Porsche Sonderwunsch: Drive Your Dream Car

Mr. Fabig, how would you describe to other people who you are?

Alexander Fabig: When it comes to my job, I like to say that I’m the luckiest person at Porsche because I’m the head of ­Individualization and Classic here. We’re in charge of everything from spare parts support and the restoration of classic cars to all levels of customization that are possible at Porsche. In other words, the exclusive build options that are available in the Car Configurator, the individualization of ­existing vehicles, the realization of one-off special projects and, of course, everything to do with parts and accessories.

That sounds like a lot of work.

Grant Larson: e always say we’re here to equip our customers for their adventures. And that’s precisely what we do. Whether they need a car for sports, the family or hauling the kids and the dog, we feel responsible for it all. And then there’s our Special Projects program.

What exactly is that all about?

AF: I like to sum it up like this: With our Special Projects ­program, it isn’t our own in-house creativity at Porsche that counts, but rather you define your own offer yourself. Or, to put it another way: you become a part of Porsche history. Our goal at Special Projects is not to sell or build cars, but rather to give our customers the unique opportunity to become a part of the brand and, in a sense, to leave their footprint in the Porsche world. That could be something as simple as a custom color, but the important thing is that the customer gets a car that bears their own signature – and the Porsche crest on the front of the hood.

Does this possibility of individualization, this focus on the customer, really play such a big role for a brand like Porsche?

AF: Absolutely. In fact, we believe that customer relations play an especially prominent role for our brand. Let’s not forget that brand name and design are still the main reason people choose a Porsche. As we like to say: It’s not what you buy, it’s what you buy into. At Porsche, you can become part of this global ­community. That’s why I said what I said at the beginning about being such a lucky person. Because I have the privilege of ­working at Porsche, of being involved in the creation of these products and at the same time being able to maintain such close and sometimes personal contact with the end customer.

What kind of customers come to you? Do they already have very specific plans or just a rough idea of what they want?

AF: We get both kinds. At one end of the spectrum, there’s the customer who literally comes in with a finished book. And we can immediately get down to styling and presenting the car according to customer specifications. At the other end of the spectrum, there’s the customer who first wants to talk to us and discuss the project, who wants to find out which 911 generation or which series would be suitable. Then we literally start with a blank sheet of paper. But – and this is important for us – the result is always a joint process achieved through mutual effort and exchange.

How important is this program for Porsche, which, after all, sees itself as a luxury or lifestyle brand?

AF: For our customers, I think luxury here means the ability to take on the role of designer themselves. In a sense, we are taking the consumer experience to the next level. Luxury once meant being able to afford the most expensive things. Today, however, many people want to get out of this passive role of consumption and take an active part. Time as a luxury good also plays a role here. You treat yourself to the luxury of taking the time for a project like this. If our customers want, we can offer them the luxury of being part of the whole organization here at Porsche. Of course, it is a luxury to have this car created for you. But the real luxury is being able to work with Grant Larson, an icon in Porsche’s history, creating a project with him, philosophizing with him and spending several days together designing the car.

Mr. Larson, do you and the customers really work together?

GL: Yes, we do. Although there are some differences from ­project to project. Sometimes I’m deeply involved in the process, other times the customer needs me more as a consultant on the ­sidelines.

Steve Jobs once said, “People don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” Does that apply to your customers as well?

AF: Our first concern is to get to know the person. As a rule, few of the people who come to us have no idea about Porsche. On the contrary, we meet absolute Porsche experts who – and this is not false modesty – often know as much as we do, if not more. This is something all our Special Projects customers have in common. Their relationship with the brand often goes back decades. They usually have several vehicles in a private ­collection or have owned many cars over the years. We’re talking about true brand experts.

Wouldn’t a passion for Porsche already be enough for such a relationship?

GL: We get to know our customers as people first. This means that we have a kind of psychological task to perform, because if you know a person, you can better guess what drives them, moves them and what they want. We look very closely to see whether we and the customer are a good match and whether we are willing to enter into the kind of intense relationship that can arise from working together. This should not be understood to mean that we evaluate or scrutinize our customers. Rather, it is about building trust, because it takes a lot of trust to engage with us in this design and development process.

And how do you know if you’re a good match?

GL: That happens during the first conversation. At first, you know nothing about the person. Sure, you can do research and google them, but you don’t get a full picture of the person that way. Often the only thing we know is that our counterpart has the same mindset as we do. After half an hour or an hour of talking, you’re suddenly fully immersed. Then it doesn’t matter (…)

→ Read the entire interview in ramp #66.