August 22, 2024

Porsche's Sonderwunsch Factory One-Off Brings This 911 Speedster (Type 993) To Life


Since 1954, the “Speedster” has been an integral part of Porsche history. Characterized by a two-seat layout, a unique cowl, and shortened windshield, they offer open driving pleasure with expressive driving dynamics. Yet, there’s a gap in the model history. Porsche offered 911 Speedster variants of the G-Series (second generation) and Type 964 (third generation), but except for two one-offs and, much later, a model rebuilt as part of a factory restoration, there was no Speedster from the fourth generation of the 911, the Type 993, save for two—one developed for Ferdinand Alexander Porsche and another for comedian Jerry Seinfeld.

So, when Porsche enthusiast, designer, and Speedster collector Luca Trazzi wanted to realized his dream of a Type 993 911 Speedster, he did so with help from Porsche’s Sonderwunsch (special request) program. The architect and industrial designer got his wish: a one-off car based entirely on his vision. Trazzi spent more than three years to transform his 1994 911 Carrera Cabriolet (Type 993) into the Speedster LT (Luca Trazzi).


Trazzi arrived at his first meeting with the Sonderwunsch team with a project book full of drafts and sketches showing a clear and defined way on how he wanted to create his Speedster. During the project, he visited Porsche several times, making use of the company ID issued to him. Among other things, he witnessed his Speedster taking a bath in the cathodic dip-painting at the factory paint shop. Then began the complete manual coating cycle. The luminous yellow paint was not just developed as a color specifically for the customer—its name was also very personal, coming as it did from the customer’s own dog, Otto.

The rear cover and the windshield follow design cues from existing Porsche Speedster models. They are bordered only by a thin black frame that intensifies their effect. Other exterior details include the black conical mirrors from the 1960s and the four-point DRL running lights of modern Porsche models. Trazzi redesigned the bodywork line for the rear lid.


Elsewhere, the 18-inch light alloy wheels in Turbo design are painted black, with the pinstripe in contrasting yellow. The black stone chip protection sheets in front of the rear wheels are both functional and hark back from other Speedster generations. The resulting car also had a factory look thanks to the Sonderwunsch experts taking the front spoiler, side skirts and rear quarter panels of the 911 Turbo (Type 993) as inspiration. The design of the indicators, taillights and light strip has been reinterpreted.

The interior is dominated by black leather with decorative stitching in yellow. The headrests feature an embroidered Speedster logo. The seat centers, which bear a checkered design in yellow and black, all sewed by hand, provide a visual highlight for the interior. The same pattern appears in the leather-upholstered front luggage compartment, on the car cover, and on a matching touring bag. Carbon fiber elements on the dashboard, center console, handbrake, and gear lever further individualize the interior. The seatbacks are also made of carbon fiber. For the first time in a Type 993 Porsche 911, the carbon door sill trims are illuminated – in ‘Otto Yellow’, of course – and carry an individual logo.


State-of-the-art infotainment with navigation and Apple CarPlay is on board in the form of the Porsche Classic Communication Management (PCCM). These retrofitted devices extend the digital world to vintage and contemporary cars of the brand. The start screen is also personalized.

The switches for the power windows also underline the attention to detail, with the symbols redesigned to show the typical Speedster silhouette. A gilded ‘One-off’ badge on the dashboard bears witness to the car’s uniqueness.


The engine, chassis, steering, and brake system are from the 911 Carrera RS (Type 993). At that time, the air-cooled six-cylinder boxer was the most powerful engine from Porsche, with a displacement of 3.8 liters generating around 300 horsepower.

Porsche is reinterpreting its legendary Sonderwunsch program from the late 1970s to enable individualized, one-off cars co-designed by the customer and realized professionally by Porsche. This individualization option is possible for street legal Porsche cars from any model year. Depending on the car, the work itself is carried out by either Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur or Porsche Classic experts.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Feel free to comment or share your views. Comments that are derogatory and/or spam will not be tolerated. We reserve the right to moderate and/or remove comments.