Grant Larson’s association with Porsche and the 911 is both long and pivotal. After graduating from California’s Art Center College of Design in 1986, Larson joined Porsche in 1989 as part of Harm Lagaay’s new wave of contemporary automotive designers, alongside the likes of Pinky Lai. While Lai was ultimately responsible for the 996’s design, Larson’s early work at Weissach culminated in development of its smaller sibling in the 986 Boxster. However, Larson’s first major imprint on the 911’s own legacy would come with the advent of the Type 997. Larson returned the car to a more traditional 911 appearance, moving away from the 996’s controversial one-piece headlamps. This proved popular with enthusiasts, and the 997 remains a uniformly favoured generation.
Evolving the 997 aesthetic for the Turbo model, it was Larson too who oversaw key architectural development of two Porsche icons from Exclusive Manufaktur in the period: the 997 Speedster and Sport Classic are considered halo models of the genre, the latter being arguably one of the most desirable road-going 911s of all time.