Let me paint a picture for you. Imagine yourself driving along the picturesque A-8 Autobahn from München to Stuttgart. Moving at a breakneck speed out of the German state of Bavaria there was a pair of signs. The first announced arrival into the state of Baden-Württemberg and the next proclaimed the following. “Wir Können alles Außer Hochdeutsch.” That phrase roughly translates to “We can do everything except high German”. In my very limited ability to understand German, I began to think about what that really meant. Understandably, I probably didn’t get the whole context of the cultural joke. But what I did understand is that Schwabians are a very unique bunch; a group that I could actually identify with and felt at home being around. For example, you might find Schwabian style is not exactly what the normal German folk would find acceptable. Hmmm, being a second generation native Texan I can relate to that concept. Just walking through the Stockyards of west Ft. Worth made a distinct connection. What sane person would have an Angus steer-hide slathered over their sofa in a living room of worn wooden tables?
That cultural joke couldn’t be better applied in the northernmost area of Stuttgart. The neighborhood is more commonly known as Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. It was there that Professor Doktor Ingenieur [honoris causa] Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche established his company that has become the benchmark for the automotive industry. In mid-December 2009 I made the trek to the home of the 911 (“neun elf,” auf Deutsch) with my best friend as a way to celebrate the holidays and visit friends I had made while living in Germany. The morning started out brisk with the cold German winter against our cheeks. Walking to the Schwabstraße S-bahn station we took the S6 toward Leonberg/Weil der Stadt. After a series of stops that took us through the city-center and Hauptbahnhof (main train station), we jumped off at the “Neuwirtshaus (Porscheplatz)” stop and behold - the Mecca of Porsche.
After paying the nominal 8€ entry fee into the Porsche Museum, an escalator ride two football fields long slowly revealed a world dedicated to preserving a large chunk of automotive history that was - and still is - the standard for what a car should be. Everything Porsche was carefully placed to properly chronicle the automotive icon. Roughly eighty vehicles are on display, including everything from the earliest 356 Coupe to the legendary 917 along with a complete history of the 911. The display area doesn’t follow traditional museum architecture. The building itself is a piece of artwork designed by Delugan Meissi from Vienna. The archive section houses more than 10,000 images and more than 200 hours of video. During our visit, there were two special presentations. The first exhibit was dedicated to 100 years of Ferry Porsche and the other was the Panamera Moment. The emotion that overcomes you when you stand in the midst of so much dedication and commitment to automotive excellence can’t be written or spoken of, it must be experienced!
So the next time you find yourself sitting at the Porsche dealer pondering what color your new Boxster, Cayman, or maybe even Panamera will be, I would also ask about one option that you can’t afford not to have. It is the pure joy of experiencing the beauty and excitement driving the Autobahn and standing in the main Porsche showroom that will truly take your breath away. But that isn’t enough when Stuttgart is a town so full of culture and life. European delivery from Porsche or just visiting Stuttgart will create a bond with your Porsche that will last a lifetime.
