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For those that have done ED before, this may be old news, but for us, it was everything we expected and more! With limited time and spotty high speed internet, didn't have a chance to post our experience to RL, but we came out of this trip with a ton of takeaways which may be of use to someone considering ED.
From what we understand, it costs the dealers about $3,000 per ED. In return, they get additional allocations of non-GT cars. FWIW, we also heard that dealers will trade allocations (ie. Panamera for 911 or 718...), but I'm digressing. Part of the benefits is a flight discount with Delta, Porsche's corporate partner. For economy, there's no discount at all. You can get equal or better rates from Kayak or Orbitz. For Economy Plus, there's a bit of savings, but not significant. The best value is for First/Delta One, which was about a 50% savings.
We chose the latter option. Our routing was LAX/ATL/STR and NCE/AMS/LAX for the return. It was a mix of First, Delta One on Delta and KLM.
Our LAX/STR was on what must have been a Gen 1 777. The herringbone seating arrangement and age of the aircraft was definitely felt. It was about a 4 hour flight and we were hoping to get some rest, which she got, but for me (6'0"), I could not find one position that didn't feel like my feet were shoved into some medieval torture device. I'm not a fan of the herringbone for the lack of privacy, but when booking your flight, jump on Seatguru to pick out a row that may offer a bit better position.
When you get your ED packet, Porsche includes two taxi vouchers that you can use for any taxi service. You could literally walk to the taxi stand and jump into the first available. After picking up our luggage, we went to the My Taxi office at the very left side of the arrival level and got an S class that was more comfortable than the LAX/ATL flight! BTW...ATL/STR was on a 767 with staggered side by side seating. Much better! The ride to the hotel was an easy 35 minutes on a Thursday morning.
On the ED form, you have a choice of two hotels; the Steinberger Graf Zepplin or the Althoff Schlossgarten. Both hotels are within 100 meters of each other and central to a large shopping area and the Schlossplatz, which is a large plaza that's pretty cool to hang out. We opted for the Schlossgarten because it overlooked a park. We also requested a suite, which they accommodated. Porsche will pay for one night. We stayed two nights and paid for the other night. The hotel caters to business, so don't expect too much. However, the included buffet breakfast was excellent. Great variety and surprisingly good quality.
Our flight arrived at about 0800 and by the time we got our room assigned and luggage situated, it was about 1130. We decided to take a taxi to the Mercedes museum and take a tour. It was 6 euro each and since we were the only English speakers, we essentially got a private tour. It should have taken an hour, but he spent over 90 minutes with us and going into a lot of detail.
The next morning, we used our last taxi voucher and left for the mothership (20 minutes away) with enough time before our appointed delivery time to get oriented. The taxi basically drops you off at Porsche Platz, which has three main buildings around a central plaza...the dealership, the museum, and the factory. Having never been there, and not being directed as to where to go, we went into the museum to ask for directions for ED. At each of the three buildings, there are Porsche shuttles that will ferry you around. We jumped into a waiting Cayenne for the 75 meter drive to Werk 1, where delivery takes place.
We had a 0930 appointment and we checked in at 0920. They have a small lounge and we grabbed some drinks before meeting our delivery representative and seeing the car.
It's a Carbon Grey Metallic (M9Z) with sport buckets, PCCB, lift, deviated stitching (Bordeaux), full leather, CF trim, lighted CF sills, gauges in guards, alcantara steering wheel with guards 12 o'clock marker, extended range tank, and other bits. It was amazing to see this color in person, especially having never seen it before and making the choice in about 6 hours because of the PTS window that opened up! The color is a warm metallic grey with brown flakes. It's very much like a very dark Agate, which is exactly the conservative shade that we wanted, since the GT4 is a guards with black stripes and screams for attention!
After delivery, Porsche buys you lunch at Christophorus, their VIP restaurant, of sorts. The food was outstanding as was the view of Porsche Platz.
The museum was next on the agenda. It was smaller than the Mercedes Museum, but the content was quite good.
By the time we were done, it was about 1700 hrs. Werk 1 was closed, but we had the car parked outside. A couple pics inside the original factory grounds and then in front of the museum and we were off to the hotel.
We found a place within easy walking distance called Ochs und Willi that served traditional Swabian food. This was a meal for four!
The next day, we got an early start to our next destination, Lake Como. It was a 5.5 hour drive through Switzerland, with a 130 km stretch on the A81 that was unrestricted.
Luggage...we bought a Rimowa PTS XL roller that was designed to fit specifically into the frunk. Cost in the US was about $800 delivered. We saw the same one at the dealership store for about $700. On top of the Rimowa went a garment bag. There was enough room on the side for shoes, etc... The Rimowa carry on and two large duffles went into the rear. One seat was all the way forward and the other was all the way back. Each duffle was about 35-40 lbs and wasn't a problem getting it between the seats and into the back.
It was a breeze navigating the city and the highways (or maybe because my navigator is the best!) and we were off to Como, with a stop at Lake Lucerne for lunch! I think I sprained my face grinning as much as I did!
Great write up of your experience. Have never done ED and between your write and Orthojoe's it has got me thinking I need to do this some day. Maybe the 992.2 RS.
And it must be a very nice and slightly "exotic" experience coming from US
Thank you!
We spent 3 weeks exploring Italy, Monaco, and Provence. It was a humbling experience to see and touch as much history as we did and for you to live there, maybe you have a different perspective! In Provence, we stayed in an abandoned quarry that dated to the Roman era!
Great write up of your experience. Have never done ED and between your write and Orthojoe's it has got me thinking I need to do this some day. Maybe the 992.2 RS.
Originally Posted by AbsolutelyNobody
Great write up and thanks for sharing! ED is definitely a must at least once for anyone buying a Porsche.
Thanks! We maxed out on the insurance coverage provided by Porsche (16 days). If you do it, I'd highly recommend doing the same thing!
Same with the back. Since we had 2 check ins (75 lbs each) allocated to us, we brought along a spare duffle for gifts and typical stuff that we seem to accumulate along the way!
Before entering Switzerland, you need to buy a Swiss Vignette (highway pass) and place it clearly on the front windshield. It's 44 Euro and you can buy it at any of the gas stations before the Swiss border. There's also a Shell station just after you cross the border, but we wanted it before crossing, just in case.
So apparently that didn't go as planned and we were flagged for inspection. "Your papers, please" or something like that While they had our passports, those three guys to the right were more interested in the car than profiling us as terrorists, asking uncomfortable questions like "how much does a car like this cost"? WTH...
Lunch at Lake Lucerne! Either the small place we chose was expensive as hell or it's pretty much like everything in Switzerland.
Onwards and chasing a Lotus! Caution...there are radar controlled cameras EVERYWHERE and I may have been flashed once or fifteen times, I lost track. Switzerland is the worst. I followed traffic with Swiss plates, figuring they know where big brother is hiding.
Entering Cernobbio. Many places were so tight, they had lights controlling one way traffic like this. We paid attention to these lights, otherwise we'd have a few hundred meters of reversing.
Home for the next week! Villa d'Este was a 25 acre summer residence of Cardinal Gallio in the 16th century. It was originally founded as a convent in the 15th century, until the Cardinal demolished it and had a commission to design this residence. It was converted into a hotel in 1873. The entrance is surprisingly small and the hotel is understated, as much as this hotel can be. Nothing over the top, Vegas-style, but the attention to detail and service was something else. It wasn't stuffy at all...just old school charm and service. The Grill is apparently a favorite hangout for George and Amal Clooney.
Thanks for sharing.......just love the way the food is presented in Europe.........spent over 10 years visiting Germany working for German companies - Goldwell and Wella and always did the Italy or France or Greece side trip........awesome car you built and best way to take delivery! Have to have a list of hotels!!
04-23-2019, 03:34 PM
2019 PTS GT3 Euro Delivery...done!
While they had our passports, those three guys to the right were more interested in the car than profiling us as terrorists, asking uncomfortable questions like "how much does a car like this cost"? 
WTH...
