Just returned from the PCA Treffin Tour...a great trip!

The trip included an exclusive Factory tour that was more inclusive than your regular delivery or factory tour which have been reviewed here... and included the leather shop where they grade, cut hides and stitch and assemble components. Saw a color board that had a samples of approx 50 different leather colors that are available.

FACT: All interior options are avalible at the factory. ie: deviating stitching, two tone dash...but PCNA does not allow for their ordering..whats up with that.

FACT: 150-60 cars are produced daily on two shifts and are all spoken for.
All varients are produced in mixed prodction including the Boxster

FACT: All USA 997 cars are 2cm (.787 in) higher than their euro counterparts.

Some how the rental agency ended up getting us two TechArt cars, a 997 (black) and 997S (silver)..all blinged out, I know some of you will love them..not for me, I'am happy with my bone stock "S"..

Driving on the Autobahn is really a treat, it's SMOOTH, and the hierarchy of driving is followed...crusing at 130 and did stretches at 150 (241kph). The conditions of our US roads are not conducive to safely drive at these speeds

Visited the Weissach test facility and had hot laps in a 997S tip, BoxsterS and 996 Turbo. Always fun to take a ride with drivers who know how to limit drive.

Also visited Werk1 facility where the repair and restore P cars from all over the world.

A GREAT trip indeed.

 

Mjones,
What a treat. Interesting on the in depth factory tour. We certainly didn't get that far on the standard tour. Agree with you on the bling factor with the Techart cars, but they had to be a sweet ride from the inside. Not many get to sample the Weissach track, especially with the array of vehicles you had the opportunity to sample. Awesome experience. Thanks for sharing.

 

Was wondering where the hell you have been..........Interested to hear your honest report on the differences to you between the 997 vs. 997S...

Gotta love all that bling........

You coming to the Q this Sat? Hope to see you there!

 

mjones, how did you arrange for the in depth factory tour? just wondering, did you do a euro delivery or what? is it possible for others to have the same tour?

 

Thanks MJones, sounds like Porsche nirvana. Really puzzling about the PCNA kibosh on personalized options.

At the factory did you get to see engine assembly process? If so, some accuracy to Porsche legend that one specialist assembles entire engine
(w/ apprentice who gets his own gig only after X years as apprentice?)
from start to finish as the engine moves down the line?

Looking forward to as many pics as possible from the trip.

 

The trip was a PCA Treffen tour for PCA members and at $2485 (all inclusive with car rental) was less expensive than doing a euro delivery...great value and great fun!


more info here:
http://www.fastlanetravel.com/site/treffen.html

 

Not legend but a fact... One person assembles each engine from start to finish, starting with case halves on an assembly line shaped like a long tall "U" the mechanic, engine and a trolly of parts move along together around the U and in front of them on the inside of the U are stationary bins containing all necessary screws, fastiners, gaskets etc needed for each stage of assembly. All tools required for each stage of assembly are pneumatic and have the right socket or tool as well as torque settings for the particular task are located overhead at each station.
Process from start to finsh takes approx 2hrs.

Engines are then filled with fluids and then transfered to the dyno station to check that the engine meets minimum advertised power output..engines typically are 3% to the + side. After testing the s/n is applied
Each engine built belongs to a specific car and there is a log made that contains all critical data.

There was one engine in the line that had two workers, one was an apprentice in training.

There is another assembly station where the completed engines are moved to by automated robot trollys that move about following embeded wires in the floor where the engines are fitted with flywheels, clutches, transmissions stick or tip, exhausts and the like completing the engine/trans assembly reading them for the marrage to the car on the main assembly line.

It's really an amazing process, the assembly/birth of a Porsche!

 

That's a beautiful image of the creation of rare and fantastical machines. Thank you.

 

Thanks MJones for the report! Gotta say that Techart rear spoiler is hideous, IMHO...

 

Thanks for sharing this.

Any more detail about your driving on the autobahn? Did you attract other drivers at high speed to stay with you or was the time to short for that?

A few years ago I was driving between Munchen and Stutgart. Driving around 135 MPH on cruise control and two other cars in my neighborhood for at least an hour at those speeds. Can you imagine how more productive we can be if we can do Houston Austin in say 1 hour and 20 minutes or so..... , instead of the current 2.5 to 3 hours.

 

I knew it! I just knew it! We had this debate here about this very fact and some supposedly informed individuals adamantly claimed that the ride height was universal. Remember that guys? Well, our good friend MJones has just provided us with invaluable intel. And I personally want to thank him for that valuable piece of information that finally settles the debate once and for all.

Now, the obvious question is how can we get our hands on those springs so we can lose the SUV height our cars currently come with. I don't care for the aftermarket springs (e.g. H&R) that lower the car too much (in my opinion) and stiffen the ride. I'm after that stock European ride height with unaltered stiffness. And I know I'm not alone here.

I guess an obvious way to get them is to contact a European Porsche dealer and order the springs through them. But I suspect that once they realize that the buyer is from the US, the SUV springs will be shipped instead. (In one of my earlier inquiries I was told that the springs have the same part number, but I’m sure there is a special designation or suffix to distinguish the two.) Seems like it will take a distributor or some type of middleman in Europe to effect this transaction. Are you guys interested in getting your hands on a set? Perhaps if we let someone know that a “buyer” is interested in buying a dozen or so sets, maybe this might get their interest in making the deal. Anybody in?

 

Just get the H&R's like I did...ride quality is not that much different!

 

Are our cars considered "hand-made" - or does that mean no robotics at all?

 

The installation of front and rear windows is a fully robotic process with no human interaction. A robot checks the bodyshell for precisce centering, then picks up the glass, applies the adhesive, and then places it into the body shell.
A very amazing process to watch.

 

Hi OCBen I would be interested too.