Porsche NZ marks 50 years with special car

Porsche New Zealand is celebrating its 50th anniversary in Aotearoa this year with a commemorative model from the marque’s Sonderwunsch department in Germany.

The company says only five units of the 911 GT3 50 Years Porsche New Zealand have been built, “one for every decade”, and pricing starts from $584,000.

It is based on the 911 GT3 with Touring Package from the latest 992.2 generation and comes in Yachting Blue Metallic, a reference to New Zealand’s sailing heritage and the colour of the first Porsche imported into the country. 

Another feature is the etched signature on the passenger-side dashboard inlay of the late Sir Colin Giltrap, whose passion for Porsche laid the foundation for the marque here. 

Further bespoke Sonderwunsch elements include woven blue Pepita cloth seat inserts and “50 Years Porsche New Zealand” anniversary embossing on the headrests and throughout the cabin.

Greg Clarke, Porsche NZ general manager, says: “Fifty years is a long time in any market, and it means even more in one as small and as far from Stuttgart as ours. 

“We wanted to mark this milestone with something that could only have come from here: a car built for our roads and signed by the man who started it all.”

The marque’s golden jubilee in New Zealand will be celebrated publicly in Auckland on September 20 when Porsche owners are set to gather at the Sir Colin Giltrap Raceway, near Auckland Airport, before driving in convoy to the Viaduct Events Centre, where their cars will be displayed as part of the celebration.

The programme will include the public unveiling of the anniversary 911 GT3 Touring and a Porsche 917 “Kurzheck”, specially flown to New Zealand from the Porsche Museum in Zuffenhausen, Stuttgart, for the occasion.

Porsche notes the anniversary model is limited to five examples worldwide, all allocated to the New Zealand market, and prospective customers are invited to register their interest through their preferred Porsche Centre.

Deliveries are expected to commence after the anniversary celebrations in September.