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We Learned Stuttgart's "Magic Word" Inside Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur

Buying a new Porsche is enough for many customers, but some want to make it theirs with bespoke elements. Up to a point, these can be configured straight from the dealer when placing an order, but some want even more than that. It may be a specific shade of paint that is not in the standard portfolio or a certain color for the leather inside. It can be done, and it is the work of Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur, a dedicated department within the company, which we got to visit.
Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur 193 photos
Photo: Radu Chindris/Porsche
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It all started many decades ago, back in 1962, when a German industrialist wanted to get a Porsche 356 B with a rear window wiper. The company realized that other customers might want extra things for their cars as well, so the department was opened with employees from the repair team.

The department became something separate in the late 1970s, and it got the Exclusive moniker back in 1986. The current designation, Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur, came even later, with many fulfilled orders in between. Today, the division is still a part of the company's original headquarters in Zuffenhausen and it conducts its business by appointment only in a building from the 1940s.

Occasionally, we report about various one-offs made by the division. These include, but are not limited to, customized 911s, bespoke 718s, and even customized Cayennes or Taycans. Every Porsche model can be ordered in a bespoke configuration with Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur, but keep in mind that it will take a bit longer to get it if you choose this route.

Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur
Photo: Radu Chindris / Porsche
Porsche has since integrated the Exclusive Manufaktur department within its production line, and the latter has been adapted to enable bespoke paint finishing in between production models, without slowing the line in any way. Thanks to improvements made in 2022, Porsche can now make more Exclusive Manufaktur vehicles than ever before, but even they have limits. When we heard that, we just had to inquire.

What are the limits with Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur?

First, the company cannot make a continuation series of a model that is no longer being manufactured. All customizations happen on current production models. If you want to customize an already existing Porsche vehicle, it can be done through this department. They can make it just like new for you, complete with factory-spec upholstery and paint, if that is what you desire.

Second, if a limited-edition model of any kind has concluded its production run, there is no going back. This is a particularly important distinction, as not all the limitations are made by Porsche per se – other restrictions are also present. For example, the 911 Sport Classic uses a particular kind of quarter panel, which limits its production.

The company's representatives have explained that the special mold that is used to stamp that quarter panel from a sheet of metal can only make 1500 units, which is why the company decided to only offer 1,250 units. The remaining 250 units? Well, the firm has reserved those for the replacement parts department; in the unfortunate event of a crash, the owner will be able to source a replacement quarter panel.

Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur
Photo: Radu Chindris / Porsche
Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur representatives declined to mention the cost of making a new stamping mold just to make a few extra cars. They did explain that it is costly and that the company would have loved to make more units, but the cost of the new stamping mold just for that model could not be offset by selling more special models of that kind. That is the reason for so few units of the 911 Sport Classic, which we got to experience for a few moments.

A third restriction from Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur refers to the number of seats that the ordered vehicle will have. Due to homologation reasons, if the variation of the 911 that they are using as a base, for example, has just two seats, or if it has four seats, it cannot have more seats no matter what – as it would require another type-approval, which is a multi-million-euro process that would have to be done again.

Therefore, if you start from a version of the 911 that would have to be customized in a particular way and it has fewer seats than you want, it is not economically viable to do. The cost of doing something like this is too great just for a car.

Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur
Photo: Radu Chindris / Porsche
Removing seats is easier, but forget about ever getting them back in once you are done registering the car – you have been warned, it may be a bureaucratic nightmare. You can, however, start from a different version of the 911 that has the right number of seats and see if that can be made to suit your preference.

While Porsche offered various power kits for its cars through its Exclusive Manufaktur department over the years, things will have to be in line with the latest emissions regulations, so be sure to not ask for an oil-cooled car in 2023, as it might not be economically feasible to make it compliant. The same applies to fitting a V8 in a 911.

How long does it take to make a Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur car?

The correct answer depends on the car. Representatives of the division explained to us that it takes up to seven years to develop a limited-series model. If you are thinking of a special edition car, it takes about one year to develop it. A limited series of vehicles, such as the 911 Sport Classic, will require almost four years of development.

For example, the Sally Carrera project from the U.S., which involved customizing an already existing vehicle, took six months of work, but it resulted in a factory one-off. Customers can also get a factory re-commission, which just makes everything on the car new and usually takes about as much time.

Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur
Photo: Radu Chindris / Porsche
With custom projects, it is difficult to estimate a final cost or a precise delivery day, but customers understand these situations, as most of them are not at their first bespoke vehicle anyway.

The division can take on between two and three entirely bespoke projects a year, which may take up to three years to complete. The first phase of such a project will cost around EUR 100,000, and that is just for the design and development phase, while the latter takes two years and has an unspecified cost. Since the result is a one-off, it is worth the wait.

This is the division's most exciting part, IMHO, as the customer gets a factory ID, alongside a set of overalls, and they can enter the factory when their car is made. Other factory visits are also arranged to enable discussions with specialists in charge of certain processes, if necessary.

The described process, as well as the program itself, is called Sonderwunsch, and it is German for "special wish." It is completely bespoke, and the answer from the division should not be "no" when the customer requests something.

Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur
Photo: Sebastian Toma / autoevolution.com
As I explained above, there are some limitations even with this division. There are already over 800 options in the exclusive configuration tool that is available to dealers, but the Sonderwunsch program will handle things that are not present there. It is the only department where the customer will have someone to work against anyone else in the company to make their wish come true.
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About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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