Porsche Built a One-Off 993 Speedster For a Guy Who Really Wanted One

Porsche just debuted a one-off 993 Speedster at Monterey Car Week. The automaker never officially offered a 993 Speedster, so an Italian collector commissioned Porsche to make one. It's the first one-off restoration from Porsche's Sonderwunsch department.

Porsche's Sonderwunsch program—literally "special wishes"—allows very special customers to work with the automaker on whatever they want, within reason. Italian designer Luca Trazzi wanted a 993 for his collection of Porsche Speedsters, but Porsche never officially made one, just special models for Ferry Porsche, Jerry Seinfeld, and one as part of a factory restoration. Now, there is a fourth.

Trazzi actually helped design the car in concert with the folks at Porsche Sonderwunsch. It's based on a 993 Carrera Cabriolet, and it features a unique cut-down windshield and rear decklid. Other unique details include black 18-inch Turbo twist wheels with body-colored pinstriping, retro-styled mirrors, yellow-and-black checkered-flag trim on the seats, and headlights with the four-dot running light design from modern Porsche models. The color is a unique yellow named after Trazzi's dog, Otto. 

Some of the trim pieces like front spoiler, side skirts, and rear quarter panels are inspired by those on the 993 Turbo. The sharkfin rock protector ahead of the rear wheels is a nod to the original 911 Speedster of 1989. The running gear, including engine, chassis, and brakes all come from the 993 Carrera RS, with the 3.8-liter flat-six pumping out 300 horsepower.  

Porsche is showing the car at Monterey Car Week before it heads back to Europe for Trazzi to take final delivery. During the build process, Porsche let Trazzi watch the bare bodyshell get galvanized, and it even let him apply some of the paint.

Sonderwunsch has been around for decades now, customizing production models and building special one-offs, but Porsche formalized the process used for customer commissions a few years ago. While it built a 996 "Sport Classic" one-off in 2022, which was later auctioned, this its first one-off restoration for a private customer.

For a project like this, the fee starts at $100,000, but one imagines it very quickly and sharply climbs from there. But in a world where so many want their own special Porsche, this is the ultimate thing.