Porsche today revealed its latest ode to motorsport history with a special one-off commissioned by Porsche Latin America and Porsche Mexico. The model celebrates the automaker’s entry into the Carrera Panamericana, a 1952 356 S Cabriolet.
‟A good part of Porsche’s successful history in motorsports began in the Carrera Panamericana, which for many experts was the most demanding asphalt rally in the world in the 1950s,” said Camilo San Martin, Director of Porsche Mexico. “We think it is very appropriate to recall the great feats of the brand in the Panamericana with a unique model, the 911 Carrera Panamericana Special.”
Based on a 2022 Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet, the car was finished in Gentian blue metallic to match its ancestor. As a nod to the wheels that the 1952 car competed with, this 911’s 20- and 21-inch wheels have also been finished in Gentian blue metallic with a grey center.
Read: The Panamericana Is One Of Porsche’s Most Daring Concepts Ever
[embedded content]
The brake calipers have also been painted black (instead of the traditional red), and roundels bearing the number 11 added to the sides of the car. The grille over the rear of the car has also been painted white and its third brake light darkened, to make it look more like an 11.
The exterior detail that really makes this car special, according to Grant Larson, the head of special projects at Porsche, is the Graffiti gray soft top.
“Graffiti gray is not available for the roof of the 911, so we had to use the canvas of the 718 Spyder (type 982), which makes this custom model from the Sonderwunsch special order division the only 911 in the world with that roof color,” said Larson.
Inside, the seats are finished in Crayon gray leather and the Carrera Panamericana helmet has been embroidered in Graphite Blue on the headrests. On the right of the dashboard, meanwhile, an inscription reading “911 Carrera S – La Carrera Panamericana 1952” has been placed.
That same inscription can be found on the door sills, while the license plate design of the Carrera Panamericana is projected onto the ground with the puddle lamps. The race’s name, “La Carrera Panamericana,” meanwhile, is laser engraved in the blue key case.
The car has been revealed ahead of the 35th running of the “modern” Carrera Panamericana. In 1952, meanwhile, the 356 S Cabriolet was driven by Prince Paul Alfons von Metternich and Baron Manuel Antônio de Teffé, who ended up earning victory in their class.
The 911 Carrera Panamericana Special will eventually be auctioned off in 2023, with part of the money raised by the sale going to charitable foundations.
