The 

Porsche

Museum

and 

Factory

Tour 

 Starts on Porsche Strasse

Leading up to the tour

My thanks to my wife who organized the factory tour, what a treat.  

Tour date: October 2002

 

Your dealer should have a form that they can give or fax to you. You fill it in requesting up to five dates. Fax it to dealer. Dealer sends with their recommendation to Porsche Cars North America if in US. They send to the factory in Stuttgart. Factory assigns you to an appropriate language tour and then PCNA sends you ticket and directions. You must be 18. Dress is business casual. No photos in the factory itself.

We stayed at Castle hotel Weitenburg the night before our tour. http://germany-castles-hotels.com/weitenburg/ This was lovely, the castle is in an absolutely quiet, out of the way place over looking the farming valley it has protected over the centuries. Our room was the Tower room. There is a five star restaurant in the castle (my rating) that served wild venison filets wrapped in a crepe, wow. After a great nights sleep and a solid German breakfast we were off to mecca, the Porsche factory.

The castle was on the A81 south of Stuttgart, less than an hour drive north to the Porsche factory, which is off the A81 northwest of Stuttgart. Instructions to the factory provided by Porsche [after your tour is approved] worked well. We arrived at the Porsche factory early because of reported parking problems. Thanks to Frogster representing Geneva on this BB we knew where to go to park. See appendix A below for his parking instructions. 

Select photos from the Museum

The Museum's first exhibit

Never saw so many Porsches in my life. The plant is surrounded with hundreds of new cars. There are employee/test drivers exiting with a new Porsche every few minutes for the 30 kilometer 80 point test drive. When you enter the first thing you see is the Porsche boutique with Porsche bicycles, etc. Next-door is the Museum with all the studs of the breed. Interesting was the Boxster on display with the body cut out for viewing.

Boxster undressed rear

Click on Photo for Hi Res version

The tour was two hours and extremely interesting. I discovered that Volkswagen makes the Boxster five-speed trany. BMW presses all the sheet metal and provides many engine block parts. Mercedes contributes also but I forget what their part is. Porsche is an engineering and final assembly operation, all parts are out sourced based on cost and I presume quality.

Boxster undressed side

Click on Photo for Hi Res version

The tour guide bubbled when discussing the Cayenne, and we saw the Cayenne engines being assemble there [think “big”]. Saw a Cayenne hot pepper racing around outside. I discovered that the name Cayenne is from an Italian hot pepper. Italian?

Boxster undressed front, Click on Photo for Hi Res version

Click on Photo for Hi Res version

First thing in the tour was the engine assembly area. With pride it was pointed out that wherever a Porsche is built (Finland, etc.) the heart (engine) is assembled there in Stuttgart. We also saw the final assembly line where it all comes together. 

Jeff with the GT1

I noted that all convertible windows are glass. In Stuttgart, if I remember correctly, they are producing about 150 911s a day and maybe 2 Boxsters. About 70 Boxsters are being produced a day in Finland.  

The exhibit

Frogsters parking instructions at the factory, very helpful.

There is a huge parking lot a five-minute walk from the entrance.

"Porsche Platz" is a big roundabout where the dealer is. go down the street opposite the street in front of the dealer. it is a wide street with cars parked in the middle. about 200m from porsche platz there is a street going to the left and a sign "Tor 2" (gate 2). take that street. at the top, it makes an elbow (90deg). that's where the entrance to the museum and selection shop are. follow the road to the right. go to the end (stop sign) and turn left (going up hill). as you get to the top, the road curves to the right and goes over a bridge. just at the curve, turn left (which is actually straight but you're turning left as far as the traffic goes, get it?). there you'll find a huge free parking lot with tons of spaces.

Porsche Factory Tour in French, Lot's of photos

 

 Jeff's Boxster Page

 

 The Great Valley House Home Page

 

Updated 02 Nov 2007