Porsche has taken a 20‑year‑old Carrera GT and treated it not as a used supercar but as a blank canvas, stripping it to its last bolt and rebuilding it to factory-fresh condition with a motorsport twist. The result is a Salzburg-themed V10 flagship that looks and feels like it has just rolled out of Leipzig, yet carries the patina of history and the personality of a one-off commission. I see it as a case study in how the brand’s “Special Wishes” culture has evolved into a formalized restoration and personalization machine for the modern collector era.
The Carrera GT’s second life under “Special Wishes”
The Carrera GT has long been treated as a benchmark for purist driving enthusiasts, and Porsche’s decision to re-create one as a virtually new car shows how seriously it takes that reputation. Rather than offering a light refresh, the company’s specialists dismantled a 2005 Carrera GT, inspected and renewed its components, and then reassembled it to a standard that aims to match, and in some respects exceed, original factory delivery. In effect, the car has been given a second birth certificate, with its odometer reset and its presentation aligned with the kind of meticulous build quality that collectors now expect from factory-backed restoration programs.
At the heart of this effort is the Porsche Sonderwunsch Manufaktur, often translated as “Special Wishes,” which has turned a one-time customer request into a showcase of what the brand can do when cost is not the primary constraint. The project sits within the Sonderwunsch Factory Re‑Commission framework, a program that allows owners to have existing cars rebuilt and customized by the same organization that once assembled them new. In this case, the work has produced a Carrera GT that is described as being in Like New Condition, a phrase that understates the depth of the transformation carried out by the Porsche Special Wishes team.
Inside the Sonderwunsch Factory Re‑Commission process
The Factory Re‑Commission process is not a cosmetic makeover, it is a ground-up engineering exercise that treats the donor car as raw material rather than a finished product. The 2005 Carrera GT at the center of this story was fully dismantled, its V10 engine removed, its carbon-fiber structure stripped of coatings, and every mechanical system evaluated for overhaul or replacement. Porsche’s specialists then rebuilt the car using refreshed or renewed components, effectively delivering what is described as a technically new production vehicle that just happens to have started life two decades ago.
Through the Porsche Sonderwunsch Factory Re‑Commission program, the company positions this level of work as an official service rather than a one-off favor for a well-connected client. The description of the process emphasizes that the car was completely disassembled and overhauled, with the V10 engine receiving a complete refresh and the carbon-fiber components being re-coated to restore their original appearance and protection. That level of intervention is what allows Porsche to present the finished Carrera GT as factory-fresh, not simply restored, and it sets a template for how other halo models could be treated in the future.
From Puerto Rico to Salzburg: the owner and his brief
Behind the car is a very specific customer story, one that illustrates how personal these projects can be. Victor Gómez from Puerto Rico approached the Porsche Sonderwunsch Manufaktur with a clear vision for his 20‑year‑old Carrera GT, asking not only for a full technical renewal but also for a visual identity that would connect his car to the brand’s racing heritage. His request became part of the Sonderwunsch programme, which is designed to translate such “special wishes” into tangible, factory-executed builds that carry the same legitimacy as a new Porsche order.
Victor’s brief did not stop at making the car look new again, it extended to creating a one-off specification that would stand apart from other Carrera GTs in collections and at events. The decision to pursue a Salzburg-inspired design reflects both his enthusiasm for Porsche’s Le Mans history and the brand’s willingness to adapt a classic racing theme to a very different silhouette. By routing this project through the Porsche Sonderwunsch Manufaktur, he ensured that every change, from paint to interior trim, would be executed with the same engineering oversight and quality control that governed the original production run.
Salzburg Design: a Le Mans legend reimagined
The most striking aspect of this Carrera GT is its Salzburg Design livery, a visual homage to the 1970 Le Mans-winning Porsche 917 that has been carefully adapted to the proportions of a mid‑2000s supercar. Nicknamed the Salzburg Design, the exterior bears the number 23 and is finished in a bold combination of Guards Red and Whi accents that echo the original race car while still reading as a modern, high-gloss roadgoing finish. The challenge here was to translate a long-tail prototype’s graphics onto the more compact, angular bodywork of the Carrera GT without losing the essence of the historic scheme.
To achieve that, Porsche’s designers worked the curves and vents of the Carrera GT into the layout of the stripes and numerals, ensuring that the Salzburg Design feels integrated rather than pasted on. The result is a car that instantly signals its connection to the 917 short-tail race car while still allowing the underlying carbon-fiber sculpture to shine through. For collectors, that blend of motorsport reference and bespoke execution is a major part of the appeal, turning what might have been a simple restoration into a rolling tribute to one of the brand’s most important endurance racing victories.
A cabin rebuilt around red Alcantara and matt carbon
Inside, the transformation is just as deliberate, with the cabin reimagined to match the Salzburg theme without overwhelming the Carrera GT’s minimalist architecture. The original leather and trim have given way to a combination of red Alcantara and matt carbon, materials that both modernize the look and tie directly into the car’s racing inspiration. This is not a period-correct recreation of a 2000s interior, it is a contemporary interpretation that uses current Porsche craftsmanship to elevate the tactile experience while respecting the car’s analog character.
The choice of red Alcantara and matt carbon also underscores how deeply the Sonderwunsch team is willing to go in tailoring a car to its owner’s preferences. According to the description of the project, Victor Gómez from Puerto Rico saw his wish for this specific interior treatment realized as part of the Sonderwunsch programme, with every surface and seam reconsidered to create a cohesive environment. The result is a cockpit that feels both bespoke and factory-authentic, a difficult balance that is central to the appeal of official re-commission work.
Zero kilometres and “technically new” status
One of the most attention-grabbing details of this project is the way Porsche talks about the car’s mileage and condition. The company has described a similar effort as Porsche Restores Carrera GT to Zero Kilometres with Legendary Racing Livery, language that signals how far it is willing to go in resetting a car’s usable life. In practical terms, that means the odometer is treated as a fresh start after the rebuild, and the mechanical state of the car is presented as equivalent to that of a brand-new example, even though its chassis and identity date back two decades.
This approach is reinforced by descriptions of the restoration as delivering a technically new production vehicle, a phrase that captures the tension between historical continuity and mechanical renewal. For collectors, the promise of Zero Kilometres is not just about bragging rights, it is about confidence that the car can be driven and enjoyed without the usual concerns that come with aging components and outdated materials. By pairing that promise with a Legendary Racing Livery, Porsche is effectively offering a car that is both better than new for collectors and more emotionally charged than a standard factory specification ever was.
How “Special Requests” became a modern factory tool
The roots of this project lie in a culture that has existed at Porsche for decades, where well-heeled customers could make Sonderwunsch, or special requests, for their cars. What has changed is the level of formalization and transparency around that process. Through the Porsche Sonderwunsch Special Requests program, the company now presents these one-off or few-off builds as part of an official menu of services, complete with structured processes for disassembly, overhaul, and reassembly. That shift turns what used to be an informal back-channel into a visible pillar of the brand’s business model.
The Carrera GT Salzburg project illustrates how far that evolution has gone. The extensive process involved completely disassembling the car to overhaul its mechanical systems, re-coating its carbon-fiber components, and then layering on a bespoke Salzburg livery and interior. By framing this as a Special Requests build that effectively delivers a technically new production vehicle, Porsche signals to other owners that their own aging halo cars can be treated in the same way. It is a message aimed squarely at a clientele that values both originality and factory-sanctioned personalization.
Factory restoration as a new kind of performance product
At Porsche, the idea of taking an existing car and turning it into something that feels new is not limited to the Carrera GT. The company’s in-house restoration group has been described as capable of turning a Carrera GT into a Le Mans homage, complete with a 917-inspired livery that connects the road car to the brand’s endurance racing success. If you have the money, this kind of work is positioned as a top-tier product in its own right, sitting alongside new GT models and limited-run specials as a way to access the sharpest edge of the brand’s performance and design thinking.
What makes the Salzburg Design car stand out is how comprehensively it applies that philosophy. The owner’s car was fully disassembled, overhauled, and rebuilt by Porsche specialists, including a complete V10 engine refresh and re-coating of carbon-fiber components, resulting in a factory-fresh supercar that reflects both performance heritage and bespoke craftsmanship. In that sense, the restoration is not just about preserving an old car, it is about creating a new expression of Porsche’s engineering and design capabilities, one that happens to be anchored in an existing VIN rather than a new production slot.
Why this matters for collectors and the Carrera GT market
For the collector market, a factory-restored Carrera GT in Salzburg Design raises as many questions as it answers. On one hand, it offers a compelling proposition: a Like New Condition example of one of the modern era’s most respected analog supercars, rebuilt and certified by the manufacturer itself. On the other, it introduces a new category of car that sits somewhere between an untouched original and a heavily modified tuner special, with value dynamics that are still being defined. The fact that Porsche’s Special Wishes team has been able to bring a 2005 Carrera GT back to this level of condition will not be lost on owners who have been debating whether to preserve mileage or enjoy their cars on the road.
Social media posts describing how, through its exclusive Sonderwunsch Factory Re‑Commission program, a 2005 Carrera GT has been fully dismantled, rebuilt, and presented as a benchmark for purist driving enthusiasts underline the stakes. Another post highlighting how the owner’s car was fully disassembled, overhauled, and rebuilt by Porsche specialists, with a complete V10 engine refresh and re-coated carbon-fiber components, reinforces the message that these are not casual restorations. As more such projects emerge, I expect the market to start distinguishing between standard used Carrera GTs, independent restorations, and these factory-fresh Sonderwunsch builds, with pricing and desirability tracking that hierarchy accordingly.
The future of halo-car restorations at Porsche
Looking ahead, the Salzburg Carrera GT feels less like an isolated passion project and more like a template for how Porsche might handle its most important models as they age. The language around Porsche Restores Carrera GT to Zero Kilometres with Legendary Racing Livery, the emphasis on technically new production vehicle status, and the visibility given to Victor Gómez from Puerto Rico and his Salzburg Design brief all suggest that the brand sees strategic value in showcasing what its restoration and personalization arms can do. As more 918 Spyders, 911 R models, and limited-run GT cars move into long-term collections, the appetite for similar factory interventions is likely to grow.
For now, the Salzburg Design Carrera GT stands as a vivid demonstration of what happens when a manufacturer treats restoration as a flagship product rather than a side service. It combines a fully renewed V10, re-coated carbon structure, red Alcantara and matt carbon interior, and a Guards Red and Whi Salzburg livery into a package that is both historically grounded and sharply contemporary. In doing so, it shows how Porsche’s Special Wishes culture has matured into a formal, high-end offering that can take a beloved analog supercar and return it to its owner as something that feels, in every meaningful way, factory-fresh.
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