Porsche and Pixar Animation Studios have revealed a special Porsche inspired by one of the most beloved 911 models of all – Sally Carrera, from Disney and Pixar’s Cars. Named the “911 Sally Special,” the car is like Sally Carrera herself, unique. Only one 911 Sally Special will ever be made – and its creation marks the first time Pixar has collaborated on such a project.
“Vehicles need a face and a story. And Pixar’s film Cars did just that, by bringing them to life on the big screen,” said Dr. Sebastian Rudolph, Vice President Communications, Sustainability and Politics at Porsche AG. “The story conveys values such as friendship, love and mutual support – and in the middle of it all is a Porsche: ‘Sally Carrera.’ Together with Pixar we have brought the spirit of Sally to life in a new way, not on the screen, but off the screen. With this one-off street legal 911, the Sally Special, which we are auctioning for charity, we want to help people who urgently need support, quite in keeping with the spirit of the film character.”
The 911 Sally Special will be auctioned by RM Sotheby’s on Saturday, August 20 during Monterey Car Week.
“My own daughters grew up watching Sally, and so it’s a special moment to be working so closely with Pixar on a project that has meaning and will directly help a new generation of children to both realize their potential and, in the case of the UNHCR, find safety and start new lives,” said Kjell Gruner, President and CEO of Porsche Cars North America, Inc.
The project, which began in November 2021, reunited members of the original Cars team who created both the movie car and the life-size Sally Carrera based on a 2002 Porsche 911 Carrera two decades ago. That team included Jay Ward, Creative Director of Franchise at Pixar Animation Studios, and Bob Pauley, who, as Production Designer for Cars, sketched Sally for the first time 20 years ago. They were joined by key members of Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur’s Sonderwunsch team in Stuttgart, designers from Style Porsche in Weissach and Porsche Cars North America. Over a span of 10 months, the team worked together to create just one unique car.
“The 911 Sally Special has been so much fun to create and is truly a first for us and for Porsche,” said Jay Ward, Creative Director of Franchise of Pixar Animation Studios. “We decided early on that we wanted to make a drivable 911, inspired by, but not a direct copy of Sally Carrera. After all, she loved to drive – and this helped guide us. If Sally Carrera was built today in life-size, for the road, what would she look like?”
“The Sally Special is based on the fastest, most engaging and agile 911 Carrera there is – the 473 hp 911 Carrera GTS – equipped with a manual gearbox to appeal to those who love driving, just like Sally Carrera. The changes to transform it into the Sally Special proved to be extensive,” explained Boris Apenbrink, Director Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur Vehicles. “This was one of the most intense, emotional and detailed Sonderwunsch projects our team has ever worked on. For example, the car is finished in a new and unique color – ‘Sally Blue Metallic’ – developed specifically for the 911 Sally Special. Taking our inspiration from Sally Carrera, we finished as much of the car as possible in the new color, meaning dozens of tiny changes, many of which were carried out by hand, such were their intricacy. Of course, we didn’t forget about Sally’s pinstripe tattoo, which was an interesting challenge.”
The “Turbo” inspired wheels fitted to Sally Carrera have been redesigned by Style Porsche designers in Weissach and created specifically for the 911 Sally Special. The five-spoke design has been subtly modified to match the 20/21-inch diameter of current-generation 911 wheels, but remain true to the Type 996 Porsche.
Porsche designer Daniela Milošević led the team working with Pixar to develop not only the unique paint color but also almost every surface inside the car. All of which was either re-trimmed or changed in some way. “We had a completely blank canvas to work from, which was great! In the movie, Sally was a former-lawyer from California who appreciated style and elegance. But she was also down to earth and had a sense of fun,” said Milošević. “We continued the Sally Blue Metallic theme inside the car, with the obvious highlights and much more subtle elements too –many little touches that will hopefully make the winning bidder smile. Everything had to be usable and practical – we really want this car to be driven. We created special cloth trim for this car and wove subtle blue highlights into it. Then we matched this with Chalk leather and Speed Blue and Chalk stitching. The best part has definitely been working on the details – including many little nods to the movie Cars, and to Sally Carrera herself.”
The 911 Sally Special will be auctioned by RM Sotheby’s at its Monterey Sale on Saturday, August 20. Many special, and in most cases handmade, items amassed during the creation of the car will be presented in the car and included in the sale. It starts with a timepiece of which only one will be made, created by Porsche Design in collaboration with Pixar. As a suitable contrast to the natural titanium of the watch and a perfect match for the vehicle, the colored ring on the dial is painted in Sally Blue Metallic. The Chalk-colored leather strap with decorative stitching in Speed Blue underlines the sporty design of the Cars-inspired one-of-a-kind item. This strap can be exchanged quickly and without tools for an additional, second leather strap in Speed Blue with decorative stitching in Chalk if desired. A closer look at the chronograph reveals limited-edition numbering 001/001 to match the vehicle on the case back – mirroring the attention to detail exhibited on the car itself. The chronograph is powered by the COSC-certified Porsche Design chronograph caliber WERK 01.100, which was developed at Porsche Design Timepieces AG, Porsche Design’s own watch Manufaktur in Solothurn, and designed and manufactured with Swiss craftsmanship.
In addition, the winning bidder will receive a second set of wheels in the “Carrera Exclusive Design” – mounted on a custom made rack – intended for track use, should the owner wish to fully exploit the performance of the car. Supporting this is an array of smaller items created during the development of the 911 Sally Special. These include a bespoke indoor car cover made by Porsche Tequipment, the original color molds used to finalize the paint for the car, the show plates for the car, a very special book charting the design and development of the car with images of its construction and a selection of original sketches by Porsche designer Suichi Yamashita and Pixar’s Cars Production Designer Bob Pauley. As with many elements of the project, only one book will be made.
Information about Girls Inc. and USA for UNHCR
Two charities will be the beneficiaries of the sale of the 911 Sally Special, with the entirety of the sale price being donated. Girls Inc. inspires all girls to be strong, smart and bold through direct service and advocacy. Operating from 76 sites across the United States and in Canada, Girls Inc. equips girls with the knowledge and skills to effect positive changes in their lives and become leaders who will change the world. “We are grateful to Porsche and to Pixar for their commitment to this project, which will directly benefit our work,” said Stephanie J. Hull, Ph.D., Girls Inc. President and CEO. “The character of Sally, and what she represents, is a great role model for young girls and it is fitting that she should be helping a new generation achieve their dreams.”
The project will also support USA for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, which is working to provide urgent help to nearly 6.2 million refugees who have been displaced across Europe since the outbreak of war in Ukraine. “The majority of those forced to flee Ukraine are women and children, among them unaccompanied children and those separated from their parents,” said Anne-Marie Grey, Executive Director and CEO of USA for UNHCR. “But there is reason to hope with the critical support of companies like Porsche and Pixar who have generously stepped up to help ensure their safety and protection in months to come.”
Auction information
911 Sally Special will be auctioned by RM Sotheby's on Saturday, 20 August during Monterey Car Week in California.The 911 Sally Special can be seen at Monterey Car Week in the lead up to the auction.
Bidding for the car is open to U.S. residents, with more information to be found at https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/mo22/monterey/lots/r0133-2022-porsche-911-sally-special/1270549.
About the Porsche Sonderwunsch program
Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur and Porsche Classic enhance and restore unique sports cars with a combination of skilled craftsmanship and attention to detail. As part of its Co-Creation strategy, the sports car manufacturer is now offering a new interpretation of its legendary Sonderwunsch programme from the late 70s, which will make it possible to design individualised, one-off cars in future – co-created by the customer and professionally produced by Porsche. The expansion of this offering is divided into different areas: Factory Commissioning, for individual customer colour and material requests directly in production, and subsequent Factory Re-Commissioning and Factory One-Off services, for after a vehicle has been delivered to the customer. Whereas Factory Re-Commissioning is all about individual colours and materials, the Factory One-Off service is a systematic new technical development. Depending on the vehicle’s age, the technical experts of Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur or Porsche Classic take care of implementation.
The Porsche Podcast
In the latest episode of The Porsche Podcast, host Sebastian Rudolph welcomes Pixar creative consultants Bob Pauley and Jay Ward. They talk about the story behind the cooperation, and where Bob and Jay get the inspiration for their characters. Listen to the new podcast episode here or on all the usual podcast platforms.
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