Porsche restores Carrera GT and adds Salzburg design
Photo credit: Porsche
Victor Gómez from Puerto Rico has had his 20-year-old Carrera GT technically restored to new condition at the Porsche Sonderwunsch Manufaktur, then reimagined with a Salzburg design reminiscent of the legendary livery of the 1970 Le Mans winning 917. The project, described as a unique Factory Re-Commission and dated 18/12/2025, also individualized the interior with red Alcantara and matt carbon, turning a 2005 model year Carrera GT into a one-off that blends a comprehensive overhaul with historically inspired paintwork.
The Salzburg look is closely associated with Porsche’s first overall victory at Le Mans in 1970, when Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood won in the eye-catching red and white 917 short-tail wearing starting number 23. Motorsport fans know the striking appearance as Salzburg Design, and the “Porsche Alpenstraße” car dealership in the south of Salzburg prepared two 917s for the endurance race on the Sarthe, including the winning car. Gómez’s Carrera GT follows that visual theme, although Porsche notes the geometry, dimensions, and gaps of the Carrera GT are completely different from those of the 917, so the design had to be elaborately adapted to the shape.
Photo credit: Porsche
To execute the exterior, the team began with sketches and then renderings, then checked the dynamic course of the lines by taping the Carrera GT before producing templates for the paintwork. The hand-painted finish in Guards red and white, plus the famous starting number 23, is protected by a transparent foil because Gómez wants to drive the car on the roads of his Puerto Rican homeland. Porsche says the vehicle was completely disassembled, technical components such as the V10 engine were overhauled from the ground up, and carbon parts were recoated before the car received its Salzburg colors. The individual look also includes matt black carbon to contrast with the red and white paintwork, used for the roof halves, A and B pillars, exterior mirror caps, the air duct in the front section, and the rear diffuser. The grilles of the engine cover are black matt anodized, the original five-spoke light-alloy wheels are painted black, and they carry a coloured Porsche crest.
Photo credit: Porsche
Inside, the personalization continues with Alcantara Guards Red applied across many surfaces, including parts of the dashboard and door panels, the steering wheel rim, and the center console, with the front luggage compartment trim and luggage set also finished in the same suede-like material in Guards red. Matt carbon appears as a contrasting accent on pieces such as the seat shells, the air vent cover in the dashboard, and the instrument cover. For the center panels, sidecars, and headrests of the seats, Porsche says its interior specialists used black FIA textile from the 918 Spyder, described as a non-flammable motorsport fabric, and notes that the 917 design model already had two seats because they were mandatory for endurance racing cars at the time. Gómez said, “The Sonderwunsch experts worked with great passion and attention to detail. Now I own a Carrera GT in new condition, with zero kilometres on the odometer, and outside and inside according to my personal ideas.”
Photo credit: Porsche
Porsche frames Factory Re-Commission as an exclusive offer within the Sonderwunsch programme, where experts carry out comprehensive technical revisions for customer-owned vehicles, including classic models, and document the work so the vehicle is practically put into a “zero kilometer condition”. The company also positions it as an opportunity to redesign the exterior and interior color concept and, if desired, retrofit individual colour and material options. Working in close cooperation with Porsche designers and developers, Porsche says customers can refine ideas through feasibility checks and technical approval, and that current vehicle data is transmitted to the company archive so changes can be traced transparently.
