Building a Porsche 911 is no easy task: 1,500 people work on each car during its assembly, which takes two days from the frame to the assembly line. Now for the first time, the video shows the entire process, focusing on the very special 911 GT3 from Paint to Sample program.
With dozens of individual options to choose from, the range of possible combinations is so wide that it’s nearly impossible to see two identical 911s. Color choice plays an important role in personalization and Porsche knows this.
In order to meet the growing demand and facilitate customer access, the popular Paint to Sample programoffered through Exclusive Porsche Manufactory, received a number of updates at the end of 2021.
With this, Porsche highlights the brand’s commitment to letting the user build the car of their dreams. Including the standard colors of each model in the range, over 160 color options They are part of the current directory.
At the factory in Zuffenhausen Where the 911, 718 and Taycan models are assembled, the optional color mixing table allowed for more configurations Paint by sample without stopping production.
“In response to demand, we have improved the process and are now producing twenty cars a day instead of five, which means 120 units for each week of the working calendar”comment Boris Appenbrink, Director of Vehicles Exclusive Porsche Manufactory.
In detail: creating a Porsche paint sample
Before your assembly in 117 stages, the 911 chassis spends more than a day preparing in the body and paint shops. One of the goals of car painting and coating development is to achieve optimal results on all types of materials.
The car body is made up of several different components, including: steel, aluminium, carbon fiber or polypropylene. The ink batches should suit everyone equally and give the same color.
Before getting to the paint shop, the body is degreased, phosphated and subjected to auto chemicals.electrochemical process mainly used for corrosion protection.
During coating, it is immersed in a container filled with electrophoretic paint and deionized water. For optimal coverage the body rotates around its axis.
From here it applies primer, base coat and body polish and standard color panels using approximately 4 liters of liquid between three steps. Primers are selected based on the final color; light colors require light primers and dark colors require appropriate primers.
The base level is the one that offers the required tone and Its thickness is only 30 micrometers.. To get an idea of this measure, a regular sheet of paper measures 100 micrometers. The last layer, that is, transparent, is the thickest of all and ranges from 30 to 50 micrometers.
After all layers have been applied, the next step is dry the paint at a maximum temperature of 200 degrees for more than two and a half hours. “Many customers want to show their individuality with their car,” says Apenbrink. “Nothing like the color of the vehicle to achieve this.”
Standard, metallic and special shades are defined specifically for each model in the Porsche range, and in some cases even for the various facelifts it will receive during its life cycle. The number of colors offered is determined by the number of storage tanks and paint supply lines in the workshops of manufacturing enterprises.
Therefore, from a purely technical point of view no more than 17 body colors can be offered standard for 911.
With Paint by sample More than a hundred additional predefined colors are available for the 911 and 718 models, and the Taycan, Cayenne, Panamera and Macan models increase this number to fifty.
If the client wants to go further, one might consider creating new tones through the program. Swatch Dye Pluswhich allows you to reproduce almost any shade, provided that a valid color sample is provided.
Swatch Dye Plus offers customers the opportunity to permanently add color to the Porsche range. Each person who requests a new color, at the expense of additional development costs, is considered its creator.
The customer and color are registered in the Porsche color database and added to the Paint to Sample options as soon as possible so that others can request them. “You create a bespoke vehicle through a bespoke artisan process,” says Apenbrink. “You can have your own personal color.”
Customer of this unit
Lech Keen did almost everything that can be done in a Porsche. A professional pilot participates in Porsche Carrera Cup North Americawith the team 311RS Motorsportbroke the world indoor speed record with Taycan Turbo S And through sharp projectmade dozens of off-road ready 911s for thrill seekers.
However, until last year, he never ordered a new Porsche for himself. Keane knew that for him 911 GT3 from 2022 I would use the Paint to Sample alternative. “It’s one of my favorite things, I’m obsessed with different colors,” says Keene.
“All these amazing colors that Porsche has used over the years really go deep into the history of the brand. I wanted to have this modern 911 but in a very classic vintage color,” Keene explains his decision.
“I told some people that it would be gold. People thought it was risky. It really solidified my choice and I wanted to see how it all panned out. I think a lot of people didn’t have gold in their heads,” Keane recalls. “At the dealership, when the cover was removed, I was blown away by how beautiful it was.”
Like Keane, Apenbrink has seen quite a few Porsches painted. Even he fell in love with Keane’s GT3.
“I love the choice of metallic gold bronze for this machine.Apenbrink said.To date, I can say that this color has only been ordered 24 times, so it is really rare, really special. And this is the first time we’ve used this shade on a 992, which is very interesting.“.
metallic gold bronze also available in ranges Macan and Panamera via Paint to Sample. Apenbrink would like any of the cars to have this color.
About Paint to Sample and Paint to Sample Plus
Customers can order Paint to Sample through their Porsche Center. In the future, it will also be possible to display the extensive Paint to Sample color palette in the Porsche Configurator. The price depends on the model and option. For custom colors, Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur offers Paint to Sample Plus.
In the case of Paint to Sample Plus, the customer provides his dealer with a color sample, which is sent to the exclusive Porsche manufactory and undergoes extensive quality and suitability tests.
The customer’s vehicle is not finished with the custom color until the feasibility tests have been completed, which can last up to 11 months in some cases. If the paint color doesn’t work, Porsche covers research costs.
This article was originally published on TopGear ES.
Source: Computer Hoy
