- Styling inspired by Sally Carrera from the Pixar movie Cars
- Money raised will be donated to Ukrainian refugees…
- … and a charity supporting the wellbeing of young girls
Back in 2021, Porsche and Pixar Animation Studios forged a new partnership that would see the pair produce a real-life 911 inspired by Sally Carrera from the movie Cars (which is arguably one of the most important car films of all time). This is the finished product next to a life-sized replica of the animated star car.
The Porsche 911 Sally Special, which is based on the latest 992 model, has now been sold at auction during the 2022 Monterey Car Week, where it fetched an astonishing $3.6 million – equivalent to around £3m – with all proceeds going to charity.
The funds raised by the sale of the car will be divided between the UN Refugee Agency to help the people of Ukraine and Girls Inc. – a charity focused on empowering young women across the USA and Canada, providing education and mentoring to improve their standard of living.
Go on then, tell me more about this real-life Sally Special
The Sally Carrera in the film is a 996-generation Porsche 911, but the real-life Sally Special is based on the current 911 Carrera GTS. That means it’s powered by a 3.0-litre flat-six petrol engine which produces 473bhp and 420lb/ft of torque – enough for a 0–62mph time of around three seconds. It’s also fitted with a manual gearbox, which the designers say reflects “Sally Carrera’s passion for driving.”
To make the Sally Special match Sally Carrera, Porsche painted the car in an exclusive shade of metallic blue called – wait for it – Sallybluemetallic. Say it how you see it, Porsche. Because it’s a unique colour, the paint needed to be applied by hand and, during the process, the company painted most of the 911’s exterior trims to try to smooth over the car’s vents and make it look more like the 996-generation car.
Porsche also designed a unique set of alloy wheels, styled to mimic the 996-generation car’s five-spoke Turbo Twist wheels. The Sally Special even features a “tattoo” decal on the underside of its rear wing, just like the one Sally has in the film. To finish off the car’s exterior, Porsche fixed a remanufactured version of the 996’s Carrera badge to its engine cover.
Porsche’s modifications are equally extensive on the inside. The seats are trimmed in a blend of houndstooth fabric and cream leather, while the interior trims are finished in the same metallic blue paint as the bodywork. There are even some special badges – the Pixar Cars logo is set into the door cards and there’s a drawing of Sally on a plaque for the passenger side dash.
Pixar’s Director of Franchise, Jay Ward, explained the thinking behind the project. ‘We wanted to help, somehow, and as a team we realised we could perhaps harness what we were working on to raise money. The whole project began with the premise that Sally’s character was devoted to helping others – and it seems right that this should continue 20 years on.’
Kjell Gruner, President and CEO of Porsche North America, echoed his comments, saying: ‘My own daughters grew up watching Sally, and it’s wonderful that we can mark a special anniversary with something meaningful that will help others.’
