Like Sally Carrera, the 911 Sally Special is one of a kind. There will only be one 911 Sally Special – and it’s the first time that Pixar has supported such a project. The one-off car will be auctioned by RM Sotheby's on Saturday, 20 August 2022 as part of Monterey Car Week in California. Auction proceeds will be donated to two charities. A portion of the proceeds will benefit young women through a donation to Girls Inc. The second portion will go to USA for UNHCR, an organisation that supports refugees from Ukraine.
“Vehicles need a face and a story. And the animated Pixar's film 'Cars' has impressively transferred done just that: brought cars to life on the big screen,” says 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 project began in November 2021 and united members of the original Cars team that brought both the film character and life-size Sally Carrera to life more than 20 years ago. The team included Jay Ward, Creative Director of Franchise at Pixar Animation Studios, and Bob Pauley, the Production Designer who first drew Sally Carrera for the Cars film. They were assisted by members of the Sonderwunsch team at Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur in Stuttgart and designers from Style Porsche in Weissach. The team worked together for ten months – the result is a unique factory one-off.
“We had great fun creating 911 Sally Special and it's the first time we've worked on a project of this kind," says Jay Ward, Creative Director of Franchise of Pixar Animation Studios. “We decided early on that we wanted to create a completely drivable 911 – inspired by Sally Carrera, but just not an exact copy. Sally Carrera loves to drive – that was our inspiration. We asked ourselves: if Sally were built today as a road-approved model, what would she look like?"
“911 Sally Special is based on the fastest and most agile variant of the 911 Carrera model line, the 911 Carrera GTS. The car is equipped with a manual gearbox, tapping into Sally Carrera's passion for driving,” explains Boris Apenbrink, Director Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur vehicles. “The customisation elements are detailed and extensive. 911 Sally Special was one of the most intense, emotional and detailed Sonderwunsch projects our team has worked on. One example is that the car is painted in Sallybluemetallic, a custom paint that was hand-applied specifically for this project. We also thought of Sally's tattoo, of course. Implementing that was a very special challenge." Sally Carrera's Turbo-look rims were reinterpreted by Porsche designers in Weissach and manufactured especially for the 911 Sally Special. The ‘five-arm design’ rim was adapted to the 20-/21-inch wheel dimensions of the current 911 generation and creates a visual link to the 911 Type 996 on which Sally Carrera is based.
Porsche interior designer Daniela Milošević led the team that worked with Pixar to design the new blue colour as well as the vehicle's interior. “We were given complete freedom, which was great! In the film, Sally Carrera was a lawyer from California who valued style and elegance. At the same time, she was down-to-earth and fun-loving,” says Milošević. “The special Sallybluemetallic is used in the interior as well, where it creates both obvious highlights and subtle details that will hopefully bring a smile to the future owner's face. At the same time, it was important to us not to forget everyday usability and practicality. 911 Sally Special is meant to be driven often and gladly. We developed a special Pepita houndstooth fabric upholstery in three colours, combined with chalk-coloured leather and stitching in Speed Blue. Working out these details makes the project special and brings back a lot of memories of the movie and Sally Carrera."
In addition to the car itself, the auction also includes other highlights – most notably a unique chronograph by Porsche Design, also created in collaboration with Pixar. Like the car itself, the coloured ring is painted in Sallybluemetallic. The chalk-coloured leather strap with Speed Blue stitching underscores the sporty design of the unique timepiece. The strap can be quickly and easily swapped out for a second strap in Speed Blue with chalk-coloured stitching, without the need for any tools. Like the vehicle, the chronograph has a limited edition marking on the back of the case.
The one-of-a-kind piece is powered by a COSC-certified Porsche Design WERK 01.100 movement. The 911 Sally Special Chronograph was precision engineered and manufactured at Porsche's own watchmaking facility in Solothurn, Switzerland. The auction will also feature a special indoor car cover from Porsche Tequipment, a wheel rack with an additional wheel set consisting of Carrera Exclusive Design wheels, a book on the development and production of the one-off model and original drawings by designers Shuichi Yamashita and Bob Pauley.
Information about Girls Inc. and USA for UNHCR
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 & 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 United Nations Refugee Agency supports more than 6.2 million refugees who have been forced to flee their homes due to the 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. U.S. citizens are eligible to participate. 911 Sally Special will be available for viewing during auction week in Monterey. For more information, visit rmsothebys.com.
About the Porsche Sonderwunsch programme
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.
