Sally from 'Cars' in Australia

Unlike certain other German or American-owned marques that have appeared in a film franchise renowned for its high-profile stars and action sequences, Porsche didn't have to pay movie animators Pixar to cast one of their products in Pixar's film 'Cars'.

The film's director and known car enthusiast, John Lasseter, had settled on a Porsche 911 to play the role of the 'girl' in the 'boy-meets-girl' plot, without monetary consideration.

Named Sally in the film, the 911 was cast for her tough, strong image combined with sweet character and 'nice silhouette'.

Sally probably wouldn't want to discuss her vital statistics, but she is a 996-type, the first of the water-cooled 911 models. The film was made in 2002, well before the release of the 997 update (more here).

According to the Managing Director of Porsche Cars Australia, Michael Winkler, "Having one of our most beloved models featured in CARS gave us a unique opportunity to reach today's customers and tomorrow's aspiring owners in a new and compelling way."

Sally is in Australia for an exhibition, 'Pixar: 20 Years of Animation' and will also tour the country, appearing at Porsche dealerships. The exhibition will be held at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) in Melbourne's Federation Square from 28 June to 14 October.

As well as 'Cars', Pixar has created well loved animated films such as 'Monsters Inc.', 'Toy Story' and 'Finding Nemo'.

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