Nicole

Oh yes, looks very familiar - even though I would hardly ever go inside. Too much smoke, too loud, and I'm not a big enough beer drinker to make it worth while...

Thom1

So Nicole hmmm,

Racing/Rennsport Porsche engineering got into your blood,... heavy right foot,... left foot must dip when rpms get close to redline, at same time, right hand shifts?

Nicole

While generally, everything with four wheels always caught my attention, I was always most interested in streetable vehicles, and especially cars with clean, simple, flowing lines - cars that were dynamic even when standing still. It took me a while to understand the 928's design - especially its round tail. But once I "got it", I was hooked...

My first ever visit to a race track was in my teens for a Formula 1 race - I got tow tickets for some expensive seats for my birthday, and my Dad took me. Gosh, that was sooo disappointing! I could hardly follow what was going on - too far away, loud, and you never knew who was in which car, who was leading and who was lapped. I decided that racing wasn't for me and stopped even watching it on TV.

Many years later I got some tickets for a DTM (Deutsche touringwagen meisterschaft) race and went with a good friend. Much better - we were much closer to the action, and it was phantastic to see Hans Stuck with his Audi V8 blow away all the other guys.

Fast forward by about 12 years: Local 928ers convince me to go to Laguna Seca and watch Mark Anderson and Mark Kibort race their 928s. Me thinks this might be a "macho" event ("I am faster than you because I have more HP", etc.), but I should not be closed minded. So I join the gang and have much more fun than I ever expected. Suddenly I can identify, because someone races a car that looks like mine! And kicks butt - beats many much more expensive and newer race cars!!! Awesome! The 928 rules...

I plan to go again this Sunday, and support our "heros". Will I turn my car into a racer, or ever own a racer? No, it'll never happen. But I can enjoy a race when I can relate to the people who are involved.

Parnelli Joneser

Everything about that picture looks familiar, even the blur...ahhh, I sure had a good time in Germany.

Garth S

....... proud? To summarize all this excellent historical and cultural analysis, it means 'STUD' - stamped front and center of your shark! Now we know why the lady in your avatar has such a big .... ah .... smile.

Ron_H

Randy V

Moved to General Discussion forum...

Steve Jensen

Thought Gmund Austria was the birthplace of the Porsche cars... (the '48 and '49 aluminum bodied production original 356s...) then they moved to Stuttgart/Zuffenhousen (sp way off!)

Drewster67

Nicole - Thank You for your insight into Stuttgart history.

I looked up Stuttgart, in the dictionary, and they gave this simple answer.

A city of southwest Germany on the Neckar River south-southeast of Heidelberg. Chartered in the 13th century, it later developed as an industrial center. It was heavily bombed during World War II. Population: 594,406.

I like your insight better!

87turbo911

Isn't the Ferrari prancing horse called the Cavallino? It looks slightly different from the Porsche crest one but who knows if they're based on similar designs? I surely don't.

993Maineiac

Nicole-Great answer.

Just a couple of historical additions. Enzo Farrari liked the Stuttgart crest so much he used it first.

In the early 1950's Ferry Porsche was visiting the US distributer. At a meal-I forget which-he was told that the marque needed a crest for identification. Ferry drew it on the back of a napkin and took it back to Germany for refinement-and that is how it came to be. The werks were originally in Stuttgart but Porsche moved their headquarters to Gmund for safety during the allied bombings. The Stuttgart buildings were taken over by the American army after the war-who paid rent to the Porsche's, and after things cooled down in the early 50s returned to Porsche-right after they had built another werks on the assumption that the US Army was not about to relinquish it soon. Fortunately at about the same time Rueters decided not to make the tubs so Porsche needed Werks 1 after all.

Al

tuk_928

Ahhhhhh Germany....ummmm BEEEEEEEER (think Homer Simpson).

Along with taking in some fine cultural experiences, lovely scenery, socializing with some very nice (lady) volks in Munich, Wurtzberg (wow...what a night!), Heidelberg, and several other beautiful places in the Black Forest and Alps...I pretty much drank and partied my way through Germany, Austria, and Switzerland the month after graduating from college. In all honesty...some of the best times of my life. But get this....like the 22 y/o idot I was way back then, I somehow did NOT make it to Stuttgart.

Flash forward 16 years....picture me sitting on the couch with my wife watching TV. In passing last night...my wife calmy tells me that she will be travelling to Stuttgart on business sometime next year. Well, after expressing my initial disbelief which yielded to shock and finally...joy!, I informed her that I plan to tag along.

Soooooooooooooooooo, just how expensive IS it to RENT a Porsche in Germany? I plan to do this the right way this time around.

Tim

ps.
Thanks for the info on Stuttgart, Nicole; and the same to Al (993Maineiac) for passing along some interesting history about the Porsche crest and WWII-era activities.

Nicole

Renting a Porsche in good cold Germany is prohibitively expensive. The only feasable way might be to go through Porsche's own "Travel Club" - which offers touring packages that include the car. Otherwise expect a high daily rate with few miles included, and a high price for additional miles.

tuk_928

Nicole,
Thank you for the info on renting a Porsche in Germany...bummer.
Do you know how to get in touch with Porsche's "travel club"? Would I visit the NA site or the DE site? I've got some time yet for planning....about a year or so.
Best,
Tim

Nicole

Tim:

Try this:

http://www2.us.porsche.com/english/u...ub/default.htm