- Sochi Olympics
- Special edition Porsche
- 2014 Porsche Panamera
- Maria Sharapova Panamera GTS
As the Sochi Olympic Games kicked off Friday in Russia, tennis champion Maria Sharapova wasn’t simply there for the torch-lighting ceremony. She took delivery of a very special 2014 Porsche Panamera GTS to demonstrate how far Porsche goes to satisfy its high-end customers. Given that sport competition is a central theme in her life, Maria Sharapova went with the most athletic of the 2014 Porsche Panamera range, the GTS, which she chose to have painted white.
Special edition Maria Sharapova Panamera GTS – touches include black gloss trim used for the headlight surrounds, wheels and window trim. Sharapova also chose to have the taillights tinted and black tail pipes added to the car’s sports exhaust system.
Inside, she chose the extended leather trim option and contrast stitching. The instrument dials have also been painted to match the body and the headrests embossed with the Porsche crest. The final touch is a set of carbon door sills with Sharapova’s name emblazoned on them.
The Maria Sharapova’s Porsche Panamera GTS was introduced for the 2013 model year and comes with a naturally aspirated 4.8-liter V-8 good for 440 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque. It needs just 4.5 seconds to sprint to 60 mph and will hit a top speed of 178 mph.
Off the tennis court, Sharapova has dabbled in product design — “full collections of luxury accessories, apparel, and even candy,” according to Porsche — and adding this Panamera GTS is an unexpected addition to that list.
“I never thought I would have the opportunity to add a car — especially a Porsche — to that repertoire,” she said. “Creating and specifying a very personal Porsche Panamera was such an exciting undertaking. It opens the door to a whole new design sensibility and allowed me to bring my own personal aesthetic.”
When she was signed last year, Porsche CEO Matthias Muller said Sharapova was “the perfect choice” to represent Porsche since she “combines top performance in her sports with elegance and power.” Other automakers, especially Audi, pay similar celebrities to drive their cars and smile for the cameras at big events like the Sochi Olympics.
In April last year, Porsche struck a deal with Sharapova to make the 26-year-old Russian superstar athlete the automaker’s first-ever brand ambassador. She then helped introduce Porsche’s all-new small SUV, the 2015 Macan, at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.
[source: editorial.autos.msn.com, motorauthority.com]
