Using a Porsche 911 as his muse, Singapore-based design student Rohan Verma created this concept Porsche Chair based on the side profile of the 911′s window frame. The seat brings to mind the company’s tradition for designing sleek, elegant automobiles.
Verma introduced the concept chair as part of a portfolio of other modern work on design site coroflot.com. While borrowing queues from the side profile of the 911’s window frame, the contemporary chair looks more like an exotic piece of art, inviting guests to feel the comfort and luxury while decorating modern spaces in style.
Although just a concept at this point, we would love to see this in production. Wouldn’t it be great if Porsche Design would allow you to color match your chair to your 911?
Every once in a while you see something that you just have to have. Remember that feeling when you saw your first Porsche and you knew that someday you too would own one? It was the same for us when we first saw Wilco Machiel’s Porsche Dioramas. Long time readers may remember our first post on his miniature Porsche masterpieces and how hesitant we were to share it with you. Not because we didn’t think you would like it, but because John wanted it for himself. I know, very selfish, but I don’t really blame him.
Recently, we were contacted by Wilco who was eager to let us know that he had finished yet another Porsche diorama and wanted to share it with others. As we had already acquired one for ourselves (Wilco is not a sponsor of this site and we paid a fair price for our Diorama), it was without any hesitation (this time) that we wanted to share this with you.
Of particular interest in this creation is the almost 2″ x 2″ LCD screen attached to the shop wall that displays images of various Porsche models and other images. Like all Wilco’s work, most can be had for a price. This particular Porsche diorama can be yours for €800 plus shipping. Please contact him directly if you’re interested in purchasing this example or commissioning him for a replica of your own garage.
The pictures above are for your viewing pleasure (if you’re reading this post via email you may need to click through to the site if the images aren’t visible).
Shipping a miniature Porsche garage
When John purchased his Porsche diorama, Wilco recommended that we fly him over in order to hand carry it given the delicate nature of his work. As it was a stretch for us to afford the diorama we opted to have it shipped instead. Wilco was kind enough to create a special packing box that protected it in its travels. However, even this extra attention to detail couldn’t protect it from the rough and rugged handling of our UPS driver. While the diorama wasn’t damaged heavily, it did take a few hours (and a lot of super glue) to put things back in proper order.
James May (of Top Gear fame) recently asked a very similar question in an article published in The Telegraph. He goes on to say, “Love comes in at the eye, according to WB Yeats, but the meaning of a 911 comes through the buttocks and some demons lurking in a dark corner of the mind. Cezanne revealed the world to us through a bowl of apples. Monet did it with the front of a cathedral. Lucian Freud did it with that tubby woman lying on the sofa… Someone must be able to do it with an old Porsche.”
Porsche 718
I think I’ve found that someone in the form of Automotive Artist Stéphane Dufour* (a new sponsor of PorschePurist). According to Stéphane’s bio, he spent most of his childhood contemplating the fine automobile craftsmanship passing through his father’s workshop. His father repaired and serviced prestigious cars, authentic masterpieces which stimulated Stéphane’s imagination and would deeply influence this young boy’s day to day life. While many memorable marques passed through the doors of his father’ shop, it’s evident, by the sheer volume of work, that Porsche is his strongest passion and most prevalent muse.
Le Mans 70
I asked Stéphane to describe how he decides the autos that are to become the focus of his work, what provides his inspiration? He responded with, “My inspiration comes at any time, for any car. It can be a Porsche 911 or an Aston Martin. It can be a vintage or modern car. Most of time, it is a car that has history (race cars for example). I love the 917. This car is for me a very big source of inspiration.” You can see this inspiration first hand in Dufour’s work with such notable 917s as Martini 21, the Pink Pig and Martini N°3.
Dufour’s bio goes on to describe his work as “hyperrealistic”. I simply say it’s excellent! Apparently, I’m not alone in my assessment as Stéphane sells between 300 and 400 limited editions annually along with more than 250 original pieces.
Are you familiar with the saying, “Don’t tell me your funny, make me laugh.“? Well, I’m not an art critic, so rather than trying to tell you about Stéphane’s unique and innovative style that combines synthesizing space, light and shape with movement and color, I would rather you simply see for yourself. The presentation below is but a small sample of Stéphane’s work. His limited editions, in runs of 200 to 300 (depending on the piece), are ridiculously affordable, ranging in price from $68.00 to $180 and can be purchased in the US from his California based distributor. For those of you with a bigger artistic appetite, and the budget to match, his original works – those few that are left – are available for sale though Stéphane’s web-site.
Stéphane is but one of only a handful of artists whose work is officially licensed from Porsche A.G. Besides his original works and limited edition prints, Dufour works on custom commissions by individuals and companies alike. Offering up as evidence of his true love for his craft, Stéphane says it is, “an authentic source of joy for anyone who understands that art and automobiles are two intertwining and intimate domains…”
I don’t know what it is about Porsche and artists, but the iconic 911 seems to spark some strange ideas. Take this chocolate covered Porsche that would even have Willy Wonka asking, “why?” That’s right, a chocolate covered Porsche (at least they covered it in plastic first).
According to a story on Autoblog.nl, a Porsche dealer in the Netherlands (Porsche Centrum Gelderland) hired chocolatier Jan Blancken and his crew to drown an already delicious 997 Carrera S in almost 400 lbs (175 kilos) of chocolate. The car now sits in the Porsche dealer’s showroom amongst other just as sweet models.
When I first read this story my immediate reaction was, why? Now I know. Google “chocolate covered porsche” and look at all the references (and the story is just starting). Say what you want, but someone knows how to get attention to their dealership.
I remember as a kid spending countless hours playing with Legos. I was happy if whatever I built didn’t crash down under its own weight. Not so with the Arvo brothers (legends within the Lego community). These two take lego building to a whole new level, and beyond. Just as Wilco Machiels creates Porsche Dioramas like no one else, the Arvo brothers are masters of Lego creations and the 911 Carrera below is one of their most recent designs.
The Arvo brothers don’t just limit themselves to Porsche. Check out this original Citroen complete with parking boot and all.
I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure I could reproduce either of these with a full set of instructions and an engineer to help. If you’re interested in seeing more of the amazing sculpture created by the two Arvo brothers (and it’s more than just automotive), they have a full gallery available via Brickshelf.com (a photo sharing service for those afflicted with the Lego bug).
The video is a bit old, but I’m just seeing it for the first time so I thought I would share. I’m all for expressing yourself, but why ruin a perfectly good 997 in the process?? Admittedly, the view from inside while the crusher is operating is eye popping (bad pun intended).
If the artist really wanted to express himself, it would have been a lot easier using Photoshop. He could have simply made a Smorsche!
Porsche AG’s first fully purpose-built racing car came in 1953 in the form of the 550 Spyder. The first major win for the 550 came at the 1956 Targa Florio, driven by Umberto Maglioli. The 550 was further developed into the 718 RSK, another successful winning racer.
These wins by the light, small-displacement Porsche race cars against large-displacement 12-cylinder racers, such as Ferrari, gave them the reputation as “Giant-killers”.
For 1960, Porsche introduced the RS60, a further development of the RSK. Like the RSK, it sported sleek, light-weight aluminum bodywork, a low center of gravity and a mid-engine layout. The 4-cylinder, 4-cam engines used were either 1.5 litres (150bhp) or 1.6 litres (160bhp). With a weight of less than 1,300 lbs, the RS60 was very nimble indeed!
For the 1960 season, the FIA stipulated that sports racing cars match more closely the specifications of production sports cars. The racers had to sport a full-width windshield with a minimum height of 25 cm, a luggage compartment and a streamline fairing behind the driver’s head.
The RS60 was very successful out of the box, winning the 12 Hours of Sebring in the hands of Olivier Gendebien and Hans Hermann, followed by Porsche’s third Targa Florio win in the hands of Jo Bonnier, Hans Hermann and Graham Hill. It also won the European Hill Climb Championship.
These wins helped solidify Porsche’s position in North America, with Porsche going from class winners to overall winners.
In 2007, Porsche introduced the special edition Boxster RS60 in homage to the great racer.
Today’s post was written by Paul Chenard, MGDC. Here’s a little more info on Paul in his own words.
My professional background is that of a graphic designer with more than 25 years experience, but my passion is for the history of racing. I started collecting vintage toy racecars at the end of the 1980’s and this led to picking items, books and reference material on racing history. After a few years of studying all this, I decided to transfer my accumulated knowledge to paper in the form of illustrations and stories. In 2007, I set up a company Automobiliart.com to market my creations. I live in Halifax, Nova Scotia with my wife, our two sons and a cat.
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Porsche 718
