Paolo Barilla, a 60-year-old entrepreneur and former F1 driver, is the first customer to complete a customized project with Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur nel program Porsche special request. Barilla’s dream car is there Porsche 911 GT3, which externally imitates the sports prototype of the Porsche 956, with which Paolo (together with his teammates Louis Krages and Klaus Ludwig) won the 1985 24 Hours of Le Mans.
In the Eighties I had the opportunity to drive the wonderful Porsche 956, an iconic car for performance and beauty “, says Paolo Barilla- “The interpretation of some elements in a modern GT3 makes that memory exciting and vital, for me and for the people who are close to me”.
The Porsche 911 GT3 adapted to Paolo Barilla’s memories
Paolo, now vice president of the Italian food company of the same name, followed all the phases of design and construction of the machine. The process took a total of three years, from the first design draft to the verification of technical feasibility and construction. Development began on the basis of the previous GT3 car, as the type 992 was still in series development. Grant Larson, Director of Special Projects for Style Porsche, faced a tough challenge: the paint of the 956 sports prototype, with its large flat panels, had to be transferred to the rounded shape of the 911 GT3. Interestingly, for added aesthetics, Larson would have liked to have placed the number 7 on the door in the center of the white stripe, but Paolo insisted that the number be moved to the border between white and yellow, just like on the Porsche 956 driven at Le Mans. .
The yellow color, Summer Yellow, was specifically chosen to match the prototype. And the white front wheels are reminiscent of the aerodynamic hoods on the front axle of the 1985 Le Mans winning car. Paolo described the visual intersection of the current 911 GT3 special edition with the “spectacular” “Le Mans” model. Barilla also took part in the assembly of its car: he screwed the gearbox to the engine with his own hand.
Inside the car the dominant color is black as one would expect in a racing car. The door entry guards and the decorative yellow trim on the passenger side dashboard integrate a specially designed logo with the customer in mind. It combines the type code 956, the “Le Mans 1985” logo and the stylized silhouette of the racing car. This logo and the 1985 circuit are embroidered in the headrests. The gear lever is reminiscent of the magnesium sphere of the 956 racing car and is an elaborate bespoke product: the top has been milled from an aluminum block and the surface has been sanded.
“The unique customer experience is at the heart of the Porsche brand”, according to Alexander Fabig, Vice President Individualisation and Classic of Porsche AG. “That is why the significantly expanded Sonderwunsch program is another milestone in terms of customer enthusiasm around the world. And this automotive project is the flagship of Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur personalization ”.