This Porsche Panamera Is A 671bhp Cigar Lounge

The Porsche Panamera often feels like it’s the most forgotten car in its manufacturer’s lineup, even if it might also secretly be the best. One owner clearly agrees, because they’ve sent their Panamera off to Porsche’s Sonderwunsch special order division to give it the sort of treatment you’d normally expect to see applied to a Maybach S-Class or a Rolls-Royce.

The car in question is a Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid, complete with the VW Group’s ubiquitous 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 kicking out 512bhp. Augmented by an electric motor, the whole system makes a combined 671bhp, allowing the car to hit 62mph in 3.2 seconds and a 196mph top speed.

We really hope, though, that whoever’s at the wheel doesn’t try that while the mystery owner is indulging in some of the new features they’ve had Sonderwunsch fit to the rear, otherwise things might get a bit wet. And ashy.

That’s because if you fold down the centre armrest, you reveal a Champagne cooler with storage space for a bottle and two glasses. Presumably, there’s nothing stopping you from using it as a Lidl Own Brand Sparkling White Wine cooler instead, but it’s not quite the same, is it?

Lots of luxury saloons have storage for a bottle of bubbly, though. The thing that really sets this Panamera apart is the cigar humidor in the rear centre console, ensuring that the owner’s finest Cubans are kept at an optimum temperature. There’s a cutter and lighter in there, too, for impromptu on-the-move smoking.

The rest of the car has had a bit of a makeover too. There’s a two-tone colour scheme with Leblon Violet Metallic on the top half and black on the bottom, while the paint is flecked with tiny bits of gold to make it literally sparkle. Pinstriping and trim are in Avium, a gold-ish hue developed specially for this car, which is also found throughout the interior.

Said interior is topped off with the coordinates of Zuffenhausen and Leipzig – where the Panamera was developed and is built, respectively – in the front headrest inserts, and a leather-lined boot floor. Oh yeah, and the scuff plate on the boot loading sill, a part of a car you literally never think about, has more tiny bits of actual gold in it. Gives you a reason to consider it, we suppose.

We don’t know who’s commissioned this car – perhaps Orson Welles from beyond the grave – but given that these ultra-luxury saloons are usually geared very much towards the rear passengers, we have to commend them for picking a car that the chauffeur can enjoy just as much. Again, though, we really recommend they stay out of Sport+ mode when the owner’s got a cigar and a glass of fizz on the go.