This Stunning Porsche 964 Boasts Unique Light-Inspired Paint Design
When Hanna Schönwald was contacted about creating a Porsche art car, she was understandably hesitant. The 26-year-old industrial designer, artist, and illustrator from Hamburg, Germany wondered if the planet had already become saturated with the rolling masterpieces. However, as an ardent fan of classic Porsches, Schönwald reckoned that there was room for one more.
In speaking with Porsche, according to the artist; "My favourite Porsche art car is Janis Joplin's 356 C because it's incredibly hand-painted and has a huge, colourful story to match the boldness of the car."
The car Schönwald chose as her canvas isn't quite as vintage as Joplin's 356, but rather, a transitional model — the 964 generation 911. Produced between 1989 and 1994, the 964 bore a strong resemblance to the original 911 that preceded it, but with modern features such as an optional automatic transmission, available all-wheel drive, and aerodynamic integrated bumpers.
A suitable 964 was located, loaned to Schönwald by a client, and the project began in earnest in January of 2021. That's a very generous and trusting client indeed, because according to the car valuation site classic.com, the average price for a 964-series 911 Carrera 2 nowadays is $69,569 — though low-mileage examples can fetch significantly more.
She started with fiberglass models
To prepare for painting the real thing, the artist and designer made no less than 10 practice attempts using small fiberglass models of the 964. Rather than adding a story to the car via artwork, Hanna chose to accentuate the existing body lines based on the way that natural light reflected off the car.
Schönwald states that "Being inspired by the natural reflections in the paint, I saw countless ways to design the car. As for the final artwork you see in the end version? That's just one of those possibilities."
With the first drafts completed, painting the actual car took a mere two weeks, using a combination of freehand techniques, as well as thin masking tape to guide the longer, straight runs. Completing the art car wasn't the end of Hanna's relationship with Porsche, though.
During the process of guest-editing the automaker's social media accounts in 2022, she painted a life-size black and white Porsche 930 (a.k.a. 911 Turbo) on a wall. As soon as the mural was finished, the artist promptly destroyed it by throwing a bucket of white paint at the artwork.
A true petrolhead, Schönwald's next endeavor is to purchase and restore a Porsche of her own, preferably a silver 911 SC.