CAR Online has enjoyed early access to the sensational new Porsche Museum in Stuttgart. The 5600 square metre cathedral of all things Porsche opens on 31 January 2009 and cost the Zuffenhausen manufacturer nearly €100million (£90m) – thought to be nearly twice the original estimate.
The new Porsche Museum: what’s there
The old museum contained just 20 of Porsche’s collection of 300 significant cars, but the new facility can accommodate over 80. Most of the vehicles are kept in full working order – indeed the museum was designed so that the cars can be fired-up in situ. The landmark Porsche cars in this ‘Rolling Museum’ are active on various events such as the Goodwood Festival of Speed, meaning the displays will constantly change.
The new-for-2009 Porsche museum comprises three main areas: a workshop, the exhibition area and an archive. Other sections include a shop, a restaurant, a bistro and an event area. To see each, scroll through the images in our photo gallery above right. Be sure to click on the thumbnails to see the images full size with our full captions.
Cars pictured in our gallery include: Martini-liveried 917/30 Spyder, Porsche 924 Carrera GTS, a Porsche tractor, every generation of Porsche 911 Turbo, the current RS Spyder racer alongside the 550 Spyder of the mid ‘50s, plenty of 917s, the Rothmans-liveried 956, the factory recreation of the Type 64 ‘VW Aerocoupe’, Porsche 718 W-RS Spyder and the original Porsche Boxster concept car.
The CAR review: the new Porsche museum
The new Porsche museum is simply awe-inspiring inside. Despite the cost and the bold architecture, the museum doesn’t feel like an indulgent propaganda exercise. It’s a place for quiet contemplation – like the best art galleries – where visitors find themselves imagining the universe that surrounds each exhibit: the era, the places, the people.
How has Porsche managed to avoid the Diseneyland experience? By allowing the cars do the talking. None of the vehicles are roped off, the interactive elements are cleverly resolved and the 1000 square-metre workshop is a petrolhead’s idea of heaven.
Porsche owners can commission Porsche themselves to restore their car under the watchful gaze of the museum’s visitors in this dream workshop. Museum director Achim Stejskal told CAR that interest in the workshop has already exceeded expectations and there is a ‘long waiting list.’
Porshce Museum (2009): the opening hours
The new Porsche Museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, between 9am – 6pm. General admission costs €8 (£7) and children under 14 go free.
Starting in 2010 with a celebration of Ferry Porsche, the museum will also host numerous special exhibitions.
CAR’s verdict? We can’t recommend it highly enough.
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