The fascinating world of human stimuli and emotions is still difficult for science to explain. At Porsche Ibérica we have made a 911 so special that every stimulus it triggers can lead to a world full of new sensations.
For more than 75 years, Porsche sports cars have evoked the most intense, diverse and difficult-to-explain emotions in people around the world. From those who know exactly what makes a real sports car to those for whom a car is just a means of transportation, everyone has felt the Porsche feeling to a greater or lesser extent. Both for those who own a Porsche and for those who simply admire it, for all of them there has always been a moment, a moment, even just a fleeting glance, when a Porsche aroused one or more emotions in them.
The color, the sound of the engine, the feel of the interior and even the smell of the materials in a Porsche can stimulate our senses and evoke sensations that are sometimes difficult to forget.
For certain people, stimulating one sense can cause unexpected reactions in others. This is synesthesia, a fascinating neurological oddity that, when stimulated in one sense, can produce an entire sensory experience in completely different senses. Listening to music can cause us to associate it with a color or a word, it can cause us to perceive a taste or smell.
Synesthesia is not a disease and the origin of the word comes from the Greek “syn,” meaning “together,” and “aisthesis,” meaning “perception.” It is the strange ability of some people to “perceive” the sensory experience of one sense through the stimulation of another sense. At Porsche we know very well how almost all of them are activated and how these impulses connect, intertwine and become a compendium of emotions that are difficult to explain behind the wheel of one of our sports cars.
One color, many emotions
At Porsche Ibérica we just turned 40 years old and we bring these emotions to Porsche fans in Spain and Portugal, making dreams come true and creating new experiences. Such a special anniversary required something very special, a unique Porsche that represents the entire history, these experiences and the character of the Iberian Peninsula. Of course it had to be one nueveonce And from that moment on, a whole creative process began in collaboration with the specialists of Porsche AG’s special request program. Those responsible have ensured that a Porsche becomes something so special that it is different from that of another customer and at the same time perfectly reflects their personality.
Once at the headquarters in Zuffenhausen, the task was to create this unique Porsche, a 911 as a Spanish or Portuguese customer would have configured it in 1984 and which will still be the center of all admiring glances today. The first thing to choose is the color, a difficult task. If we had asked the general public what color could represent Spain and Portugal, one of the answers would certainly have been red, the tone associated with passion and that we share in our flags; or yellow, for the sun that gives us life. But the joint work of the specialists from Porsche Ibérica and those from Germany gave the entire process a different and unexpected perspective.
And the surprising choice was green. But not just any green, but a special, unique green, created exclusively for the limited edition of the 911 Cuarenta Edition, developed as part of the Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur’s “Paint to Sample Plus” program and allowing the creation of unique colors entirely according to the customer’s wishes. The Quercus green of the 911 Cuarenta Edition is inspired by the oak leaves that stretch across the fields of Spain and Portugal and are populated by the genus Quercus, whose main species are holm oaks, oaks and cork oaks. A choice that is as surprising as it is elegant and at the same time successful.
A shade of green that evokes nature, freedom and elegance, also reminiscent of the classic Irish Green and British Racing Green used in Porsches of the 60s and 70s, but with warmer and vegetal nuances. No other Porsche will wear this color inspired by the fields of the Iberian Peninsula, only the forty 911 Cuarenta Edition, which will also carry the silhouette of an oak tree as the protagonist of the logo that identifies each of these 911s.
Homage to the craft and the country
The exterior of the more “Iberian” 911 had already been defined, now it was time to design an interior that perfectly reflected this spirit. Leather has to be the star of this interior, as it already is on most Porsches, but it had to be done in a different way. The art of saddlery has been perfected, especially in Spain, since the Middle Ages and has its origins in the production of the leather elements necessary for the cavalry, the saddles. There is no better inspiration for the interior of the 911 Cuarenta Edition than the craftsmanship that made it possible to assemble and control horses.
Two shades of brown, the most natural leather color, in truffle and Cohiba tones, masterfully combined throughout the interior and hand-stitched with cross stitch on the door panels and dashboard. A completely handmade saddlery work that gives a touch of traditional elegance and highlights the quality of workmanship.
A source of stimulation for sight, smell and touch, as the cross stitching creates a relief that feels almost irresistible in contrast to the softness of the leather. The central part of the seats is a combination of all the colors found in the nature of the Iberian Peninsula, green and earth, configured in an elegant tartan fabric.
Exclusive and innovative
This special edition stands out not only for its looks, but also for its T-Hybrid engine, the first generation of the 911 to be equipped with hybrid mechanics without sacrificing the performance and driving experience of a six-cylinder boxer with 541 hp and an eight-speed PDK gearbox. The essence of the 911 has been adapted to the new times, so that thanks to the ECO label, the enjoyment of the Cuarenta Edition is even more pleasant and without restrictions on any route, even urban routes.
If when you looked at the 911 Cuarenta Edition you felt the strange sensation that your senses were altered, your emotions were on the surface and you couldn’t control the accumulation of stimuli it generated, don’t worry, this is Porsche synesthesia. The only treatment is to go to a Porsche center and there you will certainly find the remedy to channel this change in your emotions.