#02: Exploring the Evolution of Porsche Design: A Tale of Passion and Collaboration

In the realm of automotive dreams and creative endeavors, my business partner Ted and I embarked on a unique journey to breathe new life into the iconic Porsche 997, envisioning it as the Porsche G-model turbo, affectionately known as the 930. Eager to bring this vision to reality, we scoured the vast expanse of the internet in search of like-minded enthusiasts who had already ventured into this uncharted territory. Among the myriad of concept designs we stumbled upon, one particular gem caught our attention—an exquisite creation by the talented Matteo Gentile, which we discovered on Behance.

Determined to explore the possibilities further, I reached out to Matteo through LinkedIn. To our delight, he graciously agreed to converse with us. At that time, Matteo resided in Rome, Italy, and was actively engaged in his role as a designer at Lotus, all while embarking on an exciting NFT project with his close-knit circle of friends. As we enthusiastically shared our ambitious concept to him, Matteo recognized the potential and promise it held. However, he didn't have the bandwidth to get directly involved with the project.

But Matteo, ever the generous soul, offered to help in other ways. He connected us with his friend in Barcelona, a skilled CAD engineer employed by a prominent European car manufacturer. In an act of great generosity, Matteo granted us access to the CAD files of his design and a scanned 997 turbo body, providing the essential building blocks for the transformation. Our excitement soared as we realized that the project was taking its first tangible steps towards becoming a reality.

Over the course of the next four months, we hired Matteo's friend, tasking him with the intricate task of harmonizing the original design with the structural framework of the 997 scans. The result was exciting - an elegant rendition of the 997 with design elements of the 930, featuring a distinctive ducktail spoiler.

With great excitement we began sharing our creation with our Porsche enthusiast friends. Their feedback was a mixed bag; while some embraced the design wholeheartedly, others opined that it failed to encapsulate the quintessential Porsche essence.

As April of 2023 rolled around, Matteo found himself with a brief hiatus between his previous employment and a new venture. With his creative spirit still burning bright, he offered to lend his expertise and make improvements to our design.

The outcome was beautifully upgraded design, yet feedback from our audience pointed to an unexpected twist—it appeared more "Italian" than "German." We relayed this concern to Matteo, who candidly acknowledged, "They are right. My design language leans more towards Italian aesthetics. You should seek out someone with a deeper understanding of the Porsche ethos." Shortly after helping us out, Matteo was appointed Head of Design at Touring Superleggera - designing and hand-building limited editions and unique one-off motor cars of exquisite style, elegance and timeless grace for discerning customers since 1926.

Ted and I were faced with a conundrum, but our admiration for the design remained steadfast, and we decided against hasty decisions. Instead, we turned our focus to the pivotal questions looming on the horizon: where and how would we bring this car to life? What about the interior design and other crucial details? Eager to gather insights from the automotive industry, I tapped into my local network and identified contacts in Croatia. Our journey was far from over, and a trip to Croatia was on the horizon as we sought answers to these pivotal questions. It was mid March 2023.