TAG Heuer participates to Arthur Kar’s L’Art de l’Automobile project who in partnership with Porsche, has completely redesigned a Porsche 968. A retro and resolutely modern creation named 968 L’ART, this outstanding art car integrates a new version of the legendary Heuer Rally-Master dashboard timers.
Paris, 05th October 2021: The Parisian fashion label L’Art De L’Automobile embodies the connection between vehicles and fashion. Its founder, Arthur Kar, has now fulfilled a lifelong dream in collaboration with Porsche: a specially redesigned Porsche 968. The art car named 968 L’ART epitomizes Kar’s ambition to transfer the perception of art to the automotive world. This one-of-a-kind car was created with the collaboration of TAG Heuer who developed a modern and arty version of the 1958 Heuer RallyMaster dashboard timers for this special occasion.
Unique exterior and interior design
The 968 L’ART was created with loving attention to detail over a period of 18 months, inside a Paris workshop. It is no coincidence that the basis of the art car is the Porsche 968, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Moreover, the styling of the car which is suitable for everyday use fits in perfectly with that of the streetwear label. The art car’s design is based on the retro look of the early 1990s, but with an updated and modern flair. The roof of the fully functional vehicle has been removed and turned into a roadster. Kar and his team developed a shade of green especially for the project. Another highlight is the rear, which is inspired by that of the classic Porsche Speedster. The taillights have been completely redesigned and feature ‘KAR’ lettering, which has also been used on L’Art sunglasses.
TAG Heuer reinterprets the Heuer Rally–Master for the 968 L’ART
For this extraordinary project, the TAG Heuer team, in collaboration with KAR designers, have developed a modernized and arty version of the famous Heuer Rally-Master dashboard timers. Initially launched in 1958, the Rally-Master is composed by two modules, positioned side by side – the MasterTime clock with 8 days of power reserve on the left side, and a Monte Carlo chronograph on its right side. This legendary dashboard time-measuring instrument has undergone several evolutions over the following decades.
This unique edition has been designed to blend perfectly with the aesthetic imagined by Arthur Kar for the Porsche 968 while preserving its iconic history. The green color used is inspired by the same pantone as the green of the bodywork and the red is the same color than the logo of the manufacture TAG Heuer. The red line crossing the dial has also been added with the KAR inscription to underline the exceptional character of this collaboration.
This new version of the Rally-Master also incorporates several elements that directly refer to the heritage of the house. In particular, the same typography and the same hand design as the original version from 1958 and the black chrome bezel also takes the codes of the Heuer Easy Rider model of the 1970s. A pure masterpiece, this modern watchmaking work is inspired by a vintage spirit that pays a vibrant homage to the heritage of the original model.
L’Art De L’Automobile – the fusion of two worlds
Arthur Kar discovered his passion for sports cars – and especially Porsche sports cars – at an early age. Born in Beirut and raised in Paris, he spent a lot of his childhood in his father’s car workshop. At the age of 16, he began working as a mechatronics technician in a French Porsche Centre and soon focused on iconic sports cars. In order to fulfill his dream of owning his own Porsche, Kar took the plunge and started his own business, selling vehicles he had reconditioned to customers all over the world. This enabled him to buy a Carrera GT when he was still young. In 2017, he founded the L’Art De L’Automobile fashion label, combining his love for athletic streetwear fashion with his passion for sports cars.
To celebrate the 968 L’ART, the label is teaming up with Porsche to launch two different capsule fashion collections. One is produced by L’Art De L’Automobile with their unique shapes. It will be sold at the exhibition during Paris Fashion Week in the Marais district (35/37 Rue des Francs Bourgeois, 75003 Paris), in high-end fashion stores and online. One highlight here is an exclusive Air Freshener created in collaboration with the cosmetics brand Byredo. The second capsule fashion collection consists of six pieces and is produced by Porsche. It can be purchased in selected Porsche Centers as well as online. The two collections are available from 30 September 2021.
About TAG Heuer
TAG Heuer, founded in 1860 by Edouard Heuer in the Jura Mountains of Switzerland, is a luxury watch brand that is part of LVMH Moët Hennessey Louis Vuitton SE (“LVMH”), the world’s leading luxury group. Based in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland and with four production sites, TAG Heuer has 1470 employees and is active in 139 countries. TAG Heuer products are available online on www.tagheuer. com for select countries and in 160 boutiques and 3,000 points of sale worldwide. The company is headed up by Frédéric Arnault, CEO of TAG Heuer.
For 160 years, TAG Heuer has demonstrated pure avant-garde watchmaking spirit and a commitment to innovation with revolutionary technologies that have included the oscillating pinion for mechanical stopwatches in 1887, the Mikrograph in 1916, the first automatic-winding chronograph movement – Calibre 11 – in 1969 and the first luxury smartwatch in 2015. Today, the brand’s core collection consists of three iconic families designed by Jack Heuer – TAG Heuer Carrera, Monaco and Autavia – and is rounded out with the contemporary Link, Aquaracer, Formula 1 and Connected lines.
Capturing TAG Heuer’s motto, “Don’t Crack Under Pressure”, are prominent partnerships and brand ambassadors that express the brand’s passion for action and high performance.
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