A special gift for a special anniversary: for celebrate 50 years of Porsche Design, Porsche Classic restored a 911 S 2.4 Targa from 1972, the year Porsche Design was founded. Complimentary to Ferdinand-Alexander Porsche, the unique vehicle features the same colors as the legendary Chronograph I watch he designed in 1972; the black color dominates both the exterior and interior of the restored vehicle.
Ferdinand Alexander (1935–2012) was the eldest son of Ferry Porsche. He spent two semesters at the Ulm School of Design before leaving to work on bodywork at Porsche, in the department that created the Porsche 901 in the late 50s. The vehicle was presented in 1963 and became the design icon known as the 911. In 1972, Ferdinand Alexander and his brother Hans-Peter founded the Porsche Design Studio, an independent product design studio. Over the past 50 years, the studio has evolved into the exclusive lifestyle brand Porsche Design and now showcases Professor FA Porsche's legacy and philosophy across a variety of product categories.
“Our vision was to build a historical counterpart to the new special model 911 Porsche Design 50th Anniversary Edition“, explains Ulrike Lutz, director of Porsche Classic. “The new Sonderwunsch program has given us the opportunity to implement this idea for a unique vehicle combination. The year of manufacture was the only specific requirement for the donor vehicle on this occasion. The designers and members of the factory restoration team were tasked with carefully transferring the specifications from the new car to the classic.” The restoration of the 911 S 2.4 Targa required close cooperation between Porsche Design and Porsche Classic. Much of the design input came from Roland Heiler of the FA Porsche Studio in Zell am See.
Porsche 50th Anniversary: the new 911 S 2.4 Targa Unique 1972
Classic side stripes with platinum satin finish and script Porsche Design integrated decorate the sides. As a special highlight, the Targa roll cage has the same Platinum satin finish, offering a new interpretation of the classic model's brushed stainless steel. The Targa lettering is finished in matt black. Like the special edition model, the grille on the bonnet at the rear features a "Porsche Design 50th Anniversary” with a reproduction of Ferdinand Alexander's signature. The interior is also dominated by the color black, just as the professor would have liked: in the 70s, he contributed to the black color trend in his role as head of the first design department of Porsche. For example, starting in 1973 the 911 trim strips gradually changed from chrome to matt black. This move is thought to have been prompted by FA Porsche before 1972, when he was still director of design. The Porsche Design Chronograph I watch that he designed and presented in the same year was the first watch with a black case and black dial, which was innovative for watch design at the time. The interior of the exclusive facelift vehicle features a check pattern that contrasts with the black leather upholstery and creates a link to the modern special edition model. The checkered Sport-Tex fabric features the classic combination of Black and Cool Gray and is found throughout the interior on elements such as the door trims, seat center sections and lower dashboard.
Porsche Design Chronograph 1: a new "timepiece" at auction at Sotheby's
Complementing the factory restoration project is a presentation box containing detailed vehicle documentation, a key case (originally owned by FA Porsche) and a model of the restored vehicle.
Also, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Porsche Design also offers a unique timepiece, the Chronograph 1 – 911 S 2.4 Targa, based on the legendary Porsche Design Chronograph I, which also dates back to the founding year of Porsche Design. This unique piece was specially developed for theauction at Sotheby's's based on the Chronograph 1 – 1972 Limited Edition. What makes it so unique is the design of the winding rotor on the case back, which matches the historic Fuchsfelge wheel of the 911 Porsche 2.4 S 1972 Targa.
Estimate: $275,000 – $375,000 USD | €260,000 – €355,000 EUR
It was developed through elaborate design and testing by engineers at the brand's watch manufacturing plant in Solothurn, Switzerland, and translates the movement of the wearer's wrist into energy to drive the mechanical chronograph caliber in an optimized way for rotation. The watch also bears a reference to the 911 Targa in its name. As a special collector's item, it not only pays homage to the past, but celebrates the present and guides the brand into the future.
