In 1970, Porsche‘s first overall victory at Le Mans was achieved with a 917 short-tail bearing the number 23, and it was dressed in a striking red-and-white livery. This became known as the Salzburg Design, named after the Austrian city, and now, 55 years later, Porsche Sonderwunsch has brought it back. As part of a factory re-commissioning project, Porsche Sonderwunsch has redesigned and refreshed the iconic Carrera GT. The entire car was taken apart and overhauled, including the carbon fiber elements, which are now matte black, and the original silver finish was done away with, resulting in something that looks spectacular from every angle. But adapting the 917’s livery for Porsche’s 22-year-old supercar, launched in 2003, was easier said than done.
A Long Process to Realize an Enthusiast’s Dream
Obviously, the shape of a modern road-going supercar is vastly different than that of a 55-year-old Le Mans prototype, so Porsche first had to sketch various reinterpretations of the livery before turning them into renderings and then taping the new lines onto the Carrera GT’s body to ensure they would look as good in the metal as they did in the virtual world. Finally, hand-painting could begin. This included not only the Indian Red bodywork, but also the white accents, including the roundel with the number 23. Happily, the commissioning customer, one Victor Gómez, isn’t planning to keep this as a work of art – he intends to put some miles on the practically reset odometer, getting the most out of the rebuilt 5.7-liter V10. Therefore, the body was protected with clear film.
The carbon mentioned earlier? That matte finish applies to the roof halves, the A and B pillars, the caps of the wing mirrors, the front air duct, the side skirt wings, and the rear diffuser, among other things, with a matte black anodized finish for the engine cover grilles complementing the overall theme. Similarly, the wheels have been painted matte black and accented with a red ‘Carrera GT’ script, while the black brake calipers bear the name of Porsche’s special requests department, Sonderwunsch.
An Interior Blending Motorsport and Luxury
Instead of leather, the instrument binnacle and other parts of the dashboard have been refinished in Alcantara, also in Indian Red, as were the door panels, steering wheel rim, center console, and front luggage compartment with its fitted luggage. For contrast, matte carbon reappears in the seat shells, the air vent covers, and the instrument cover. This mix of materials commonly used in motorsport and an eye-catching color seems like the perfect blend for a supercar with an engine concept that was initially intended for Le Mans competition, and there’s further racing influence in the material used for the black seats. Here, black non-flammable FIA textile from the 918 Spyder finds a new home.
All in all, this retro refinishing of the 603-horsepower Carrera GT is brilliant. While the livery and interior color combination pay homage to the historically significant 917, they also endow the awesome but aging supercar with a freshness that makes it look good enough to be relaunched today. Of course, if your bank account has close to or more than eight figures in it, you can commission something similar without going bankrupt.
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