Born to Win: Rediscovering Porsche’s Fascinating Racing History

N.Y. Times delivers double-dose of compelling car history with visits to Stuttgart’s Porsche and Mercedes museums.

Still waiting to accrue the vacation time and extra funds that will allow you to finally take that long overdue trip to the Porsche Museum in Germany? Well, the New York Times provides the next best thing to actually being there with some great coverage of “Where Your Mercedes-Benz and Porsche Were Born.” The Times recently sent auto journalist James Schembarisept to visit Stuttgart’s famous Porsche Museum and the Mercedes-Benz Museum, and, of course, it was the one with the fascinating racing history that caught our attention.

“Racecars [at the Porsche Museum] have real road grime, dirt and dents,” museum director Achim Stejskal tells the Times. “And all the cars actually run and participate in hundreds of events worldwide every year.”

The museum covers 60,000 square feet of space telling the story of those race cars, like the late 1930s’ Type 64 that eventually led to the iconic 911. The focus is on champion race cars, but the exhibits actually trace Porsche’s fascinating history all the way back to Ferdinand Porsche’s early VW designs.

‘Racecars [at the Porsche Museum] have real road grime, dirt and dents. And all the cars actually run and participate in hundreds of events worldwide every year.’ 

Of course, you simply can’t be surrounded by all of these incredible automobiles and learning about Porsche’s 30,000 professional racing wins without seriously feeling the need for speed. And the Porsche Museum has you covered there, too, with an option to actually get behind the wheel of a 911 and push it to 60 mph. That’s if you got the $3,000 deposit and $165 an hour.

“If you love the brand, especially its racing history, you’ll love the museum,” says Schembarisept, who also covers a bit of the museum’s adjacent Porsche factory tour.

Check out the Times’ compelling coverage of what it’s like inside what is likely the number one spot on every Porsche enthusiast’s bucket list.

David Ciminelli

Los Angeles-based journalist David Ciminelli has covered everything from high-profile Lexus and Toyota reveals to reality TV show competitions focusing on custom automotive mods. He considers the "Droptops & Dirt" event in Malibu, “Luftgekühlt” and Sunset GT among his favorite automotive events to cover.

He has also interviewed artists like Megadeth and Jennifer Lopez, handled red carpet interviews at the MTV VMAs, and covered rock icons Rush getting a star on Hollywood Boulevard for media including The Hollywood Reporter, Daily Variety, Out Magazine, IN Los Angeles and more. His byline has also appeared in Billboard, Ad Week, Backstage and Art Voice.

Currently, David contributes to over a dozen automotive websites, including Ford Truck Enthusiasts, Club Lexus, Rennlist, Chevrolet Forum, Corvette Forum, Team Speed and Harley-Davidson Forums.