One-off 992 GT3 Re-envisions Iconic 1985 956 Le Mans Winner in Style
Best birthday gift ever? 1985 Le Mans Champion Paolo Barilla teams up with Porsche to create the ultimate homage to his winning race car.
It’s safe to say that if you win an iconic event for Porsche Motorsport such as Le Mans, you will be in the company’s good graces for a very long time. One such individual with this unique privilege is Paolo Barilla, ex-Formula 1 driver and 1985 Le Mans winner.
Barilla decided he wanted to celebrate his 60th birthday with one of the best gifts anyone could ever receive: a brand new 992 911 GT3. However, no standard 911 or even GT3 would cut it, this present would have to be extra special.
Thus, a lengthy process to make this dream reality began. Barilla teamed up with Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur, Porsche’s department for rare, low-production iterations of 911s. The racing driver would be the first customer to experience the new revival of their “Sonderwunsch” or Special Requests program with this project.
Their goal was to create a unique 992 GT3 inspired by the timeless design and livery of his Le Mans-winning 956B race car. The Team Joest Newman Jeans 956 is certainly a stunning canvas for design as it looks just as beautiful as it did nearly 40 years ago.
Iconic designs never age and take time to create
From start to finish, the journey to create this one-off 911 took a total of three years. The first project of the new Sonderwunsch program was ambitious, perhaps too extreme for the first go. However, Philipp Setter, Head of Sonderwunsch Customer Consultation, stated,
“Once we decided to take on the challenge, we pushed the boundaries and were able to achieve a lot. With his clear vision and grasp of tight schedules and decision-making, Paolo Barilla was the right client and project manager for this ambitious project.”
According to Porsche Vice President Individualisation and Classic Alexander Fabig, creating a “unique customer experience is at the heart of the Porsche brand.” Thus, this 956 re-imaging was the perfect fit for their plans.
Displayed in the beautiful combination of Summer Yellow, white, and black, found on the original livery, Barilla provided his input every step of the way. He states, “the interpretation of some elements in a modern GT3 makes that memory exciting and vital – for me and for people who are close to me.”
Some of these design details on display are the multi-color wheels, white in the front and gold in the back. The original 956 Barilla raced used white aeroblades and the iconic gold basketweave BBS wheels in the rear.
The end plates on the rear wing also were redesigned to mimic the shape of the 956’s rear wing. These unique end plates were thoroughly tested and crafted to retain all possible aerodynamic balance and performance.
The most unique and exclusive 911 customer experience ever?
The details also extended to the interior, commemorating the iconic Le Mans win with one-off badges, logos, and trim pieces. Our favorite aspect is the custom shift knob, created to resemble the magnesium shifter in the 956.
Without a doubt, this latest iteration of Porsche’s Sonderwunsch is the most immersive and ambitious customer-facing program ever. Grant Larson, designer of the first Boxster and now the Director of Special Projects at Style Porsche had this to say,
The Sonderwunsch projects are in another dimension: The personal exchange with the client is extremely satisfying and helps us to better understand our customers’ wishes in our daily work.
Barilla even visited the Porsche factory on three occasions to assist in providing direction for his dream car. He received his own works ID and even had the chance to mate the gearbox to the engine.
Setter states that “authentic experiences like these are ultimately what makes Porsche Porsche.” Sounds like a dream doesn’t it? We hope one day we get the chance to participate in the new Sonderwunsch, the ultimate goal for any Porschephile.
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