993 TURBO
The long hard arc, a subtle-yet-constant curve to the outer reaches. A horizontal slash of red, a deep, lipstick shade clashing against glimmering silver paintwork. Stare a tad longer, and a line of uppercase script murmurs out of the rear panel to spell the name of our favourite sports car manufacturer. Your gaze continues past the strip of lights to yawning, complex curves shrugging away from the monocoque to form the rear wheel arches. Broad-shouldered and close to the ground. There can be no doubt — you're staring at a wide-body 993.
Raise your gaze and you'll spy a vertical slab stretching from one side of the engine to the other before it plots a concave swoop toward a giant rear wing. This isn't any old 911, that's for sure. This is a Turbo. With 408bhp, 398lb-ft torque, four-wheel drive and total production less than six thousand units, the fact this is an incredibly desirable modern classic should go without saying.
Drink the details a little deeper and doubt begins to spread. Didn't Turbos leave the factory with a single-plane rear wing? Yes, most of them did. Shouldn't those exhaust tips be a pair of single squished ovals? Correct. Welcome to Porsche Exclusive and the sublime 993 Turbo S. Well, almost.
Porsche Exclusive operates from Weissach and creates low-volume runs of enhanced Porsche production cars. Over the years, the brand has delivered a colourful catalogue of showstoppers, including the 993 Speedster, 964 Turbo Cabriolet, 930 LE and 964 Turbo S Flachbau. As you might imagine, these air-cooled curiosities represent the rarest of the rare. Making Porsches truly unique, however, the division's Sonderwunsch (Special Wishes) department is responsible for one-offs built to exacting customer specification, thereby making a Porsche your Porsche.
Porsche Exclusive can trace its roots back to the origins of Porsche as a manufacturer. “In the beginning, I looked around and could not find quite the car I dreamed of, which is why I decided to build it myself,” said Ferry Porsche, following development of the 356. His desire to design and configure sports cars to meet individual needs runs through the heart of Porsche Exclusive — dreams were already coming true for Zuffenhausen's customers as early as the 1950s, as demonstrated by production of a 356 with a body covered in faux fur. Yes, really.
