pstraub

I was in Paris a couple weeks ago to visit my 22 year-old son who is going to school there. So, I just had to do a side trip to Stuttgart and see the new museum. It was an amazing experience, spent a couple days taking in the museum. I also had prearranged a full factory tour for my family, and a side trip to Weissach (about 15 miles west of Zuffenhausen) to see Porsche's Development Center. The new museum is spectacular, with unbelievable access to all the cars. You can literally walk up and touch these parts of history, no ropes, no barriers. There is a coffee bar where you can hang out and look into an amazing live work area. Also, an informal restaurant on the first floor, and on the top floor, Christophorus. This is a high-end restaurant looking out over the entire Porsche complex. The factory tour was incredible, we started in "Werk II", the building where the current 911 is still assembled by hand (the ONLY robot on the entire 997 assembly line installs the windshield, that's it!). We also got to tour the engine assembly line, the upholstery shop (where they still start with full cowhides, cut out all the pieces using high pressure water, and stitch the interior onsite). You must schedule a factory tour ahead of time. If you ever go, do everything you can to make that happen, I will never forget it. Lastly, the Weissach facility is amazing. Since this is where all the technology is developed, there is not much you can see as a 'visitor'. There are walls built around the test circuit, but I did manage a find a clear hillside and get a 'spy' photo. They are still very secretive about the Cayenne Diesel and the Panamera. I got a decent photo of them doing hot laps on the Weissach test track. There were no cameras allowed on the factory tour or at Weissach, but the museum is fair game. I will attach a few general photos here. One of interest for 993 fans was a Stuttgart police car. We know how significant the 993 is, and this one happened to be the one-millionth car that rolled off the Porsche line since they officially opened shop in 1948. Also, a Gulf-Porsche 917, and a couple shots from outside the factory. Anyway, I took a couple hundred photos and will post them on another site one day soon. If you are a Porsche fan, you MUST make this journey one day. Plan to spend a few days to really take it in.

mike993c2s

Paul,

Sounds like an awesome trip. Last time I went to Germany (that was 10 years ago), they only had a limited number of cars on display at their old museum. I also didn't get to do the factory tour. I'll have to make this trek someday. Thanks for sharing the photos.

race911

Just finalized our Euro trip yesterday. Will have to do the museum on a Saturday (5/30 if by the slightest chance anyone here happens to be there that day), so no factory tour this time. We did it in '99 when we were there to do a Euro delivery..........of Karen's 328i.

What still stands out after all these years is the kid giving the tour being completely dismissive of a 993 turbo engine sitting on display once you got off the elevator and into the engine assembly area. "That's the OLD technology......" (Remember this was '99, and the oh-so-modern 996 engines were being built at full tilt.)

curve lover

Paul-- Wonderful pix & write-up, especially the Polizei 993. Dan (Edgy01) wrote of it in the Laugh or cry: puke green & other oddities PHOTO THREAD, but your photo's the first I've seen of it in 'retirement.' Thanks!

Before the museum:

curve lover

Any Porsche family-owned vehicles displayed?

Might they ever have a 993 Speedster on exhibit? If I haven't already made it to the museum by then, the day I hear one of those is on show is the moment I'll be back in Germany.

I loved Rhonda's Porsche Museum Zuffenhausen Pictures..., but was surprised at the conspicuous lack of 993s. A museum without art?! (Admittedly biased.)

Thankfull, Ronnie3585's New Porsche Museum - Stuttgart thread has this one cameo...

curve lover

Related thread: Mike993C2S' New Porsche Museum video.

Avenger6

I am not sure if they are "Family-owned," but the "extended/four-door" 928 is there (Sign says was a gift to Ferry) as well as the Carerra Panamerica, which also says was made as a gift to Ferry. It is the vaguely 993 looking car with the zip off roof and the reduced fenders.

Also there is a Hutschke von Hanstein 356 in his custom color, which is sort of a green/blue metallic. All of his cars were done in that color, including his last one, a 928 that I saw when the club liaison guys used it to guide our bus to Weissach for a tour we had there about ten years ago.

AOW162435

Thanks for the write-up and nice photos. I would really like to see the same one day.

BTW, does your son know Adam?





Andreas

pstraub

This 356 is the first one to be built in Stuttgart, after they moved production from Gmund, Austria. It was named 'Ferdinand' and was given to Dr. Porsche for his 75th birthday. This is the car that is on the 'official' t-shirt for the new museum.

pstraub

Hi Andreas, no, my son does not know Adam. I brought my 16 year-old with me so he could visit his older brother in Paris. Here is a funny pic I took just after we finished the factory tour. We were walking down a side street where factory employees park, this VW obviously belonged to a worker with a sense of humor. You have to love the Carrera4 badge on the rusted-out Golf!

AOW162435

Adam was Seattle-based Rennlist legend from a few years back (Search terms: Dior, RUF, hotel, Paris). Sorta left us in a huff...





Andreas

pstraub

OK, finally got the photos from my trip on my website, here is the link....

http://www.paulstraub.com/TravelGallery.html

If anyone wants a high-res original, just let me know.....Paul

Boston911fan

Pstraub, thanks for posting the pics and the writeup. I just talked to one of my best friends who moved to Berlin last year, and I told him that I might visit later this year and also go to Stuttgart. How can I go on a factory tour? I went to Wolfsburg a couple of years ago (Volkswagen is my religion), and there were tours every half hour. I heard that you have to sign up in advance to go on the Porsche factory tour. What did you end up doing to make the arrangements? Also, did you get to go to the library in the new museum? I heard they have hundreds of books, but you have to reserve time for that, too. Thanks!

MarkD

awesome pics Paul!

Don't know how I missed this when you posted... just caught it.

Nice spy photos...

curve lover

Thanks for the tour, Paul!
Any recollection of the significance of the blue 993 behind Turbos? I'm guessing it's a projected 'evolution' morph; appears to be a similarly-painted 996 in your following photo.