Arthur Kar first fell in love with automobiles when working as a car washer at a local dealership, creating a lifelong passion that would ultimately result in Kar owning and operating the L’Art De L’Automobile fashion label and rare car dealership, as well as possessing a world-class collection of more than a dozen exotic rides. And while Kar has managed to make most of his automotive dreams a reality, he’d long aspired to take part in an official collaboration with Porsche — another accolade he can now check off his bucket list as the L’Art De L’Automobile founder has recently joined forces with the Stuttgart firm to deliver a custom neo-retro take on the Porsche 968.
Dubbed the 968 L’ART, the project’s aim was to embody the connection between vehicles and fashion — an objective that’s been achieved through combining 1990s visual themes with modern-day aesthetics and stripping the donor of its roof to create a roadster-style 968. Made over the course of 18 months, the fully-functional 968 sports flared fenders, smoothed over pop-up headlights, blade-style mirrors, LED lighting throughout, and period-correct black wheels. The car also boasts several nods to the fashion label’s offerings, including the “KAR” lettering that adorns the redesigned taillights being a design cue that was borrowed from L’Art De L’Automobile’s sunglasses. To bring the project to fruition, Porsche and Kar also called on a number of leading brands to lend their expertise in the form of TAG Heuer providing the car’s dash-mounted clocks, Bose offering up a custom-designed audio system that’s been integrated into the interior of the 968 L’ART, and bespoke leather bucket seats produced by RECARO.
To commemorate the collaboration, two separate clothing capsule collections are being released, one through L’Art De L’Automobile that will be sold during Paris Fashion Week and another six-item capsule that will be produced by Porsche and sold on the German brand’s website.
