Buying a new Porsche is a “life experience”. My wife and I agreed picking up our new C4S at the factory and driving it in Germany would make it an even better Porsche adventure. I then saw a "Grand Tour” was offered. Two times a year Porsche offers European Delivery customers a bonus which includes a VIP tour, dinners with factory personnel and a driving experience. Timing was flexible, so we signed up for the spring event when we ordered our car.
We arrived in Deutschland a few days early to get acclimated. I saw several Porsches including a 356 Cab driving up a cobblestone street in a 600 year old town. Wednesday morning in Stuttgart we gathered in the hotel lobby to meet Gabriel McFarland, the European delivery manager, and the other GrandT Tour participants. 3 couples, a single man and 3 fathers and sons were picking up cars. The cars were a C2S, our C4S, 4 Turbo’s (3 Cabs), and a GT2. The GT2 was not ready yet, so Porsche lent the owner a red Turbo for 2 weeks till his car was ready.
The first tour stop was at Werk 1, the original Porsche offices. Our tour leader and factory collection specialist was Ronnie Till, a 29 year employee, who showed us historic pictures taken here. These buildings look the same as when 356’s were produced and as in 1969 when the 917 racecars were presented to the FIA inspectors. We were led though the Classic shop by the manager who explained the restorations and maintenance they do on older Porsches. Projects included 8 959’s, a prototype 924 and a 912 with over 100 hours of labor in it ($$$).
The engine rebuild shop had a 908 motor on a stand and a 356 in for a broken valve and piston. I resisted picking up a souvenir! In the courtyard Ronnie pointed out the office of Dr. Ferry Porsche which is kept much like it was when he worked here. Lunch at the visitor’s Casino preceded time at the “old” Porsche museum which holds 15 cars and several engines. The employees seemed very excited about the new museum which should be open in the fall. The Porsche Driver’s Selection Shop had clothing to complement a new Porsche.
The engine assembly shop was next. One worker is responsible for each engine, following it down the line, assembling all the parts. This is true for all 911, Boxter and Cayenne’s engines, which are all produced here. The upholstery department started with full cow hides, dyed in the proper colors, being inspected by hand and then cut by a CNC water jet machine. Application to the interior components followed with trimming being done by hand.
The 911 production line was amazing. All 911 models go down the same line: Carreras and Turbo’s, coupes and cabriolets. The bodies come from the off-limits paint shop next door. All assembly is done by hand except for the front and rear windows that are handled by a robot. My wife laughed when she heard the mating of the driveline to the body was called the “marriage”. We had a great German dinner in the evening with Stuttgart produced wine. Ronnie Till told us of his passion for Porsche and his personal dealings with Ferry Porsche and other Porsche family members. Volker Giering, US sales manager told us he has seen the new Panamera and it is beautiful. When Ronnie told my wife and me he had seen our new car our excitement grew.
A bus took us to the factory collection area Thursday morning and we were like kids at Christmas. There were 13 adults who couldn’t stop smiling. Our new Meteor Grey Carrera 4S was waiting for us and was as clean as it will ever be. Ronnie our collection specialist gave us a thorough explanation of our cars features and documentation.
The Grand Tour pulled out in one line, heading for a hotel at Speyer and the Hockenheimring with our luggage “packed” into our new 911. My first drive down the autobahn was with 6 other 911’s and we were doing 120 mph within an hour of picking up our new car.
The driving exercises at the Hockenheimring were a slow speed handling course, braking exercises, and a wet skid pad. The wet skid pad really showed off the effectiveness of PSM. We also ran the “skidpan” which moves the rear of the car right or left as you reach the wet skid pad where you are suppose to catch the spin, but it seemed impossible. The site of brand new 911’s spinning wildly was priceless, especially when I rode with my wife when it happened to her! The adrenalin rush we all felt was apparent that night at dinner, just like after track events back home.
The group split up the next morning: some went on a Swiss Alpine tour, others to Sweden for 4 weeks, and the borrowed red Turbo to the Le Mans’ 24 hour race. We continued on a 1100 mile tour of southern Germany in our new C4S which was an experience we’ll never forget. Dropping off the car 10 days later was a sad but hopefully short separation.