Porsche Australia has added another chapter to its 75th anniversary celebrations by unveiling the automotive equivalent of a love letter to our sunburnt country.
Built as a one-off commemorative piece, it’s been dubbed the Porsche 911 Turbo S Land Down Under – quite a mouthful. And its truly unique, Aussie-inspired appearance is quite the eyeful, too.
The latter can be attributed not only to Porsche’s local arm, but also the German automaker’s Sonderwunsch (special request) customisation team, the in-house Style Porsche design division, and globally renowned contemporary artist Werner Bronkhorst.
Together, they have produced a uniquely Australian Porsche “inspired by the country’s expansive landscapes, dramatic contrasts, and the distinct character of the southern sky.”
“This unique 911 Turbo S demonstrates the power of combining Porsche craftsmanship with bold artistic vision,” said Porsche Cars Australia CEO and managing director Daniel Schmollinger.
“From the Chromaflair gradient to the bespoke interior storytelling, every detail reflects an appreciation for Australia’s remarkable natural beauty.”
While just about every inch of the Land Down Under has been customised to reflect an element of Australian nature or culture, it’s the car’s elaborate exterior paintwork that stands out most.
Two new Chromaflair finishes – Terra Australis Red and Southern Cross Blue – were developed specifically for the Land Down Under, with the bodywork painted by hand over 300 hours to create a detailed gradient effect reminiscent of an outback sunset.
Depending on the angle and lighting, the colour-shifting paint shimmers between desert orange, dusk-sky blue, eucalyptus green and sunrise gold.
Porsche has extended the treatment to the Turbo Exclusive wheels, finishing them in the same Southern Cross Blue used across the upper sections of the body.
Not content to express the Land Down Under’s purpose through colour alone, Mr Bronkhorst is responsible for a semi-hidden ‘75’ script on the roof, along with a series of miniature artworks dotted across the exterior depicting iconic Australian fauna and human-inspired motifs. No references to Vegemite, Tim Tams or Bunnings, though.
Raising the rear spoiler reveals another hidden message: ‘See ya later mate’ – a cheeky farewell to anyone left trailing the blisteringly quick Turbo S, which has a claimed top speed of 322km/h.
Inside, the Land Down Under remains devoted to celebrating Australia’s rugged natural beauty.
Vast sections of the dash and door cards are trimmed in a combination of Dark Night Blue and Coolibah Brown leather, the latter unique to this project. So is the steering wheel, complete with Neodyme accents and a Kalahari 12-o’clock marker.
Meanwhile, hand-finished Australian Silky Oak wood inlays adorn the dash and front seatbacks, giving the interior an organic look and feel.
On a more abstract note, the 18-way sports seats have been restyled to resemble paintbrush strokes using a combined 14,417 perforations across their centre panels, while the headrests carry a 75-years-in-Australia motif.
A topographical map of the Blue Mountains is printed across the upper dashboard and door trims, and a similar level of detail extends overhead, where the headlining features an embroidered map of the Southern Hemisphere constellations – including the Southern Cross – as they appeared above Uluru in 1951, the year of Porsche’s arrival in Australia.
Mechanically, the Land Down Under is unchanged from the standard 911 Turbo S.
As such, it produces 523kW of power and 800Nm of torque from a 3.6-litre flat-six petrol engine with two ‘eTurbos’ and 400V hybrid tech.
Drive is sent to all four wheels through an eight-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic transmission.
Following its global debut in Sydney on Thursday night, the 911 Turbo S Land Down Under will set off on a nationwide tour, taking the festivities to selected locations.
Once its journey is complete, the one-off model is expected to join Porsche’s heritage fleet, with a sale considered unlikely given its significance.
The Land Down Under arrives as a follow-up to the quartet of Australian-inspired special editions revealed earlier this year at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.
Themed around Australia’s ‘North, South, East and West’, all four vehicles – based on thePanamera 4 E-Hybrid,Macan 4S,Taycan 4S Cross TurismoandCayenne S– showcased Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur and Sonderwunsch (special request) personalisation options and accessories.
Unlike the Land Down Under, however, each could be replicated by customers using Porsche’s online configurator. The latest creation appears unavailable to order.
That said, the Sonderwunsch program – relaunched in 2021 after a hiatus of nearly four decades – allows customers to collaborate directly with Porsche designers and engineers to create truly bespoke versions of both new and classic models, meaning a similarly ambitious commission may still be possible for those with sufficiently deep pockets.
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