THE PINK PIG - The Whale Tail (2024)

THE PINK PIG - The Whale Tail THE PINK PIG - The Whale Tail

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Der Trüffel Jäger von Zuffenhausen

The car’s combination of a long body, stubby face and wide hips gave it a pig-like look, which inspired Porsche designer Anatole Lapine to give the car a pink paint with butcher cut lines covering the exterior.
Dubbed the Pink Pig, 917/20 was a crowd favorite at the 1971 Le Mans race.

In Porsche’s relentless quest for ever more slippery aerodynamics, They hired aero specialist Robert Choulet to create the new body shape.
Porsche’s target was to extract drag numbers similar to the 917L, and the downforce numbers of the 917K, without resorting to the long and weighty tail that had been introduced in search of ultimate speed on the Mulsanne Straight.

The result was the Pig, though the ‘pink’ part came later. Choulet eventually presented Porsche with what was generally agreed to be an ugly racing car. The 917/20 had an unusually wide body, with strange lateral overhangs which were designed to lessen the effects of air flowing over the wheel arches. The short, stubby car was revealed to the world at the traditional Le Mans test in April, sponsored by Martini & Rossi and driven by Willi Kauhsen and Gijs van Lennep.

But Count Rossi, dismayed by its ugliness, refused to let the car run in his famous colors.
So, in a rare moment of not-very-German humor, it was decided to paint it pink and mark out the bodywork in cuts of meat as a butcher might have done with a real pig

My mission in life is to preserve craftsmanship.

The Craft

The Whale Tail Project An emotional bridge between past and present.

THE SPOILER

The Whale Tail Project is a tribute to classic cars and the brand's legendary racing history.Johans Lamic uses original Porsche parts and colors only, so each Whale Tail comes with its own 30-40-year-old road trip-memories.The iconic Whale Tail made its debut on the legendary 1975 930 Turbo, a legendary car for an entire generation due to the first addition of a turbo to the engine, the specific wider look and driving characteristics due to the turbo lag and oversteering.

THE DROPS

Being an airline captain, Johans has a penchant for aerodynamics. His intention was to visually depict and explain the function of the spoiler.As air is a liquid, the drops symbolize fluidity and speed.

THE ROLL CAGE

Each Whale Tail is equipped with a roll cage type construction inside into which the rods are inserted at the ends.Striving for perfection Johans loves to include invisible details in his work.

THE POLES

The roll cage represents one of the most significant equipment for the personal protection in every sport car and in rally vehicles in particular.Mimicking that indispensable safety equipment, each whale Tail is created using 1.25 inches/32mm diameter tubes with a thickness of 0.09/2.286 mm as per international regulation for a vehicle weight between 1001 and 1500 lbs (vehicle weight+ driver).It is generally made of thin gauge pipes, joined together, to assemble a safety structure.

THE HEAD OF THE POLES- A TRIBUTE EXCELLENCE

The head of the poles are hand welded, just like the prototype after they were created- the exhaust pipe of the 935.

BASE

Each Whale Tail is mounted on a custom-made base.Johans chooses the color of the base in harmony with the design of each edition.Black granite- reminiscent of the rough texture of a racetrack.White “Thassos” marble, reflecting the beautiful sparkle of the Oryx White paint that serves as a base for some of his objects.

THE INLAYS

The inlays are bored with extreme precision from a single piece of metal.As smoothly as the pistons slide into the combustion chambers, so do the custom-made rods slide into their unique inlays.

THE NAME PLAQUE

The design of the nameplates is based on the engine decals ofPorsches classic cars.The engine bay decals often contain important information relating to the grade or types of fluid required, safety warnings, electrical information, firing order etc.

CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY

Each Whale Tail comes with a Certificate of Authenticity which is carefully stored in a handcrafted goat-leather pouch.The document bags are based on the design of the early Porsche’s tool bags.

DIGITAL CERTIFICATION

Each Whale Tail comes with a physical Certificate of Authenticityand is additionally registered and certified at Verisart.com to provide a permanent and secure record of ownership.As in every detail of the artwork- An emotional bridge between past and present.