All of it started with a slightly humble request again in 1955. Industrialist Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach wished a rear windshield wiper for his 356 A Coupé. Actually an uncommon request for the time, however Porsche mentioned sure, and the remainder is historical past. It triggered a motion that went from small fixes on the Stuttgart Zuffenhausen workshops to full-blown, tailored, bespoke hypercars right this moment beneath Porsche’s Sonderwunsch and Unique Manufaktur applications. In 1962, Krupp requested for an additional rear wiper, this time for his 356 B Carrera 2, and it wasn’t a simple one to drag off. However after a number of cracked windshields, a mechanic was lastly in a position to get the job finished.
By the mid-to-late Nineteen Sixties, Porsche was dealing with greater than quirky requests, and the identical was on show in a 1968 911 2.0, a purpose-built machine that was set to participate within the 16,000-kilometer (9,942-mile) London to Sydney rally. On condition that the automotive would encounter the whole lot from run-ins with wild animals to river crossings on the transcontinental run, it was extensively modified with issues like a tubular body and a tailpipe that was prolonged above the roofline of the automobile.
Within the mid-Nineteen Seventies, Italian Rely Gregorio Rossi di Montelera pushed the envelope even additional, as he requested a street-legal, 917 Kurzheck, sure, the identical endurance racer that had dominated Le Mans a number of years prior. Porsche delivered by becoming mirrors, lights, and a muffler to tame the 620 horsepower beast, and a bespoke leather-clad cabin with added creature comforts. A second 917 Road adopted in 1977.
By 1978, the Sonderwunsch division was formally born, after which got here extra icons. In 1983, Saudi businessman Mansour Ojjeh’s 935 “Road” set a brand new benchmark with 930 Turbo-based construct. That includes a Flachbau physique with sweet apple paint, a cream caramel leather-based inside with wooden paneling, this slantnose magnificence helped encourage Porsche Unique Manufaktur in 1986
The next many years noticed the creation of even wilder builds. A seven-car run of Pure gold-plated Porsche 959s for the Qatari royal household in 1989, a Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet with a rain-sensing electrical convertible roof with a 28–web page choice checklist in 1990. Quick ahead to 1997: a Coppa Florio Blue 911 GT2 (993) obtained a Can Can Crimson leather-based inside, with even the radio and lights switched being wrapped. In 2004, a buyer’s orange 911 (996) Turbo Cab was color-matched inside-out to a porcelain plate. Porsche finally launched the ‘Most Private Automotive’ initiative again in 2004.
However above all, let’s not overlook actor and comic Jerry Seinfeld, one of the crucial outstanding Porsche collectors on the planet who famously owns a one-off 996 Basic Membership coupe constructed by Sonderwunsch, that took inspiration from the limited-run 997 Sport Basic. With simply 250 produced, this retro-inspired 911 encompasses a ducktail spoiler, Fuchs-style wheels, and a double-dome roof that harkens again to the Nineteen Seventies. In all, Porsche Unique Manufaktur launched 4 collector variants from the Heritage Design Version.
By 2021, Porsche had taken it to an entire new stage with Unique Manufaktur, which right this moment affords over 1,000 choices and 190 paint colours to decide on by the Paint-to-sample program. Customized builds by Porsche’s Sonderwunsch program additionally reached new heights with the likes of the Ding Yang Taycan Turbo S and extra not too long ago, in 2024, when singer-songwriter Álvaro Soler customised a 928 S with Soler yellow metallic paint, a pampa brown leather-based inside, and a 360-degree sound system developed by the Porsche growth heart in Weissach.
A one-off 993 Speedster fee completed in luminous yellow, created for Italian designer and collector Luca Trazzi was significantly particular as Porsche skipped collection manufacturing of the 911 Speedster for the 993 technology, however constructed this one-off at Trazzi’s request.
Primarily, Porsche’s Sonderwunsch (particular request or particular needs) program and Porsche Unique Manufaktur have come a great distance because the early days of manufacturing facility customization. The place Unique Manufaktur focuses on pre-defined choices and ending, Sonderwunsch takes issues to an entire new stage with really bespoke one-off creations, together with distinctive physique modifications, wheel designs and even manufacturing facility restorations of historic autos. Each applications provide extremely customized experiences and are a showcase of what’s doable, restricted solely by your creativeness and finances.
Supply: Porsche
