Love2Apex

Ok, so we are 1 week away from ED! This has been a dream of mine for over the last 10 years or more, first with BMW that never materialized, and now with Porsche. Good things come to those who are patient (and work hard). BIG Shout out to one of the ABSOLUTE BEST SA's I have ever worked with and Porsche is lucky to have him on their team, Andreas Moraitis with Porsche of Orlando made this whole grand master plan happen & come together with PTS & ED in the bag! An Unimaginable feat you say, well, hold on, yes this is actually happening!!

There were a few minor tweaks to our schedule although for the most part we are staying on track with the original plan. Also, per others previous experiences and advice with ED, I only have a few hotels booked thus far and will play the rest as we go. Trying not to jam too much into the schedule and simply GO DRIVE the GT4 in it's home land where it was destined to be enjoyed! We're not doing too much touristy stuff, although some, and focusing on enjoying the car more so. Another trip can be had for the other sites to see, and even though my dad isn't an auto enthusiast, he does appreciate them and the adventure. My dad & I will be off in 4 days and here is the itinerary thus far:


Tues June 14th: Arrive June 15th in London-Gatwick 11:05am.
Wed June 15th: Spend the day in London – Harrods, Knightsbridge (exotic sightings), St. Pauls Cathedral, Bar Boulud and Cask Pub and Kitchen.
Thurs June 16th: Fly British Airways to Stuttgart – arrive midday. Althoff Hotel Am Schlossgarten – Schloßgarten. MB Museum & Pubs?
Fri June 17th: Porsche ED in the morning, Porsche factory tour, lunch at 1:30pm. MB Museum? Start the drive to the Black Forest if early enough, and destination Zurich that evening.
Sat June 18th: A.M. drive south to Black Forest, then Sustenpass, Gotthard pass, Grimselpass, Switzerland. Alps 7-8 hrs driving…
Sun June 19th: Switzerland & Austria destinations. Austria/Alps/Castles? Alps 7-8 hrs driving… Innsbruck pass as destination?
Mon June 20th: Early A.M. drive to West Ger 5:30-7:30pm Ring. -6hr drive from Innsbruck Austria. RSR race car rental for Ring from 5:30-7:30pm.
Tues June 21st: Spend the day in Cologne. Then back at the Ring 5:30-7:30pm to run 1 or 2 laps in the GT4. Stay the night in the area, and head out early am to Stuttgart.
Wed June 22nd: Drop off GT4 at Stuttgart Porsche factory midday. Fly out from Stuttgart at 5:00pm to London.
Thurs June 23rd: Goodwood FOS
Fri June 24th: Goodwood FOS
Sat June 25th: Goodwood in the early am, leave at 11am. Fly out from London at 4:00pm


I'm heading to AAA to get my Intl driving permit now along with a slew of European maps. Will also bring the Euro Garmin along, just to have.

Few things still to figure out...
- Will the Zuffenhausen ED provide a front plate bracket to mount in the tow hook? If not, should I buy one?
- Euro SIM card. I have Verizon, and would like to do some live streaming of the trip while there, and thus use some serious data. Best place or carrier to get a SIM card for my Note 4?


Any input on the route, passes, or local destinations would be appreciated!

Cheers






Here's a link to my original post in the GT4 forum with the back story...
https://rennlist.com/forums/gt4/9130...summer-ed.html

Love2Apex

Post holder for pics & updates!

Dalema

If you specified no front plate they will have the front row hook plate all ready for you and installed when you pick it up at ZF.

I have Verizon, and as alternate to a SIM I did this for $10 a day (hotspot that you can connect 5 devices to). https://www.tepwireless.com Have fun!!

roup1

Sounds like an epic trip! Please post plenty of pics and updates !!

24Chromium

I bought an international license. However, I wasn't able to find it when packing, so I am here without it.

I did not bring any printed maps (well, other than one for the Nordschliefe ). Between my navi in the car, and the map applications on my phone and laptop, I haven't been yearning for anything more. The navi in my car is excellent. I've actually used it almost exclusively.

Dalema

I didn't have an international license. Not sure you would ever need it, or have people had issues?

mb1

I've never heard of any reason to get an international license to drive in Europe. No one asked for it at the Porsche factory. Never been asked to provide one at any of the rental car companies I've used. Wasn't asked to provide one for the Swiss cop who harassed me after my son unwisely whipped out his camera to take a picture of the border crossing into Switzerland. (That's another story altogether),

TorqueChap

Mtechnik, I'm picking up my Targa on June 22 in the morning. Will be around part of the day. Holler if you get into town early!

Love2Apex

Thanks for the input! Austria I believe is the only Country that "might" care about having an International drivers permit. So, just to be safe, and if I need to hand it over, I'll have one

After further research Verizon has a pretty sweet international plan for $10/day, you can utilize all of the plan benefits you have stateside. I figure they have the best network in the USA, they should have good partners abroad. Have you had slow connection with the TEP Wireless device?

We should be back in Stuttgart early on the 22nd! Let's try to link up and would love to see that Targa!

I went ahead and ordered a slew of items prior to the trip, some of the important scores were:

-Go Pro Session & a RAM mount
-RAM windshield mount for smart phone, will use on the Ring with the Porsche track app
-Seat belt covers to protect the LWBs
-New wash mitt and a few last minute detail supplies. (bringing a travel sized car care kit)
-Some addition Travel Pro luggage, a simple tote to go along with my carry on. Going to try and make the trip with just a carry on and a tote!


***So, one more question: Is there any place near Stuttgart that has a car washing area, where I can wash it prior to dropping it off at the factory? My SA stated that the ED cars typically come back over pretty dirty.