The striking exterior painted in a colour block style was one of the highlights of South by Southwest® in Austin, Texas, in March. Now Porsche is revealing the interior of the art car for the first time: the lively colour blocking continues with Nash Blue, Sean Peach, Loretta Purple and Ashley Green. Cork on the dashboard, steering wheel and centre console creates a visual contrast to this, while corduroy adds another distinctive feature. The roof lining, seat centres and sun visors are upholstered with this material in Atacama Beige. The staunch vegan also wanted the interior to be leather-free, an option that other Taycan customers can also choose.
The art car is being presented by Wotherspoon himself. The team at Porsche brought Wotherspoon together with the Style Porsche designers and worked with him to organise the world premiere of the car on Instagram. Wotherspoon visited the Porsche Design Studio in Weissach several times. He also oversaw the physical creation of his art car onsite, spending time in the shopfloor for concept cars and the trim shop in Weissach, for instance.
Initially, virtual reality technology was used to try out and discuss many of the exterior colour options on a model car. To ensure the colours were precisely the ones he wanted, Wotherspoon sent the corresponding Pantone reference codes to Porsche. The mixing bench in the paint shop of the shopfloor for concept cars was used to recreate them and the colours were then applied to what are known as ‘paint frogs’ so that the sneakerhead could view them in person and professionally evaluate them under a range of different conditions. The lighting cabin at the Porsche Design Studio can switch between daylight and artificial light at the push of a button.
Initially, virtual reality technology was used to try out and discuss many of the exterior colour options on a model car. To ensure the colours were precisely the ones he wanted, Wotherspoon sent the corresponding Pantone reference codes to Porsche. The mixing bench in the paint shop of the shopfloor for concept cars was used to recreate them and the colours were then applied to what are known as ‘paint frogs’ so that the sneakerhead could view them in person and professionally evaluate them under a range of different conditions. The lighting cabin at the Porsche Design Studio can switch between daylight and artificial light at the push of a button.
The unusual names of the paints have a personal background, which Sean named after members of his family. This is how Nash Blue, Sean Peach, Loretta Purple and Ashley Green came about. The idea is for the interior to continue the colour blocking concept of the exterior. Corduroy and cork, which he also uses for his streetwear, were the materials Wotherspoon wanted. Corduroy has a long tradition at the sports car manufacturer, with the soft, ribbed material adorning the seat centres of the Porsche 356 as early as 1952.
In the new art car, this woven material was added in Atacama Beige, which Porsche used in the 911 Targa 4S Heritage Edition in 2020. Ultimately, the laminated material, which comes on rolls, had to be fitted to complex shapes such as the dashboard.
In the new art car, this woven material was added in Atacama Beige, which Porsche used in the 911 Targa 4S Heritage Edition in 2020. Ultimately, the laminated material, which comes on rolls, had to be fitted to complex shapes such as the dashboard.
The Taycan 4 Cross Turismo designed by Wotherspoon is rounded off by elements from Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur. These include the 21-inch Cross Turismo Design wheels and the rear wiper cover – both painted in Black (high-gloss) – as well as the light strip with Porsche lettering in Black. Customers can implement comparable projects within Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur’s Sonderwunsch programme, a reinterpretation of the legendary service of the same name from the late 1970s, which launched in 2021. One example is using the Paint to Sample Plus option to allow the four outside colours of Wotherspoon’s colour blocking exterior to be offered in future.
The Taycan Cross Turismo has all the strengths of the Taycan, such as superior power and great range. Added to this are more headroom for rear-seat passengers and a maximum luggage compartment capacity of more than 1,200 litres. The standard all-wheel-drive chassis, with its air suspension, features height adjustment. The off-road design elements include wheel arch covers, distinctive lower sections at the front and rear, and side skirts.
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The Taycan Cross Turismo art car by Sean Wotherspoon
