In less than a week the Monterey Car Week will start, and they have just announced a very exciting update. RM Sotheby’s will be auctioning a one-off Porsche 911. The one-off was created in close collaboration with Pixar and was inspired by Sally Special from the Cars franchise. Proceeds of the auction will benefit young girls through Girls Inc. and USA for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.
Inspired by one of the beloved characters from the Cars franchise from Pixar, the one-off is named “911 Sally Special” and it is also the first time that Pixar has collaborated with Porsche for such a project.
Porsche AG Vice President Communications, Sustainability, and Politics Dr. Sebastian Rudolph shared, “Vehicles need a face and a story. And Pixar’s film Cars did just that, by bringing them to life on the big screen. The story conveys values such as friendship, love and mutual support – and in the middle of it all is a Porsche: Sally Carrera. Together with Pixar we have brought the spirit of Sally to life in a new way, not on the screen, but off the screen. With this one-off street legal 911, the Sally Special, which we are auctioning for charity, we want to help people who urgently need support, quite in keeping with the spirit of the film character.”
On August 20, Saturday, the 911 Sally Special will be auctioned off during Monterey Car Week by RM Sotheby’s.
President and CEO of Porsche Cars North America, Inc. Kjell Gruner added, “My own daughters grew up watching Sally, and so it’s a special moment to be working so closely with Pixar on a project that has meaning and will directly help a new generation of children to both realize their potential and, in the case of the UNHCR, find safety and start new lives.”
In November 2021, they started the project which brought together members of the original Cars team who created both Sally Carrera in the Cars movie, and the life-size Sally Carrera that was based on the film. The team included the Creative Director of Franchise at Pixar Animation Studios Jay Ward. Bob Pauley, who was the one who sketched Sally 20 years ago as a Production Designer for Cars, is also part of the team. Key members of Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur’s Sonderwunsch team in Stuttgart as well as designers from Style Porsche in Weissach and Porsche Cars North America also joined the team. In roughly 10 months, the team worked together to create this unique car.
“The 911 Sally Special has been so much fun to create and is truly a first for us and for Porsche. We decided early on that we wanted to make a drivable 911, inspired by, but not a direct copy of Sally Carrera. After all, she loved to drive – and this helped guide us. If Sally Carrera was built today in life-size, for the road, what would she look like?” said Jay Ward, Creative Director of Franchise of Pixar Animation Studios.
Director Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur Vehicles Boris Apenbrink explained, “The Sally Special is based on the fastest, most engaging and agile 911 Carrera there is – the 473 hp 911 Carrera GTS – equipped with a manual gearbox to appeal to those who love driving, just like Sally Carrera. The changes to transform it into the Sally Special proved to be extensive. This was one of the most intense, emotional and detailed Sonderwunsch projects our team has ever worked on. For example, the car is finished in a new and unique color – ‘Sally Blue Metallic’ – developed specifically for the 911 Sally Special. Taking our inspiration from Sally Carrera, we finished as much of the car as possible in the new color, meaning dozens of tiny changes, many of which were carried out by hand, such were their intricacy. Of course, we didn’t forget about Sally’s pinstripe tattoo, which was an interesting challenge.”
Style Porsche designers in Weissach redesigned the “Turbo” inspired wheels that were on Sally Carrera and created a new set specifically for the 911 Sally Special. Subtle modifications were done on the five-spoke design so it’ll match the 20/21-inch diameter of current-generation 911 wheels while still a true Type 996 Porsche.
Leading the team was Porsche designer Daniela Milošević who worked closely with Pixar to create the unique paint color they used on the 911 Sally Special. They also redesigned practically every surface inside the car which were all re-trimmed or modified in some way.
Milošević stated, “We had a completely blank canvas to work from, which was great! In the movie, Sally was a former-lawyer from California who appreciated style and elegance. But she was also down to earth and had a sense of fun. We continued the Sally Blue Metallic theme inside the car, with the obvious highlights and much more subtle elements too –many little touches that will hopefully make the winning bidder smile. Everything had to be usable and practical – we really want this car to be driven. We created special cloth trim for this car and wove subtle blue highlights into it. Then we matched this with Chalk leather and Speed Blue and Chalk stitching. The best part has definitely been working on the details – including many little nods to the movie Cars, and to Sally Carrera herself.”
The sale of the 911 Sally Special will be for the benefit of two charities with the entire sale price being donated to the two charities. Girls Inc. is the first organization. Through direct service and advocacy, they aim to inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold. They have 76 sites all over the United States and Canada where girls are equipped with knowledge and skills to have a more positive effect on their lives to help them become leaders who will change the world.
“We are grateful to Porsche and to Pixar for their commitment to this project, which will directly benefit our work. The character of Sally, and what she represents, is a great role model for young girls and it is fitting that she should be helping a new generation achieve their dreams,” said Stephanie J. Hull, Ph.D., Girls Inc. President and CEO.
Another beneficiary is the USA for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency which works to give urgent help to almost 6.2 million refugees who have been displaced across Europe since the start of the war in Ukraine. “The majority of those forced to flee Ukraine are women and children, among them unaccompanied children and those separated from their parents. But there is reason to hope with the critical support of companies like Porsche and Pixar who have generously stepped up to help ensure their safety and protection in months to come,” said Anne-Marie Grey, Executive Director and CEO of USA for UNHCR.
On August 20, Saturday, RM Sotheby’s will be auctioning the 911 Sally Special at its Monterey Sale. Included in the sale are numerous special and mostly handmade items that were collected during the creation of the car. One of these items include a timepiece which will also be a one-off created by Porsche Design in collaboration with Pixar.
A perfect match to the car and the natural titanium of the watch is the colored ring on the dial which will be given a Sally Blue Metallic color. The leather strap is Chalk-colored with decorative stitching in Speed Blue which highlights the sporty design of the one-of-a-kind Cars-inspired item. The strap is interchangeable with a second leather strap in Speed Blue with Chalk decorative stitching. A limited-edition number of 001/001 can be seen on the chronograph matching the vehicle on the case back – showcasing the attention to detail on the car itself. Designed and manufactured with Swiss craftsmanship, Porsche Design Timepieces AG developed the COSC-certified Porsche Design chronograph caliber WERK 01.100 which powers the chronograph.
A second set of wheels in the “Carrera Exclusive Design” will also be part of the sale. The wheels are mounted on a custom-made rack and are intended for track use in case the owner wants to fully see the capability of the car.
Other smaller items will also come with the sale like the bespoke indoor car cover created by Porsche Tequipment, show plates for the car, and the original color molds used to finalize the paint of the Sally Special. There is also the very special book detailing the design and development of the car, with a selection of original sketches by Porsche designer Suichi Yamashita and Pixar’s Cars Production Designer Bob Pauley, along with images of its construction. Like the other parts of the project, there will only one print of the book.
U.S. residents can bid for the car. To know more, please visit the RM Sotheby’s website.
The 911 Sally Special will be displayed at Monterey Car Week leading up to the auction.
