Passing over the Făgăraş mountains and linking the Romanian regions of Muntenia and Transylvania by way of 90 sweeping kilometres of ribbon-like asphalt, the Transfăgărășan is widely acknowledged as one of the world’s greatest highways.
When the ‘road that touches the clouds’ turned 50 years old in 2024, so too did the 911 Turbo, leading to the Porsche clubs of Romania and Moldova organising a driving event on the route that featured some 110 cars and 200 guests.
Around the same time, inspired by half a century of the legendary route, the Porsche Sonderwunsch team in Zuffenhausen began work on a very special celebratory model: the 911 Carrera 4 GTS ‘Tribute to Transfăgărășan’. Just 10 of these cars would be built, each customised down to the smallest details by their future owner together with the Sonderwunsch and Style Porsche experts. Now, a year on, the first of the cars has been delivered to its new home in Romania, starting with a drive on the Transfăgărășan itself.
“When we experienced the Transfăgărășan during the 911 Turbo’s 50th anniversary last year, we found a lot of inspiration for this individualisation package,” explains Alexander Fabig, Vice President Individualisation & Classic at Porsche. “Therefore, we decided to not only create one but 10 individualised cars that pay tribute to one of the most legendary and inspiring parts of Romania.”
The ‘hero car’ in detail
Finished in the Paint to Sample colour Graphite Grey, the first of the 10 cars sits on wheels with contrasting spokes painted in Guards Red while the same shade rings the headlights, adding a striking visual accent to the vehicle’s front end. On the doors, a subtle ‘Tribute to Transfăgărășan’ decal is displayed, while the B-pillars feature a badge that marks the vehicle out as one of the 10 special editions. At the rear, the engine grille slats are discreetly painted blue, yellow and red – the colours of the Romanian flag.
Inside the car, the personal touches continue, with ‘Tribute to Transfăgărășan’ featuring on the illuminated door sill guards, embroidered into the headrests and embossed on the centre armrest. The passenger-side dashboard also features the logo and lettering.
Individualisation via the Sonderwunsch programme
While all 10 vehicles feature the commemorative exterior badging, Romanian flag accents and bespoke interior elements, each was also individually configured by its future owner through the Porsche Sonderwunsch programme, with some choosing custom paint finishes, different interior materials, and picking from a selection of accessories. The result is that each car is one of a kind, united by the common tribute that the series pays to one of the world’s most iconic driving roads.
The customers were given a sneak preview earlier this year, when they visited the Sonderwunsch Manufaktur in Zuffenhausen, and discussed the final details of their cars with the Sonderwunsch specialists there. The nine who have yet to receive their four-wheeled tributes will do so at an event at the end of August.
Adrian Pascu from Porsche Inter Auto Romania said: “The Transfăgărășan’ is well-known by car enthusiasts all over the world for its magnificent landscapes and its hairpin turns and I look forward to seeing these exceptional cars being driven on the very road they are honouring.”
Super-lightweight performance hybrid
As is often the case with Porsche sports cars, the new 911 Carrera GTS models benefit from the knowledge gained by Porsche engineers from the world of motor racing. In this case, it particularly influenced the design of the T-Hybrid drive, at the heart of which is a newly developed 3.6-litre boxer engine (911 Carrera GTS: Fuel consumption* combined (WLTP) 11.0 – 10.4 l/100 km, CO₂ emissions* combined (WLTP) 248 – 236 g/km, CO₂ class G , CO₂ class weighted combined G ).
Its impressive performance enables the 911 Carrera 4 GTS Coupé to complete the 0-100 km/h sprint in 3.0 seconds, while it has a top speed of 312 km/h. In total, the system output is 398 kW (541 PS) and 610 Nm. The power increase over the predecessor model is 45 kW (61 PS). The new 911 Carrera 4 GTS offers highly dynamic driving characteristics while reducing CO₂ emissions and weighing significantly less compared to plug-in hybrid vehicles. The weight increase over its predecessor is just 50 kilograms.
About Porsche Sonderwunsch
Porsche has reinterpreted the legendary Sonderwunsch (special request) programme of the late 1970s, to take personalisation to the highest level. It enables personalised one-off cars that are created in partnership with the customer and realised by Porsche’s experts.
Customers can choose to have their car built with individual options fitted directly at the factory, before delivery takes place. One of the highlights of the programme is Paint to Sample Plus, which opens up a new world of individual exterior colour options. Factory Re-Commissioning of vehicles is also possible. Customers can completely redesign the interior and exterior of their car or create highly individualised one-offs with the support of Porsche’s own development and design teams. For older cars, this offering includes restoration, which can also be commissioned separately.