One-off Porsche Classic Club Coupe goes up for grabs June 10

Arguably one of the brightest stars in Broad Arrow’s Porsche 75th Anniversary Auction, a single-marque sale to be held during the celebration of the brand’s 75th anniversary at the Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 10, is a one-off car that was specially built in Germany. It was inspired by the 2010 Porsche 911 Sport Classic, as well as the current 911 Sport Classic, and designed by Style Porsche Director of Special Projects, Grant Larson, in conjunction with the Porsche Club of America.

Porsche calls it the Classic Club Coupe—a product of the Sonderwunsch (special request) program dating to the late 1970s, through which Porsche Classic and Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur make it possible to design individualized, one-off cars, co-created by the client and Porsche. Experts from a wide range of fields, depending on the project, handle the client’s request and have expertise in current and classic vehicles. This 911 Classic Club Coupe marks the first commission within the Sonderwunsch program that’s based on what Porsche considers a classic vehicle: the 996-generation 911.

During a meeting between members of the Porsche Club of America (PCA) and Porsche Classic, a conversation arose around what a collaboration would have looked like if Sonderwunsch and PCA had worked together in previous decades. Thoughts quickly turned to the 2010 911 Sport Classic, Porsche’s first Exclusive Manufaktur series production model.

That inspiration led to a question: What would a prequel to the 2010 911 Sport Classic look like? Larson—designer of the Carrera GT Case Study, the 2012 911 Sport Classic, and the 2023 911 Sport Classic while serving as Director of Special Projects at Style Porsche—involved himself from the very beginning. Larson sketched out his vision of a proto-Sport Classic from Style Porsche in Stuttgart. A combination of design elements from the first-generation 911 GT3 and 911 Sport Classic, Larson’s Classic Club Coupe design included a 996.1-generation GT3 front bumper and rocker panels, a double-bubble roof, a hand-built ducktail, and forged wheels from Fuchs.

Concurrently, in Maryland, PCA Executive Director Vu Nguyen searched for the right donor vehicle. Ultimately, a 1999 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe was located in Virginia. Shortly thereafter, the 911 Coupe was flown back to Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen to begin the transformation from just a classic 911 to a 911 Classic Club Coupe.

Upon arrival, the Carrera was stripped of its component parts and treated to a chemical bath, removing all layers of paint. The unibody, placed on a frame-straightening bench, was measured and reshaped to return it to production specification. Porsche constructed a test mule to evaluate and tweak the aerodynamics of Larson’s design at the Weissach development center wind tunnel.

Armed with this knowledge, the production and assembly process by Porsche Classic could begin, with much of the bodyshell reworked and reinforced to suit the new components, many of which were sourced from GT3 models. In fact, the 911 Classic Club Coupe employs the complete powertrain, brakes, and suspension components from the first GT3 model sold in the U.S. Both the 381-horsepower M96.79 engine and G96.96 six-speed manual transmission were built from completely new parts at Porsche. Additionally, Porsche produced a GT3-based suspension set-up for the 911 Classic Club Coupe following testing at Nardò and Idiada in Spain.

The refinished exterior combines Sport Grey Metallic paint with dual stripes in Sport Grey Light running across the hood, double bubble roof, and ducktail spoiler bordered by PCA Club Blau pinstripes, and side stripes with the 911 Classic Club Coupe logo incorporating the G-Model 911 Turbo shark fin gravel guard. Finally, both front fenders received Porsche Classic Series badging reserved by Porsche for only their most exclusive vehicles.

The interior retains the blend of retro and modern with door panels and sport seat centers in a newly interpreted and unique Pepita pattern, woven from black and gray leather. The dash features a custom Porsche Classic Communication Management Plus system with the start screen displaying its 911 Classic Club Coupe designation. Accessories include a tailor-made car cover with bag, vehicle key painted in Sport Grey Metallic with a leather pouch, and the tool bag, first-aid kit bag, and touring bag made of matching interior Pepita pattern braided leather.

Revealed in 2022 at PCA’s Werks Reunion gathering on Amelia Island, this 911 Classic Club Coupe toured the country that year, visiting PCA events such as the Porsche Parade in the Poconos, Porsche Sports Car Together Fest at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Werks Reunion Monterey, and ünStock.

In early 2023, the 911 Classic Club Coupe returned to Amelia Island, closing the circle of its North American tour, featured at Broad Arrow Group’s inaugural The Amelia Auction. The Classic Club Coupe has less than 300 miles on the odometer.

Bidders should note that the 911 Classic Club Coupe, which is being offered at no reserve, is only available for purchase by PCA Members. Membership requires a simple application, which Broad Arrow team members will facilitate, or you can find the website here.

Disclosure: Hagerty announced its acquisition of Broad Arrow Group in August 2022.

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