What’s a girl like me doing at a car museum, you ask? Well, given that I planned and organised the whole six-week holiday, I thought it would be fair to let my husband have a say in some of it. So he got the Nurburgring, and the Porsche Museum. 🙂
The futuristic building that houses the Porsche Museum is a work of art in itself, let alone the treasure that lies within it’s belly. Sleek lines and a modern, shiny exterior mimic the automobile brand’s distinctive style. We begin our visit, funnily enough, at the very beginning. A beautiful, silver beast with a brushed-metal finish welcomes us at the entrance of the showroom; a prototype created in 1939, the body type 64 was the forefather for all Porsches, a primitive model but still breathtaking in its early form.
Ferry Porsche once said;
“In the beginning I looked around but couldn’t find the car I dreamt of, so I decided to build it myself.”
And indeed this place is a realisation of a dream. These cars which bring millions of men to their knees worldwide, can only beget three simple words from my husband.
“Oh my god.” He is bedazzled.
“Oh my god.” Like a kid in a candy store.
“Oh my god!!” Overwhelmed, he doesn’t know where to look first.
The spaceship-white room is filled with an eclectic mix of cars; from the elegant, early roadsters perfect for a Sunday drive, to the latest in Formula One technology. He runs around snapping photos of the vehicles like they are beautiful women; closeups of the wheels, of the engines, of the badges, of the interiors;
I spend my time reading the plaques alongside each car on display, trying to show-off with my recently acquired knowledge; “Did you know any Porsche with a ‘Carrera’ on the end of it’s name means it has a sports engine?”
And find my groove in a selection of beautiful, blue specimens seemingly on display just for me;
It turns out to be, surprisingly, quite an educational visit!
1948 marked the creation of the 356 “Number One”; the first Porsche sports car.
Porsche’s single-seater built under the new Formula One racing regulations (which called for exposed wheels) in 1960.
The ancestor of the modern Boxster, the 718 RS 60 Spyder gained more than a 6-minute lead over a 3-litre Ferrari in the Targo Floria in 1960.
This Porsche creates so much down-force at maximum speed, it could in theory drive upside-down! (Yes, it was actually on the ceiling.)
On his 80th birthday, Mr Porsche himself was presented with this prototype based on the 911 Carerra 4. It went on to inspire the future Boxster.
A display of all the trophies Porsche have won.
These twins were hanging out in the carpark; the GT3 RS and GT2 RS!
Meanwhile, a curator revs up one of the engines. The sound of the beast is deafening in the massive space – it roars like the king of this shiny jungle, rather than the gentle, refined purr I was imagining.
“Oh my god.” That was me, this time.
There are also interactive pods where you can listen to the engines of each different model of car – the one below has samples of the 356c 1963, RS Spyder 2007, and 550 Spyder 1954;
And a well-timed exhibition on their advertising in the 50s and 60s, when Hanns Lohrer, Erich Strenger and Herbert Kapitzi created the iconic Porsche brand.
“From the outset, Porsche advertising was as unconventional and exciting as the cars it was promoting. It was constantly differentiating itself from the other car manufacturers’ adverts, was more eye-catching, exclusive or courageous – and always in harmony with the brand itself. Porsche’s advertising hung its hat not on technical attributes or even price, but on communicating a modern and exclusive attitude towards life that was to be expressed in particular through graphic design.”
Both my husband and I have a background in graphic design – I’ve also spent the last five years working in the advertising industry, so the exhibit sparked a particular interest with us;
The museum was the only reason we stopped in at Stuttgart – my husband “dragged” me there, but I’m glad he did! For a girl who can’t tell the difference between an F458 and an Aventador, I walked out of this brilliant building a new woman; enlightened, enriched, and suddenly very wanting!
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