Porsche Design Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary With An Exclusive 911 Targa 4 GTS
Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, the grandchild of Porsche founder Ferdinand Porsche and designer of the 911 sports car, established the Porsche Design studio 50 years ago in 1972. Its first product is the Porsche Design Chronograph 1 watch, but Porsche Design has expanded to making shirts, jackets, laptops, and other Porsche-themed electronic gadgets.
As it turns out, Porsche Design is turning 50 this 2022, and the firm is celebrating by unleashing the 911 Porsche Design 50th Anniversary Edition. Based on the current 992-generation 911 Targa 4 GTS, only 750 units will ever exist, and it expectedly comes with an array of bespoke features and details that pay homage to 50 years of iconic design statements.
Black is the only available paint color, but you can choose from... well... black or Jet Black Metallic. The car also gets gloss black brake calipers. "Black was the color of the very first Porsche Design product, the Chronograph 1," said Roland Heiler, Managing Director and Chief Designer at Porsche Design.
However, Porsche added contrasting platinum accents against the all-black backdrop. This includes those staggered 20/21-inch satin platinum wheels (derived from the 911 Turbo S), a platinum Targa bar, and the same metallic hue for the Porsche Design striping on the door bottoms. "Using Platinum as an accent color elevates the Black paintwork in the same way chrome details used to," added Heiler.
In addition, you'll find a "Porsche Design 50th Anniversary Edition" badge on the rear engine grille and commemorative "50 Years Porsche Design" logos on the seat headrests. Other bespoke interior touches include 18-way power-operated adaptive sports seats with a classic check pattern, a leather-wrapped GT sports steering wheel with a gray 12 o'clock marker, dark aluminum door sills, and a red second hand for the dashboard-mounted clock as part of the Sport Chrono Package.
Of course, the interior also gets a limited-edition number plaque on the dashboard, which includes F.A. Porsche's signature and a silver 911 badge. Since Porsche Design took inspiration from its first watch, buyers of the 911 Porsche Design 50th Anniversary Edition car can also purchase an exclusive timepiece with matching features as the original Chronograph 1 unveiled 50 years ago.
Under the rear hood is the same 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged flat-six engine as a 911 Targa 4 GTS, pumping out 473 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque, the latter arriving at just 2,300 rpm. Transferring all that power to all four wheels is a standard eight-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic gearbox, while a slick-shifting seven-speed manual transmission with a shorter gear lever remains optional.
Only 750 units of the 2022 Porsche Design 911 50th Anniversary Edition will exist, and each will carry a base price of about $197,200, including the limited-edition Chronograph 1 – 911 50 watch. The order books are now open, and the first deliveries will arrive at US dealerships this spring (in the year 2022).