Porsche Sonderwunsch: A place where dreams come true, according to Porsche

What is Sonderwunsch?

"Sonderwunsch" is a program that allows individual Porsche owners to customize their Porsches in various ways, and the word Sonderwunsch means "Special request."

In other words, to put it simply, it's like a custom order. Sonderwunsch is a way to create your own custom Porsche.

This program was originally offered in the late 1970s as the "Sonderwunsch programme," and has been publicly revived since around 2021.

This time, a detailed explanation about this Sonderwunsch was published, so I took a look at it. I dream of the day when I can do a Sonderwunsch on my own Porsche.

The following was said by Alexander Fabig, Vice President of Individualization and Classic at Porsche:

• Sonderwunsch works with both the Porsche Classic restoration and renovation business and the Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur, which is responsible for the personalization of new cars.
• The difference is that Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur is a "catalog" and Sonderwunsch is "haute couture."

• For example, in the US, the 911 base model comes in 14 standard colors and 122 colors.PTS color" is available as an option (as of December 2024), but if you use Sonderwunsch, you can also paint it in your own original color.
  • It takes 6-9 months to ensure the paint meets all Porsche production and durability standards
  • The selected color will be exclusive to the customer for one year, after which it will be added to the Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur's sample paint palette and made available to them.

• Many customers have 10 to 20 years of experience using Manufaktur's personalization services before making a Sonderwunsch.
• Porsche calls the Sonderwunsch "a product beyond the scope of rational decision-making" and says they are no longer in the car business but a "business of love."

• Sonderwunsch's one-off projects begin with a conversation
• A contract will then be signed to allow the Sonderwunsch team to work on the concept phase of the project.
• Once you pay between $105,000 and $370,000 (approximately ¥16.58 million to ¥58.4 million), you will be issued your first Porsche employee pass.

• During this phase, which usually takes a year, decisions are made on the exact specifications of the car, whether it can be built to customer specifications, and whether it can be driven on public roads.
• Next comes the actual construction of the car, which the Sonderwunsch team calls the "Realization phase," which usually takes one to two years.
• In this phase, a full-scale payment will be made... It is said to be a seven-digit amount, meaning over 1 million dollars (approximately 157 million yen)?!

• During this process, every customer is given a dedicated contact point with Sonderwunsch consultants in Zuffenhausen.
• You will also have the opportunity to speak with all members of the project team, including:
  • Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur
  • Porsche Classic Specialists
  • Style Porsche Design Division
  • Porsche Engineering Team
• Consultations and status meetings, whether in person or digital, allow all involved parties to answer questions from styling to technical issues.

• For example, if a customer wants a new roof or headlight system, the Sonderwunsch team arranges a consultation with the relevant engineers at Porsche's Weissach R&D center.
  • They are instructed to avoid ideas that don't meet Porsche's safety and durability standards.
  • All custom body designs must be personally approved by Porsche's design chief, Michael Mauer.

I had imagined that Sonderwunsch would be quite expensive, but seven figures! The business of love is expensive... (laughs)

Unless you have the financial, time and mental space to do so, it may be difficult to visit a Sonderwunsch.

Even if I won the New Year's Jumbo lottery, I probably wouldn't have the courage to raise my hand until I'd won it not once, but twice... No, just relying on the New Year's Jumbo lottery means I'm already the furthest thing from a Sonderwunsch (laughs).

By the way, the Sonderwunsch team also seems to be able to install champagne coolers like this one (the car is a Panamera) ↓

Not only was the cooling unit, which allows you to chill your favorite vintage sparkling wine, specially designed and manufactured to fit into the tight space in the back seat, but Porsche designers even created custom Porsche champagne flutes that fit inside the cooling unit.

Another project that the Sonderwunsch team has worked on is the creation of the 993 Porsche 911 Speedster, which I wrote about a while ago.

→ Reference article:993 Porsche 911 Speedster built under the Sonderwunsch program

Or, if you want your new Porsche to look like a race car driven by an old hero, you could build a 911 GT3 RS in the same livery as the 917 that legendary Swiss driver Jo Siffert raced in 1969.

As of now, there are 26 people waiting to get their Carrera GT ready for the Sonderbund, and a 918 Spyder is also ready for the Sonderbund.

What's more, the Sonderbunsch team is currently actively working on a customer request: "To create a Panamera convertible."

In the near future, we may hear news that the Panamera Convertible is complete. Of course, it's made for just one person, so it won't be mass-produced.

Sonderbunsch. It may be a dream come true, but if this program didn't exist, people's dreams of building their own custom Porsche wouldn't come true, so I think it's wonderful that the Sonderbunsch program has been revived in modern times and that Porsche can officially accommodate individual requests.

Source:Sonderwunsch Is Porsche-Speak for "Where Dreams Come True"

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