'Brunch' goes to Stuttgart where the marque is celebrating 25 years of letting its elite customers drive designs
Porsche recently celebrated 25 years of catering to the most discerning needs of its loyal fans _ both purists and enthusiasts _ which it does with the Porsche Exclusive programme. This will give buyers a Porsche supercar built exactly to meet their tastes and requirements. Each to their own, as they say.
Germany’s People’s Car was envisioned by Porsche as being powered by an aircooled rear engine, giving rise to the famous VW Beetle silhouette.
We are talking about detailed customisation that allows Porsche customers to choose from a wide range of colours, wood trims, fabrics, upholstery ... and so much more.
It is important to note that Porsche Exclusive does not cover any aspect of engineering, body or powertrain. It's not as if you can place an order for a new version of a 911 Turbo.
Porsche Exclusive is in Stuttgart, Germany, at the Porsche factory, and the range of customisation is at first overwhelming, to say the least.
Porsche joined Daimler- Motoren-Gesellschaft in 1923. His first design as chief engineer is the visually imposing 2.0 litre Monza.
There was an all-yellow Porsche with yellow leather trim, yellow seatbelts and basically yellow everything, while the Jordanian government once ordered a handful of Porsches in the country's national colours. Other extremes included shocking pink and jaw-dropping colour combinations that were just surreal.
As I said, each to his (or her) own.
Porsche Exclusive said that these "rare" colour combinations make up just a small percentage of its business and have no negative impact on the image of Porsche as a whole, but instead exemplify the desire of Porsche to meet its customers' needs.
Porsche also lays claim to being the world's first supercar manufacturer to have pioneered the concept of individual customisation 25 years ago.
Designed for Austro- Daimler, the Sascha launched Porsche in the Targa Florio road race in Sicily in 1922.
On arrival at the Porsche Classic customer centre, a lineup of classic Porsches were being paraded for our media delegation to see the extensive restoration work done on these gems of yesteryear.
Porsche Classic is all about restoration, repairs and maintenance, using contemporaneous or newly factory-made Porsche parts _ there are more than 38,000 components stocked in the Porsche Classic warehouse.
It all started with the Porsche 356, the first Porsche that rolled off the line at the Zuffenhausen plant. Restoration work can be carried out on the 914, 911 (up to and including the 993), 959, 924, 944, 928 and 968. The timeframe and cost varies with the man hours needed, but restoration usually takes about a year.
Restoration is all about maintaining the authenticity of your Porsche. Original special tools, blueprints and data sheets are used in the Porsche Classic workshop. The work is documented and quality certified with a special badge in a restoration folder.
In 1946, entrepreneur and racing enthusiast Piero Dusio commissioned Porsche to design for his new Cisitalia marque which resulted in this single-seater with a 1.5 litre, 12-cylinder engine.
Repairs can range from fixing minor shunts to major body damage, body re-painting, interior alterations and engine overhauls. Maintenance is completed on a par with a restoration project, but regular inspections might be difficult for overseas customers.
Interestingly, Porsche said that about 70% of all of its cars produced since the first 356 are still on the road.
That is a fascinating statistic that speaks volumes for the quality and durability of Porsche.
Customers can visit www.porsche.com/classic to find out about Porsche Classic events.
There can only be one No 1: The first sportscar bearing the name Porsche was this sporty version of the VW.
Stylish, sporty and fast, and an object of passion for Professor Ferdinand Porsche. Originally designed for the Berlin- Rome race, and known as body Type 64, it is the forefather of all Porsches.
The first 356 was built in Stuttgart on the Thursday before Easter (Maundy Thursday) as a present for Porsche on his 75th birthday on Sept 3, 1950.
The 904 was the first Porsche with a plastic body. Fitted with a fourcylinder engine, it is the most beautifully styled racing Porsche.
Porsche Type 754 T7: The idea for the 911 begins with this model, but company head Ferry Porsche, Ferdinand’s son, opposed a fully fledged four-seater, so the T7 never went into production.
Porsche 356 B 1600 GS Carrera GTL Abarth: Only 21 of these aluminium-bodied cars were built. It was designed by Franco Scaglione and made by Carlo Abarth in Turin.
Developed in cooperation with Harley- Davidson, the Revolution engine is used in the V-Rod motorcycle.
Penske Racing’s Porsche RS Spyder in 2005—the open-top sports car won driver, team, chassis and engine rankings at American Le Mans.
Credit: Bangkok Post (www.bangkokpost.com)
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