Porsche Design and Sotheby’s auction two icons of design history
Porsche Design honors Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche’s pioneering spirit on its 50th company anniversary at the renowned auction platform Sotheby’s Luxury Week in New York.
This December, together with the auction house Sotheby’s, Porsche Design is not only celebrating the 50th anniversary of the globally successful design brand, but above all the pioneering spirit of company founder Ferdinand Alexander Porsche. F. A. Porsche had already made design history with the legendary Porsche 911 when he founded his own design studio in 1972 – with the aim of transferring the myth and principles of Porsche to other product categories. To this day, his courage, his creativity, and ambition to create something new are at the heart of the brand’s DNA.
“The two one-of-a-kind collectibles are just as unique and exceptional as Porsche Design’s heritage. They embody the fascination and the myth of the automotive lifestyle brand and convey the design philosophy of F. A. Porsche. The exclusive auction in New York pays tribute to the pioneering spirit of our company’s founder and marks the crowning finale of our anniversary year. Even half a century after its inception, the brand has lost none of its DNA. Today, our designers work with the same passion to combine timeless, functional design with technical innovation in order to create the classics of tomorrow,” says Stefan Buescher.
Echoes of a Purist Design Aesthetic
Built in 1972, the Porsche 911 S 2.4 Targa was restored and refined in an exceptional way by the experts at Porsche Classic over a period of two years. The Factory One-Off was built as part of the new Sonderwunsch (special request) programme, which combines craftsmanship and attention to detail to create individual sports car dreams. The classic is the historical counterpart to the limited-edition special model “Porsche 911 Edition 50 Years of Porsche Design” (model 992).
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Among other things, both models pick up on the color scheme of the legendary Chronograph I from 1972, the first product design by F. A. Porsche. The color black dominates both the interior and exterior. Like the special model, the one-off is equipped with Sport-Tex in a classic checkered pattern in black and cool gray. As a tribute to the brand’s anniversary, the car features “Porsche Design” lettering on both sides. The “50 Years of Porsche Design” logo embellishes the headrests while the dashboard is adorned with a silver-colored “911” plaque bearing the lettering “Edition 50 Years of Porsche Design.” As a special highlight, the Targa bar has been painted in high-gloss platinum – a modern reinterpretation of the brushed stainless steel of the historic prototype and thus a perfect match for the new vehicle.
911 S 2.4 Targa
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The result is a one-of-a-kind vehicle that combines the original design with modern elements, bears the signature of Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, and is reminiscent of the founding year of Porsche Design. “We chose this vehicle because the 911 continues to shape the Porsche legend to this day. It is characterized by outstanding sportiness and conveys an extraordinary driving experience. I was able to see this for myself during the final testing,” says Uwe Makrutzki, Head of Porsche Classic Factory Restoration. “While the 911 T 2.4 Targa had to make do with 130 hp in its original state, the car’s second birth at the Porsche factory now features the engine, chassis, and brakes of the S version. The top model at the time now draws 190 hp at 6,500 rpm from 2,341 cm3 displacement and features mechanical fuel injection.”
Porsche Classic restores, designs, and enhances a handful of unique sports cars every year. In close cooperation with the Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur as part of the so-called co-creation strategy, Porsche is thus reinterpreting the legendary Sonderwunsch (special-request) programme of the late 1970s and enabling personalized one-offs – co-created by the customer and professionally implemented by Porsche. These are marked with a special seal highlighting their exclusivity and individuality. One of the first Factory One-Offs to receive this exclusive marking is the 911 S 2.4 Targa.
Unique Auction Bundle
The Chronograph 1 – 911 S 2.4 Targa was exclusively manufactured for the auction on December 14th. It is a special, custom-made version of the limited anniversary edition of the Chronograph 1, which remains true to the design of the first Porsche Design timepiece down to the last detail and, where necessary, has been adapted to the technical state of the art.
The dial, crown, wristband, and case back bear the historic Porsche Design logo. What makes it truly special is the design of the winding rotor on the back of the case, which reflects that of the historical Fuchs rims of the Targa from 1972. This was developed over the course of elaborate construction and testing by the engineers in the in-house watchmaking facility in Solothurn, Switzerland. It translates the movement of the wearer’s wrist into energy to power the mechanical chronograph caliber. With these design features, it bears reference to the classic vehicle and also makes this timepiece an exceptional one-of-a-kind. The two design classics not only pay homage to the close collaboration between the Porsche Design brand and the sports car manufacturer Porsche, but are also intrinsically linked by their shared heritage, as they were both designed by F. A. Porsche, the designer of the legendary Porsche 911 and the founder of Porsche Design.
