Custom Bennett Awards for Porsche Classic Restoration Challenge 2024 Race Past The Finish Line
2024 Porsche Restoration Challenge Award by Bennett Awards
Work With Us
When Porsche reached out to Bennett Awards to create custom trophies for the 2024 Porsche Classic Restoration Challenge, they wanted an award that would reflect the prestige, innovation, and tradition that Porsche is known for. Working collaboratively, the Porsche team and the Bennett team came up with a wide variety of ideas and ultimately landed on a design for a unique, custom sculpture award that worked within the budget. Bennett’s expertise and craftsmanship resulted in a premium custom award that reflects the expertise and craftsmanship of the winners in the Porsche Restoration Challenge!
Restoring Excellence With Porche and Bennett Awards
The Porsche Classic Restoration Challenge is a prestigious competition celebrating the expertise and craftsmanship of Porsche Centers across the United States. The challenge invites participants to showcase their mechanical and creative skills through three categories: Preservation, Restoration, and Individualization. These categories require competitors to bring classic Porsches back to life, from maintaining original components to enhancing functionality, restoring vehicles to like-new condition, or fulfilling special requests with Porsche Genuine Parts.
For this competition, Porsche wanted an award that would showcase the essence of the brand and the restoration process. Although a sculptural model of a car might seem like an obvious direction for this award, the Porsche team wanted a tall, vertically oriented award, while the bodies of most cars are indeed more horizontal. They wanted their award to stand up and stand out, boldly celebrating the history and legacy of Porsche, and of course, the incredible skill of the restoration artists.
High-Performance Awards for High-Performance Cars
Bennett Awards embraced this challenge and presented an innovative, abstract design concept. Instead of focusing on a specific model, the design centered around a racetrack, an essential symbol of Porsche’s high-performance roots. The racetrack design is vertically oriented and consists of sweeping circular shapes. These shapes convey the speed and movement that is at the core essence of all Porsche vehicles while also representing the cyclical nature of automotive restoration as a process. Just like the continuous process of restoring and recycling classic vehicles, the loop symbolizes both history and renewal.
Design Elements That Revv Engines
The award itself is a true reflection of Porsche’s heritage and innovative spirit. Bennett’s designers brought the racetrack to life using 3D printing technology, allowing for precise detailing and a high level of customization. The racetrack was then finished with a matte white coating, giving it a sleek, modern look.
Three small, painted cars—representing Porsche’s classic models from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s—were placed on the racetrack to appear as if they were speeding down it. These miniature cars were not just decorative elements but symbols of the history and evolution of Porsche vehicles. Each car was painted in the signature Porsche brand colors- either red or black- with a glossy finish that contrasted beautifully against the matte white finish of the track. This attention to detail brought the entire piece together and reinforced the connection between Porsche's legacy and the future of automotive restoration while also capturing Porsche’s iconic white, red, and black color scheme.
Given the constraints of the budget, Bennett Awards was careful to balance the need for precision and premium quality without compromising the integrity of the design. Instead of using metal for these sculpture awards—an expensive material that wouldn't have been noticeable under the white finish—Bennett chose to use Ballistic nylon for the main structure of the award. This choice allowed the designers to achieve a precise, clean finish while keeping the costs within budget. The nylon is durable, lightweight, and still offers the premium aesthetic that Porsche expected.
The Grand National Champion Stands Out From The Competition
Another unique aspect of this project was the design of the additional award for the Grand National Champion, which was a new category at the competition for 2024. To ensure this award stood out, Bennett Awards opted to place the trophy on a taller base, making it larger without needing an entirely separate design or casting. The largest trophy in the collection measures 14 inches tall, making it an impressive symbol of the highest achievement in the competition.
The other awards, while on slightly smaller bases, still maintained their stature and presence. All the awards were mounted on solid black bases made of marble, adding a sense of weight and elegance. The use of marble made the awards feel substantial while keeping them balanced and easy to handle. White fill was a unique choice for the text on the bases in order to match the racetracks’ finish.
A Collaborative Success In Craftsmanship
The collaboration between Porsche and Bennett Awards was not only a creative success but also a testament to effective teamwork and problem-solving. Karen, the project manager at Bennett Awards, expressed her satisfaction with the outcome, noting that the most rewarding part of the project was the ability to create “something so beautiful and impressive within their budget.” She added that seeing the final product, which was both functional and artistic, was incredibly fulfilling for the entire team.
The sculpture awards were unveiled during the 2024 Porsche Classic Restoration Challenge at the prestigious Petersen Automotive Museum on October 4th. The event saw three overall category champions awarded, and the new Grand National Champion introduced for the first time this year. Visitors were also invited to vote for the People’s Choice award, adding a layer of excitement and engagement to the competition.
A Lasting Legacy Captured Through Custom Awards
The 2024 Porsche Classic Restoration Challenge Awards are not just a reflection of the winners' achievements—they’re a tribute to the entire process of restoration. Porsche’s commitment to preserving their heritage while innovating for the future is encapsulated in their passion for restoration, and in the design of these premium trophies as well. Every curve of the racetrack, every gleam of the miniature cars, and every detail of the shapes and colors tell a story of automotive excellence.
Porsche’s team was very happy with the outcome, as the awards successfully captured the essence of their brand while celebrating the craftsmanship and dedication involved in restoring their classic vehicles. This collaboration between Porsche and Bennett Awards not only resulted in a set of custom trophies but also marked a moment in celebrating the art of automotive restoration—showcasing innovation, tradition, and the circular process of renewal in the world of classic cars. In the end, these custom awards will serve as lasting symbols of excellence for those who have mastered the art of restoring Porsche's iconic vehicles.
