Porsche’s Sonderwunsch, or “Special Wishes” programme, has the potential to turn every Porschephile’s flight of fancy into a reality
As with all things Porsche-related, you need to understand the nuances in the seemingly innocuous to be able to catch that fleeting glimpse behind the curtain.
Just think about it, to the average person, a 911 is a 911 is a 911, because there’s no real appreciation of the differences between the R, the S/T, the T, the GT3, the GT3 Touring and so on.
Non-Porschephiles tend to noise-cancel anything that comes after “911”, whereas we hardcore fans wait with bated breath to hear the suffix.
On the surface, Mr. Alexander Fabig’s name card gives little away as to his job description. Of course, true believers would already have caught on to the ‘Classic’ in his title – even though that’s the least of what he works on!
See also: Porsche Taycan Turbo S Celestial Jade by Sonderwunsch
As you know, there’s no greater allure to a big Porsche fan than that of a classic Porsche, especially with more than 70 per cent of them still in rude health and serving active duty on road and track to this very day.
In fact, with many companies creating reimagined and resto-hot-modded Porsches (Workshop 5001, Singer, Tuthill, Gunther Werks etc.), interest in bespoke, full-body rebuilds one can call their own has never been greater.
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What’s gratifying is there’s only ever passion and pride for the Porsche brand, as opposed to bitter rivalry.
Fabig (pictured above at the 2024 Monterey Car Week during the 993 Speedster reveal) says, “Seeing all these restomod/reimagined tuners at Monterey and Quail is good evidence of the excitement for our brand. It says a lot about the passion for the Porsche brand for these companies to come up with all of these creations. So I would say it's something positive, because people will only spend time and money on such endeavours – the companies, investors, customers etc. – if they have a strong emotional relationship with it.”
Ultimately, there’s something to be said about the provenance of a ‘restomod’ or reimagined Porsche that is created by Porsche itself! And this is where the other element of Alexander’s portfolio comes in: ‘Individualisation’.
Take it from us when we tell you this goes beyond the mere colour, trim and equipment options ordinarily available through the Porsche configurator.
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If you thought the PTS palette was complex and intricate enough to give sensitive souls a bout of PTSD, that’s only the tip of the ice-berg as far as Fabig is concerned.
The Sonderwunsch – we still prefer to use the term Special Wishes, as opposed to Special Requests – programme is several decades old, but has evolved over the years to attain a top-shelf status that sits above Porsche Exclusive. (One-off 996 Classic Club Coupe commissioned by the Porsche Club of America pictured above)
Rising affluence levels around the world has led to rising instances of personalisation and the desire for custom builds.
After all, any car can be bought with money, but bespoke touches that transform it into a one-off make it your own, especially when you consider the immersive journey towards its creation.
Any Porsche has the potential to become a blank canvas that you can use as an outlet to create your very own masterpiece.
Currently, Sonderwunsch is an extension of the Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur and Porsche Classic departments, but it doesn’t just dabble in aesthetic exercises (2024’s Taycan Turbo S Celestial Jade, which was commissioned by Porsche Asia Pacific is one example), but also the technical.
Past luminaries like the 930 Slantnose, 996 Classic Club Coupe, 997 Speedster (pictured above) and 997 Sport Classic are just a few of the models created under the auspices of what-is-now Porsche’s Sonderwunsch department, a dedicated 70-strong division based in Stuttgart.
The many layers of customisation span basic coloured seat-belts to hand-painted Mobil 1 Pegasus on the fenders and of course, the bombastic one-off special models, such as Luca Trazzi’s luscious, lemony 993 Speedster (pictured above and below) shown at the 2024 Monterey Car Week for instance.
A “Special Wish” can be applied to a current model (Factory Commission) or an older model that has been sent back to Sonderwunsch for updates (Factory Re-Commission). However, the pièces de résistance are the Factory One-Offs such as the 993 Speedster.
Have you ever wanted a Panamera convertible, or a 964 RS Cabriolet? Sonderwunsch is always up for such challenges! The only limits to a bespoke Sonderwunsch creation are your imagination and naturally, your bank balance.
If Sonderwunsch discovers that several clients have a similar vision for their dream cars, it can put them in touch to see if there is potential for collaboration.
Most importantly, such exercises serve as studies for Porsche to refine specialised techniques and innovative technical solutions that help push the boundaries of what is possible for future series production models.
An example is the beautifully-shifting Chromaflair paintwork used for the Celestial Jade, which took 80 hours to apply by hand – and this excludes the complex preparation process!
And how does one embark on a Sonderwunsch commission, and how much are we looking at (although if you have to ask...)?
“Well, the first contact often goes through the dealership,” Fabig tells us. “The customer has to be known to the local Porsche dealer, and he/she registers their ‘special wish’ with the dealer, which is then communicated with the Sonderwunsch HQ in Stuttgart.”
The Sonderwunsch department, which focuses on these special cars, will get in touch with the client to understand his ‘dream’ and to achieve a first alignment.
Also, the Sonderwunsch team has to find out if the intention for the project car is to be registered and road-legal, as well as the countries in which the owner will be driving it in, so as to create a technical concept that will comply with local regulations. (Pictured above is the 001/001 996 Classic Club Coupe on the road)
He continues, “If Sonderwunsch feels this is the right project and the customer appreciates we can understand his/her vision, we will enter the concept phase for the next 12 months. A dedicated team will be assigned to the client, which comprises designer, engineer, project manager and customer consultant."
(Trazzi is pictured above in the spray booth with his one-off 993 Speedster)
"The client even gets a company ID card, because he is now regarded as a colleague and part of the team. For the next 12 months, the team will work closely together to develop and fine-tune the technical specifications and styling for this dream car,” Fabig adds.
After 12 months, the project enters what can be referred to as a ‘design freeze’ phase, as the final concept is presented to the client. Apart from a scale model, the client gets a full description of what the car will look like, as well as its performance figures and KPIs.
“Up to this point, the client can still say no, but he will have to pay for the concept phase, which can range from €100,000 to €300,000 (excluding the cost of the car). If the client green-lights the build, it’ll take another two years to bring the finished car to life,” adds Fabig.
We reckon that given the wait-time for Sonderwunsch slots stretches five years or more, people who have embarked on a custom build are unlikely to turn it down after the concept phase. As far as total bill goes, it only starts to add up once production begins in earnest. (Pictured above is a Taycan Turbo S with interior panels customised with artist Ding Yi's artwork from the painting, “Appearance of Crosses 2022-2”)
Apparently, the entire experience can be quite addictive, with the Sonderwunsch programme seeing many repeat clients, including Trazzi, who has another project in the works!
You’re probably wondering how Porsche supports such one-off cars in terms of parts and aftersales services.
Fabig smiles and says, “The most important thing is to have very good and precise documentation, which is shared with the client, but also entered into the Porsche systems. This means that you can bring the car to a dealership anywhere in the world, and with the VIN, you will find the entire parts documentation in the system.”
“Each build also includes a certain number of spare parts, but for the very unique parts, we have an individual agreement with the customer for a fixed quantity to be produced and either delivered with the car, or kept with Porsche,” he continues. Besides, Porsche is also able to reproduce the parts for you if necessary.
So, have there been any requests that are so outlandish they are thrown out by the team?
“The customers that approach us (Sonderwunsch) are passionate, long-time Porsche enthusiasts. They have been following the brand for 20-30 years, and they really want to create something that is part of Porsche DNA and brand history. This means they tend to stay very close to the brand’s philosophy, even though we tell them they can be a bit more experimental and adventurous!" Fabig tells us.
