an orange 911 Turbo Cabriolet—whose color was an exact match on the inside as it was outside. No problem for Porsche's team of designers, however, who used a porcelain plate as a reference. The top speed of this orange rocket was 199 mph and it could hit 60 mph in 2.8 seconds.
2009-2010: A 911 Sport Classic With A Ducktail Spoiler
In 2009, Porsche decided to reintroduce its custom 911 Sport Classic with a few unique features: chiefly, a new ducktail spoiler that sat just above the trunk and 19-inch black wheels on a silver-painted body. It looked like a classic 911, powered by a 2.7L Carrera engine that produced 210 hp and a top speed of 161 mph. Just 250 units of this unique Sonderwunsch creation were made available.
Porsche 911 Sport Classic 997 Ducktail, DPCcars
2011: A Low-Profile 911
To honor its racing heritage in 2011, Porsche's special requests team created a 356-unit (that homage to the 356 does not go unnoticed) low-profile 911 that sat just a few inches off the ground thanks to a lowered ride height. A steep windshield and removable fabric roof gave this 911 a sporty look, combined with a pair of air intakes on the hood and a gorgeous deep sea blue color.
Pierre-Selim Huard, Wikimedia Commons
2012: A Celebratory 911 Club Coupe Models
Only offered to members of Porsche's ownership club, Porsche Sonderwunsch unveiled a model celebrating the 65 years since the inception of the membership club, which had 13 members at the time in 1957. Today, that number is 200,000, with 675 official clubs worldwide. Just 13 of these British racing green 911 Club Coupe models were built.
2013 Porsche 911 (991.1) Club Coupe, Iconic Auctioneers
2014: An Exclusive Porsche Panamera
The Porsche Panamera is one of their greatest executive cars of the 2010s. After six years in production, a special edition was announced called the "Panamera Edition". Not very creative nomenclature, but that didn't matter, as Porsche produced this gorgeous car with Poltrona Frau leather seating, graduated black paintwork, and a plaque that denoted its limited edition. It was powered by a 3.6L V6 engine that produced 296 hp.
2014 Porsche Panamera 4|Walk-Around Video|In-Depth Review, Neighborhood Car Reviews
2016: A Customized 718 Cayman For The Track
In 2016, Porsche's Sonderwunsch team created a track-focused version of their 718 Cayman. Dubbed the 718 GT4 Panamericana Special, the car was powered by a 3.8L six-cylinder engine that produced 385 hp and a top speed of 183 mph. It's the exterior that really catches your eye here: a Le Mans Silver paint job with racing livery and a rear-wing spoiler.
Porsche Cayman GT4 | TRACK TEST and SOUND ACCELERATIONS, GommeBlog.it
2019: A Track-Focused GT2
One lucky customer received a highly-customized Porsche 911 GT2 RS from Sonderwunsch. Retaining the staggeringly-powerful engine that produced 612 hp and had a top speed of 205 mph with a 0-60 time of just 2.5 seconds, this track-focused GT2 received a new glossy black paint job with a bright red leather interior, racing seats, and gold wheels. There's even a winged Pegasus decal on the door.
Taking Delivery Of A 2019 Porsche GT2RS *It's Amazing*, Vehicle Virgins
2019: Another Track-Focused GT2
2019 was a year of building track-focused special requests. A metallic blue-on-black custom paint job breathed new life into this Porsche 911 GT2. Left growling under the hood was its 3.6L twin-turbocharged flat-six engine that produced 523 hp and a staggering top speed of 204 mph. Its hood featured dual air-intake vents, silver wheels, and a huge rear-wing spoiler.
2020: A 911 Turbo S With A Unique Interior
Again, we're not sure who the customer was for this 911 Turbo S from 2020, but it certainly turned some heads, particularly when you opened the door. Sporting a "Bamboo Chromaflair" exterior paint that turned gold and light green depending on the position of the sun (with wheels to match), the interior had leather seating with a combination of creme, green, and grey colors throughout. A fixed-wing rear spoiler at the end rounded off the customizations.
2021: A GT3 Touring With An Homage To Le Mans
A gorgeous GT3 Touring was unveiled with custom yellow, black, and white livery that paid homage to Porsche's Le Mans history. It was customized with white front and gold rear wheels, dual hood vents to improve airflow, and a stunning vibrant yellow-on-black with white accent exterior paint job. Porsche even stitched a yellow map of Le Mans into the headrests, with "1985" emblazoned on it, celebrating the year that Porsche won the 24 Hours of Le Mans race.
NEW CAR DAY! My Porsche 992 GT3 In Signal Yellow Has Arrived!, Mr JWW
2021: Celebrating A Famous Japanese Grand Prix Win
In 1967, Japanese racer Tetsu Ikuzawa was on top of the Japanese racing world when he entered the Japanese Grand Prix in a Porsche 906, which was imported from Germany. He would become the first-ever driver to lap the six-kilometer Fuji Speedway in under two minutes, overtaking a rival in the process. In 2021, Porsche crafted a 718 Cayman in his honor.
Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Is A Tribute To The 906 Racecar, DPCcars
Porsche's Tribute To Ikuzawa
Porsche's customization team set about building a tribute car to Ikuzawa in 2021, finally unveiling a car that was a copy of the one he'd raced in 1967, down the leather interior and a "Light Ivory" paint job. Additionally, the car was adorned with Ikuzawa's racing livery and his number 8 on both the doors and hood.
Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Is A Tribute To The 906 Racecar, DPCcars
2021: The 911 GT3 Touring With A Custom Paintwork & Interior
Porsche's Sonderwunsch program was hard at it in 2021, building yet another custom car for a mysterious customer. This time, a 911 GT3 Touring car was used as a base, powered by a 4.0L naturally-aspirated flat-six engine that produced 503 hp and a top speed of 199 mph. The car was painted with a customized green-teal metallic paint job and given Ascot Brown leather interior seating treatment, with a black dash.
Dream Porsche Unlocked: 911 GT3 Touring in PTS Green Over Tan!, Remove Before Race
2022: A Hot Pink 911 GT3?
In 2022, Porsche unveiled a custom version of the 911 GT3 in, frankly, an outrageous color: hot pink. Officially called "Ruby Star", inspired by the Ruby Star coneflower's leaf color, this 911 GT3 was powered by the same 4.0L flat-six engine as above, but featured a carbon fiber roof with a rear spoiler that's activated by speed.
Porsche 911 [992] GT3 walk around video, Philip Ireland Performance Cars
2022: A True One-Off 911
You may notice something you've seen before in this one-off production from Porsche Sonderwunsch...that's right, it's Sally from Cars (2006). Porsche recreated the 911 that touched fans' hearts in '06, a one-of-one special production in collaboration with Disney, all to raise money for charity. Porsche had to create a whole new shade of blue, called "Sally Bluematic".
More On The Sally Special
There's also a "tattoo" that Sally had in the movie underneath the rear spoiler that's been recreated in the real-life car. Additionally, a debossed Cars logo has been stitched into the interior of the front doors. It's not just a movie prop, the car is totally driveable. It was sold at auction for $3.6 million, the most a Porsche has ever sold for, with proceeds going to American charities. The event was attended by Bonnie Hunt, who voiced Sally in Cars.
2022: Another Unique Design: The 911 Turbo S
The 911 Turbo S was used as a base for this unique design from Sonderwunsch—again, an homage to Porsche's racing history, bearing the same color palette that was used for the infamous Porsche 917 race car. It was painted in Gulf Blue with an orange stripe down the middle, adorned with the number 2 on the hood and doors, which was known as the Gulf Oil Livery. It also featured the signature of Pedro Rodriguez, the Mexican racing driver who raced in the 917.
2023: Inspired By The Mexican Road Race, The Panamericana 911
Another "Panamericana" nameplate appears in 2023 on this custom painted "Gentian Blue" colored 911, paying homage to the 356 Cabriolet that performed so well in the Panamericana races of the 1950s. You're greeted by 21-inch wheels, a convertible top, number 11 door decals, retaining a twin-turbo flat-six engine that produces 473 hp.
The Porsche 911 Carrera Panamericana Special: Designing a new icon, Porsche
2023: A Porsche Taycan Turbo S With A Unique Hood Crafted By Artist Ding Yi
While everything is done in-house, Porsche often invites its customers to collaborate with the Sonderwunsch team. This was true in 2023, when Chinese artist Ding Yi ordered a Porsche Taycan Turbo S with a unique paint job inspired by his own work, Appearance of Crosses 2022-2. The paint job required complex masking procedures and many rounds of refinement, but the car was completed and delivered to his home in Shanghai.
Porsche Taycan Turbo S Sonderwunsch | Artist Ding Yi, Porsche Indonesia
2024: Porsche 911 S/T
The Porsche 911 S/T was built to commemorate the 911's 60th year as a Porsche model—Sonderwunsch went to work building something truly brilliant. The S/T is made mostly from carbon fiber, with carbon fiber doors, fenders, and a "double-bubble roof" from the GT3. It's powered by a naturally-aspirated 4.0L flat-six engine that produces 518 hp and can hit a top speed of 186 mph.
One of One Porsche 911 S/T | Sonderwunsch | Paint to Sample, Alexander de Pooter
2024: A Customized Sound System In A 1981 928 S
When Spanish singer-songwriter Alvaro Soler contacted Porsche in 2022, he wanted a highly-refined 928 S, a Porsche classic from 1981. He was very involved in the process, as most Porsche customers are, even helping them create a "Soler" yellow metallic paint job for the 928. The surround sound in the vehicle was customized to Soler's seat position, along with a Pampa brown leather interior. The team also surprised Soler with a guitar painted to the car's color and with a matching brown leather case.
1981 Porsche 928 Start Up, Engine, and In Depth Tour, Saabkyle04
2024: Sending A Porsche Back For Re-Painting
In 2024, some already lucky owner of a 2004 Porsche Carrera GT sent his car back to Porsche Sonderwunsch with a request: please paint it deep purple and cover it in carbon fiber. They obliged. A deep purple "Amethyst metallic" color was added, along with a very thin layer of carbon fiber. Under the hood, the GT was unchanged: a V10 engine roared into life, pushing out 603 hp whilst propelling to a top speed of 208 mph.
Charles from Port Chester, New York, Wikimedia Commons
How Do You Get On The Sonderwunsch Program?
Unfortunately, the wait time for a special request from Porsche is about three years and there's a $100,000 fee—on top of the cost of the car and customizations. Only the very wealthy can afford to become a member of Porsche's program.
Richard Sutcliffe , Wikimedia Commons
Which Sonderwunsch Is Your Favorite?
Which of the special requests cars is your favorite? Do you prefer the purple of the Carrera GT, or the elegance of the earlier 911 customizations? Perhaps you'd like to get yourself an early version of the 917K, if money was no object? Let us know in the comments below.
Porsche's Hammer Comes Down
Ben Sipson is a parts manufacturer and owner of a bespoke 911. But, he committed the cardinal sin for most Porsche owners: he swapped the 911's original flat-six engine with a VTEC K24 engine from a Honda Civic Si. He also filmed the whole thing and put it on YouTube. Porsche fans were furious and there's rumors that Sipson has been blacklisted by the manufacturer.
How Much Does It Really Cost To K Swap Your Porsche?, Porsche Indonesia
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