Fascinating Documentary Shows What It Takes to Build the 992 Porsche 911
Legendary racer Hans-Joachim Stuck walks us through the entire assembly process of the 992 Porsche 911 and its historic past.
The Porsche 911 is, without a doubt, an icon of the automotive world. For nearly six decades, it has stuck around, through thick and thin, always evolving but never undergoing what one might call radical changes. That’s a testament to the car’s greatness, of course, which has led us to the latest and greatest 911 – the 992 Porsche 911, which is outlined in great detail in this fascinating documentary from WELT.
What’s particularly cool about this 992 Porsche 911 documentary is that it’s narrated by Hans-Joachim Stuck, the legendary German racer who competed in Formula One, Touring, Formula Two, and the 24 Hours of LeMans over his storied career. Outside of waxing poetic about the 911 in general, Stuck focuses on Porsche’s factory in Zuffenhausen, where the 911 has been built since 1963.
Today, around 3,000 employees and a few hundred robots crank out roughly 250 911s each day, with over one million assembled here in total. Roughly 350 employees work specifically in the body shop, welding, gluing and riveting the 911’s body together, which is a delicate process given the many composite materials that go into its construction that are key to retaining the model’s signature lightness.
Finished bodies move from station to station via their own mezzanine near the ceiling of the multi-story plant, which gives it a smaller footprint. After the final components are installed, the bodies head to paint – a process that takes a whopping 9 hours. Stuck also discusses Porsche’s factory restoration program, which is a fascinating process as well, as the automaker prides itself in being able to “repair anything.”
From here, bodies are then fitted with wiring harnesses, a process that takes exactly 175 seconds, then the instrument panels, then glass. Between each station, the 911 is transported by a series of moving belts and elevators, navigating its way through the delicate process. Eventually, each is fitted with its mechanical bits, including the various engines that serve as the heart of the car’s sporting nature.
Watching the 992 Porsche 911 come together, piece by piece is undoubtedly a fascinating process. And it’s also clear that Porsche has achieved its reputation for quality through obsessive engineering and the incredible attention to detail in its assembly, which are two of the big reasons the 911 has proven to be such an enduring legend.
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