Deep within the inner walls of the Porsche factory in Stuttgart, Germany, is a small operation known affectionately as the Special Wish department. But this is no ordinary corner office that ships your long-awaited Cayenne Turbo with a set of running boards. Rather, it’s a Skunkworks of sorts, unlike anything from any other car manufacturer. A small group of determined Germans take a car off the assembly line and turn it into something only the customer can dream of. Everything is done in-house so whatever you plan to do, it’s backed by the full faith and credit of the late Ferdinand Porsche himself.

Want your new 911 Carrera S painted in competition orange off a 68 Dodge Challenger? No problem. Prefer the stitching in the seats to be a secondary color that matches the dashboard? Done. How about removal of the air-conditioning system so you can achieve better times at the track? Just say the word. Looking for larger cams and better gear ratio on the 6-speed? They’ll do it before it leaves the factory. They’ll even remove all exterior badging on the car — including the venerable Porsche crest — if you are aiming to go stealth. The whole idea is, some people have a need to be different and the Special Wish department realizes not every car off the shelf is going to be good enough for the discriminating owner. Several well-to-do sheiks (are there any other kind?) and businessmen have taken it to the absolute extreme over the years. It’s ultimately your car, and they are there to help realize your fantasies.

It would be nice if a Special Wish department existed everywhere:

“I prefer Desmond Adedeji to be 25lb lighter and an 80% shooter from the stripe.”

Poof. We pay our 50 bucks and watch it happen.

But that’s not the way of it, in the real world anyway. We’re obliged to tolerate many things and not all of them meet our approval. But the same goes for others and were the Special Wish department on speed dial, your friends and family might alter you in ways never imagined. Everyone has that annoying friend who doesn’t know they are annoying. Chances are you’re that annoying friend to someone.