Porsche Vision Gran Turismo Art Car by Vexx
Artist Vexx, known for his bold colouring and eye-catching cartoon style, has painted the Porsche Vision Gran Turismo concept car – the first Porsche designed exclusively for the digital world – in his signature style. On the Porsche stage at Gamescom 2022 – the world’s leading trade fair for digital gaming culture – Vexx hand-painted every stroke on the only real-life 1:1 scale model of the Vision GT. It took him five intense days of work while fans watched during the event. Vexx’s Vision GT also became a virtual reality when it was made drivable as an unlockable car in Gran Turismo 7: “It was a unique opportunity to create a completely new design for Porsche,” says Vexx. “The look echoes both the identity of the brand and the game themes.” And the project didn’t end there. Vexx’s design for the Vision GT is being released in a limited edition of 750 model cars and 40 exclusive car bonnets as part of the Porsche collection.
Taycan Art Car by Sean Wotherspoon
Sean Wotherspoon’s multi-coloured Taycan Cross Turismo lies at the intersection of sneaker design and electric sports car. The American designer and artist developed the customised electric car together with Porsche to bring his unique vision to life. Sean unveiled the Colour Block exterior at the 2022 South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, and then answered questions from viewers about the interior in a Porsche Instagram Live broadcast. The special relationship between Sean and Porsche was strengthened throughout the process by visits to the Porsche Design Studio in Weissach, where he had the opportunity to oversee the build. The decision for the names of his Paint To Sample Plus colours had special meaning as he named them after his family members: Nash Blue, Sean Peach, Loretta Purple and Ashley Green. This scheme continues in the leather-free interior, where the colour tones are combined with some of the innovative materials Sean uses in his streetwear designs. The dashboard and steering wheel are made from cork, while the headlining, seat centre panels and sun visors are finished in Atacama Beige. Sean’s use of cork is a nod to Porsche’s long history – the material was used for the seat centre panels of the legendary Porsche 356 back in 1952.
968 L’ART by L’Art de L’Automobile
This extraordinary, redesigned car – the brainchild of L’Art de L’Automobile founder Arthur Kar – epitomises the link between vehicles and fashion, bringing a retro look into the modern era. It was presented at Paris Fashion Week 2021 together with a matching capsule collection. To mark the 30th anniversary of the 968, the worlds of fashion, art and motoring came together. The 968 L’ART shines in breathtaking pearl green, which appears in three other colours depending on the viewing angle. TAG Heuer has developed a matching chronograph. In addition, the roof was removed and RECARO seats were installed, which feature graphic leather in the centre console in the exterior colour. A customised audio system from BOSE was also installed and the headlights were finished in chrome. These are just a few examples of how Arthur took inspiration from the classic cars he and his team love to transform them into a modern statement.
Taycan Art Car by Richard Phillips
This is the kind of artwork that makes paint drying a truly enjoyable pastime. Renowned American artist Richard Phillips has channelled his vision into this artistic second skin for the all-electric Taycan. The artwork was brought to life in Zurich and presented live at the Leuehof pop-up restaurant on Zurich’s Bahnhofstrasse in December 2020. To create the final masterpiece, Phillips applied his 2010 painting Queen of the Night to the body of a Porsche Taycan 4S, where the lush work spreads its leafy and floral arrangement from the front bonnet to the rear. Inspired by the beauty of the natural surroundings combined with the curved silhouette of the vehicle, Phillips has succeeded in giving this electric star a brush with nature. It was auctioned earlier this year, with all proceeds donated to the non-profit organisation Suisseculture Sociale, which supports artists who have been severely affected by the pandemic.
Taycan Art Car by Dale Chihuly
Another electrifying work of art will also come to life in 2021. The horticultural oasis of Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay is not only home to a diverse collection of over 1.5 million plants, but has also become the temporary home for this Taycan adorned with flowers. With Porsche as the official partner of the Glass in Bloom exhibition by American glass artist Dale Chihuly, the public was introduced to the idea of sports cars beyond the stereotypical need for speed. The car was wrapped in an unmissable livery from Chihuly’s Persian series – consisting of ultra-bright flowers in a diverse colour palette – more than matching its leafy surroundings. Against the futuristic backdrop of the SG50 Lattice – an award-winning pavilion that showcases what highly innovative and sustainable architecture of the future could look like – the car sat on a plinth, harmoniously reflecting the forward-thinking DNA of the sustainable Porsche Taycan amidst an organic green oasis.
911 Carrera by Nelson Makamo
The famous South African artist Nelson Makamo always knew that he would one day own a Porsche, but what he didn’t expect was the way it came about. Since childhood, he had dreamed of what it would feel like to hold the keys to such a vehicle in his hand. A chance encounter with a modern example while travelling in the Western Cape revived his Porsche dream. This strengthened his resolve to own a 911 Carrera in the colour Jet Black Metallic. Makamo ordered his very first Porsche to paint his most unusual canvas yet. He hand-painted a number of elements on his Porsche Art Car, from the rear bumper to the seat mouldings, door panels and side mirror covers. If you look closely, you will find three letters on the left door panel insert – “Mma”, which means “mother” in his native language Sepedi. For Makamo, the art car in its entirety is a reflection of his success, the important people he has met along the way and his hope that his work will inspire the imagination of children across the African continent.
Janis Joplin’s 356 SC by Dave Richards
Rock legend Janis Joplin may have sung: “My friends all drive Porsches”, but she owned a whole series of them herself. She bought this car in 1968 in dolphin grey (one of only nine colours available at the time) and used it as an everyday car that fans would soon recognise as one of her closest companions. To describe the 1964 356 SC as colourfully painted is an understatement. Janis paid her roadie Dave Richards 500 dollars to depict the history of the universe in almost every possible colour on the car. It was a story that included images of her band Big Brother and the Holding Company, Californian landscapes, the eye of God, ibex, skulls, mushrooms and much more. The result is a vehicle that cries out to be seen. It became so synonymous with its owner that fans left notes to her under the windscreen wipers. When it was stolen in 1969, the thief tried to cover up his crime by spray-painting over the mural and was caught by the police. Fortunately, Richards managed to remove the paint without damaging the artwork. Tragically, Joplin died in 1970 at the age of 27, just two years after buying the car. Her beloved Porsche eventually ended up in the hands of her siblings, and her brother Michael restored it to its original dolphin grey condition as it had deteriorated. In the 1990s, the family decided to restore it to its psychedelic splendour and commissioned artists Jana Mitchell and Amber Owen to reproduce the earlier mural. After decades of being on display in museums, it was finally auctioned off to support charities in the sister’s name. The price? An astonishing 1.76 million dollars – breaking all records for the sale of a Porsche 356 at public auction. For that you get one of the most original – in more ways than one – Porsche art cars.
Crystal-eroded 911 by Daniel Arsham
Contemporary visual artist Daniel Arsham is known for breathing life into inanimate objects and playing with deconstructed futurism. He has been sketching images of Porsche cars since childhood. With the creation of this unique crystal-eroded 911 (992) in 2019, he linked his own story with that of the Porsche brand. The dystopian look was achieved by embedding crystals into the body of the car, creating a vehicle that wouldn’t look out of place being stumbled upon in a post-apocalyptic world. The drivable specimen was exhibited at Selfridges in London in 2019 before going on tour across Asia. As contemporary objects are subject to transience, says Arsham, this unique piece evokes a sense of decay juxtaposed with decadence.
911 RSR Le Mans by Richard Phillips
This Porsche 911 RSR is more than just a work of art. It also became the first Porsche art car to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans when it won the GTE Am class in 2019. Its existence is the result of a close friendship between artist Richard Phillips and Porsche works driver Jörg Bergmeister, for whom Richard had designed a helmet back in 2013. This proved to be the springboard for the design of this Porsche art car six years later, when the artist used some of his existing work to project an intricate 2D paint job onto the car. Thanks to the oversized details and bold, high-contrast colours, you didn’t have to look up into the stands to see the entire design – spectators could follow it from afar (and so could the car, thanks to the two ‘eyes’ painted on the flank). This 911 RSR is destined for both the art and history books.
1970 911 S by Ornamental Conifer
Cars, clothes, even crockery – British-born, California-based artist Nico Sclater (aka Ornamental Conifer) has created wonderful freehand typographies for them all. And of all the ones he has painted on, the Porsche cars are among the most remarkable. Ornamental Conifer’s artworks are recognisable by his trademark combination of pop art-style lettering, infused with humour and combined with clever puns and turns of phrase (what he himself calls “Coniferisms”). A trio of Porsche vehicles have been adorned with his style so far: a 1977 911 converted into a 1974 Carrera 3.0 RS, a 935 exhibited at the SEMA Auto Show in Las Vegas, and this, the very first Ornamental Conifer Porsche Art Car. The message of this 911 S, designed for a customer in Texas, is bold and free. Stay far out forever”.
911 Fat Car NFT by Erwin Wurm
Austrian sculptor and painter Erwin Wurm is known for his larger-than-life artworks – his collection of Fat Sculptures has spanned two decades and includes the themes of houses and cars. To mark the 20th anniversary of his iconic Fat Car in 2021, Wurm’s idiosyncrasy once again came to the fore to literally breathe life into his first NFT, entitled ‘Breathe in, breathe out’. The video shows his interpretation of what it would look like if a 911 breathed in and out. He is already known for his eccentric depictions of everyday life and takes a sideways glance at consumer society with his typical wink. The distorted style shown here is an example of Wurm’s inimitable style.
911 Carrera type 996 by Biggibilla
This 911 Carrera (996) was painstakingly hand-painted by Australian artist Graham J. Rennie (aka Biggibilla) in the showroom of the Porsche Centre Melbourne in 1998. It was created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first car to bear the Porsche name – the aluminium prototype known as “No 1” – and is decorated with Australian animals such as the platypus. When it comes to art cars, this list proves that you can’t have too much of a good thing. It offers more than enough space for all artists and designers who want to reinvent the norm and even subvert the unusual. Here’s to the past, present and future of Porsche art cars that inspire and fuel the world of art and motoring.
Taycan Art Car by SUMO!
To mark the opening of the new Porsche Centre Roost in Luxembourg, contemporary artist SUMO! (Christian Pearson) – known for his work on the fuselage of two national aeroplanes – was given an artistic challenge of a different kind. He was allowed to decorate the electric Porsche Taycan with his own style. The design, which revolves around the theme of the “future”, was painted directly onto the body of the vehicle, making it the first of its kind. To complete the work, the car was first completely dismantled, sanded down and then transported to an undisclosed location where SUMO! was able to realise his art car.
964 Art Car by Hanna
The artist and industrial designer Hanna Schönwald lives and breathes the classic Porsche. For her, the 964 epitomises the transition of the 911 model series from classic to modern sports car in terms of technology and design. Inspired by the natural reflections in the paintwork, she set about transferring her own style to the bodywork. For Hanna, everything starts with a sketch, as this leaves room for the imagination to support the development of her artwork. The first sketches of the art car were done on fibreglass sculptures so that she could highlight the shape of the car with hand-painted lines and experiment with the light hitting the car from different angles. After these model studies, it was time to paint the real car, and the result is as amazing as the story of the 964 itself.
