The aim of the project is to set an example when it comes to support for art and culture in Switzerland. It also honors the tradition of craftsmanship in the making of car bodies. “We are delighted to present this extraordinary vehicle,” says Sascha Leardi, Managing Director of Porsche Center Zurich. “Alfredo Häberli’s art opens up many new lines of sight to design, performance, tradition, and art, and also of course to Porsche. It crystallizes lightness and perfection.”
Häberli painted the 356 SC together with his assistant Dominic Plüer. Roughly one kilogram of paint in three light shades was applied to around 80 percent of the car body’s surface. “I selected neutral colors in order to bring out this iconic Porsche’s language of form,” explains the artist. “The color and structure of the brushstrokes highlight the 356’s lines in a classical, timeless, and poetic manner, but in a different way to an automotive paint job – in fact, like a sculpture.”
The result of this paintwork – a combination of art, craftsmanship, and sports car design – is entitled Das Gewicht der Leichtigkeit (The Weight of Lightness). Häberli pursues two main topics in his philosophy of design, namely precision and poetry. He has always been fascinated by the concept of lightness. “Eliciting much with few means, achieving great functionality with little material – I was actually in search of an elusive sense of perfection.”
Following its unveiling in Schlieren, the 356 Artcar from Porsche Center Zurich will go on tour and be shown at various locations and events in Switzerland. The car will then be sold in cooperation with the Koller auction house. The proceeds will be donated to Kinderkrebshilfe Schweiz, a Swiss association that assists children with cancer.
Alfredo Häberli
Alfredo Häberli was born in Buenos Aires in Argentina in 1964. He moved to Switzerland in 1977 and earned a degree in industrial design at the Höhere Schule für Gestaltung in Zurich. Today he is an internationally established designer with his own studio in the Seefeld quarter of Zurich. Häberli is known for streamlined and inventive contemporary work that avoids trends and radiates solid and enduring quality.
Porsche 356 SC
Introduced in 1964, the 95 PS Porsche 356 SC was intended to be the final vehicle in its series. The last C-series Porsche 356 was delivered in May 1966. In 1977, the Porsche 911 was presented in an SC (Super Carrera) version. This car, too, was expected to be the final 911, but the series was then continued with the 911 Carrera 3.2.
