Porsche 911 GT3 gains custom Le Mans-inspired livery to celebrate victory

The first one-off, custom-built Porsche created under the brand’s new 'Sonderwunsch' (special request) programme has been delivered.

The arrival comes six months after the Stuttgart firm announced it was resurrecting the service first launched in the 1970s.

The programme, a collaboration between Porsche Classic and Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur, allows customers to customise virtually every aspect of their dream Porsche with bespoke parts – from the powertrain and suspension parts to unique paint jobs and one-off interior materials.

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Paolo Barilla, who raced his private Porsche to victory at the 1985 24 Hours of Le Mans, was the first customer to pick up their custom sports car – a 911 GT3 honouring the Group C Porsche 956B he took to overall victory at the race.

With the ex-Formula One racer turned-pasta-company chairman taking delivery on his sixtieth birthday, this custom 911 GT3 Le Mans is perhaps one of the best presents going.

The visual styling of the 911 GT3 features strong cues to the 956, finished in summer yellow paint with black and white race stripes.

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In addition, the number seven has also been painted along the side of the vehicle to pay homage to Barilla’s race number – while the alloy wheels are white at the front and gold at the rear, again to mimic the 956 that raced at Circuit de la Sarthe.

The colour theme continues inside the 911 GT3, with black Alcantara trim accented by white stitching and a number of yellow ‘Le Mans 1985’ symbols.

The manual gear shifter has also been swapped out, with a metal design imitating the magnesium ball found in the 956 in its place, created from an aluminium block sanded back for a smooth finish.

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Bulky side plates headline the modified rear spoiler in order to mimic the 956, in addition to a custom design for better aerodynamics – developed with the assistance of the engineers behind the base 911 GT3. The design of the spoiler is also engraved with ‘PB 60’ across its flanks to represent Barilla's initials and current age.

Assuming the role of project manager, Barilla made frequent visits to Porsche during the process of building his vehicle, and was granted permission to attach the gearbox to the engine using a torque-controlled screw device after being enlisted as an official production line employee.

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From design sketch to final delivery, the entire process for building the custom 911 GT3 within the 'Sonderwunsch' programme took three years, while the current 992 series was still in development.

This meant the team behind the vehicle was required to begin work on the custom GT3 using the previous 991 model, before shifting to the new generation version.