There’s been a lot of discourse around spec in the collector car world lately. From uncommon colors to one-of-one options, rarity is the ultimate form of one-upmanship. So what happens when you combine rarity with a beloved children’s franchise? Porsche’s Sonderwunsch customization division and Pixar Studios have teamed up to build three 911s themed after Toy Story characters and they’re actually kind of neat.
This might seem like a strange collaboration, but Porsche-Pixar relations actually go way back. Some 20 years ago, the studio released Cars, a love letter to Route 66 starring sentient automobiles. In the film, town attorney and love interest Sally Carrera was a light metallic blue 996.2 Porsche 911, although that wasn’t always the plan. As MSN Autos reported:
Indeed, they had first wanted an old-model Porsche, but Bob Carlson, Porsche’s manager of automotive media, recalls shifting Pixar’s attention to the then-current generation 911 sports car.
After Porsche’s initial nudge, Pixar stretched and shrunk bits of the 996.2 to produce perfect cartoon proportions, and the result was an instant hit. Not only was a real-life model of the character built, Porsche would team up with Pixar in 2022 to build a one-off 911 inspired by Sally Carrera. Think a modern interpretation of the iconic twist wheels, the correct shade of blue paint, and several special details. Auctioned off for charity, it sold for an eye-watering $3.6 million. So why not build some more special Porsches now that Toy Story 5 is here?
The big star here is the Buzz Lightyear 911 GT3 RS with the Weissach Package, not just because it’s the craziest Porsche out of the trio, but because it’s an excellent translation of character design to a car. The white-and-green primary elements, the caution line accents, the dashes of purple and red, it all just works so well on this wild track-focused model. An outrageous livery for an equally outrageous car. The illuminated door sills say “To Infinity And Beyond,” the Space Rangers logo appears throughout, but perhaps the most interesting modification has to do with the tires.
From the factory, one of the tires approved for the GT3 RS is the Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport R. You can probably tell where this is going. Not only do the tires feature the Space Rangers logo, they also come with raised “Lightyear” white lettering, with the Goodyear logo only subtly appearing beneath the shoulders of the tires. That’s seriously cool.
Buzz Lightyear is obviously a GT3 RS, but what Porsche would Jessie be? We finally have an answer, and it’s a 911 Targa 4 GTS. With 523 horsepower from a turbocharged, hybridized flat-six, all-wheel-drive, and a power-stowing roof section, this 911 variant can handle a lot. Perfect for a cowgirl. This one gets a brand new shade of metallic white accented by 944 Cobalt Blue lower trim, Atacama Yellow accent panels and GTS Red pinstriping. Mind you, the most interesting thing on the exterior might just be the wheels. They aren’t part of the normal 911 options list and I’m not entirely sure how to feel about them.
In contrast, I do know how I feel about the interior of this special Targa. Those cow-patterned floor mats rule, and the contrast of candy cane leather with dark blue accents and denim-look inserts is pretty rad. Also, those “Yee Haw!” sill plates are sweet. Perfect for an outlaw build.
While the Woody-themed 911 Carrera T might seem tame at first glance, you only need to look past the bronze trim, two-tone wheels, and red graphics to see something truly crazy. Your eyes aren’t deceiving you, that’s blue and white layered over Dark Sea Blue to create denim-look paint. Porsche doesn’t say how long it took to apply this finish, but it seems incredibly time-consuming. Proper show car stuff, that.
As you’d expect, cow-print floor mats and an interpretation of Woody’s signature shirt pattern feature here, but Porsche’s also used a type of vintage leather it’s never put in a 911 before. With a rich tan and beautiful texture, it’s simply fantastic, and I do hope it makes it onto the official options list at some point in the future.
It’s worth noting that this trio of Sonderwunsch “Toy Story” 911s isn’t simply going to sit in Porsche’s museum. They’re actually being sold, with proceeds raised going to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the American Red Cross, and Starlight Children’s Foundation. Fingers crossed that the new owners take these 911s out for events and such, because joy like this is best when it’s shared.
Top graphic image: Porsche
These actually don’t suck,surprisingly enough. Sign me up for the Buzz Lightyear one. I wonder how much of a bitch it will be to get the correct replacement Lightyear tires though.
RIP David Hockney.
I really like the Woody edition! I went to S-Car-Go once and there were tons of pieces of Pixar memorabilia everywhere so I think the relationship with Porsche predates Sally.
grumble grumble googles “911 sally special” ho hum grumble
I really like these! The Buzz Lightyear one at first looked a bit heavy handed but it is a GT3 RS so that tracks. The Woody and Jessie ones are genuinely cool! I’d take the Jessie one in a heartbeat!
I still want a ’24 Sport Classic.
Excellent. Now make a Rex!
There is one, Porsche 911 RSR-19 #56 “Rexy” 😉
Not to mention “Lightyear” tires being Lightning McQueen’s brand of choice, which was a sly Toy Story reference the Pixar guys snuck in. That’s now become a sly Cars reference the Porsche guys snuck in.
Since Porsches have had the same look for decades and various combinations of tacked on crap only goes so far and almost nobody cares to know the particulars of the shuffled combination of parts that makes for an endless string of “special” editions, unusual paint schemes are the only way to make them stand out. Not around me, though—here, they’re about 80% white or silver. Macans are the ones I see the most with actual colors.
I thought it was part of the core mission of The Autopian to never mention Cars without also mentioning that the eyes are in the wrong place.
That being said, Sally Carrera has the fried eggs so that might not work as well.
Something Porsche should have thought about before designing a car with its eyes melted all over its face.
Just don’t race them unless you brief whoever is calling it not to accidentally say “And he’s coming up behind Jessie with the Woody.”
Always nice to see things being done for a good cause.
Seems like this could have been a great opportunity for Infiniti.
They went to Infiniti and then beyond! (To Porsche)
Sign me up for the Woody Porsche!