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Boxster, although this bug-eyed 1984 design study
possessed none of the elegance and drama of Grant
Larson’s Boxster Concept that debuted in Detroit in
- The decline in the US dollar and subsequent
collapse of Porsche sales did for the 984.
For all the glamour here, my eye is drawn to possibly
the cheapest car in the museum; a simple green 924.
I walk around the thing and suddenly I’m a nine-year
old kid in Marina di Massa, Italy, repeatedly pestering
the local dealer for a brochure. He stonewalled me
every time. Visiting the showroom for yet another try,
I noticed he’d gone out back and left the carousel of
glossy brochures unattended. I grabbed one and ran,
but only managed to run fill tilt into the plate glass
window in my haste to escape. As I came round with
the dealer principal and his receptionist clucking over
me, I finally got to keep my brochure. Every visitor
will have their own personal Porsche memories, even
if not all will be clouded by concussion, but that’s part
of the charm of this place. For a moment, you’re a child
again, filled with giddy wonder. I’m not going to spoil
all the surprises because, if you’re one of us, you need
to make the pilgrimage to this slightly scruffy suburb
of Stuttgart once in your life.
We finally turn to leave, departing via the workshop
in the basement, where we spot a 935, the 959 Paris
Dakar winner and the 2708 IndyCar all awaiting a bit
of restorative TLC from Porsche’s master technicians.
We step outside into the cold night air, the massive
factory opposite having sent so many of these cars
around the world and then welcomed them back into
retirement, back home here in Zuffenhausen once
circumstance and serendipity had rendered them
too valuable to drive. I’m not sure how I feel about
embalming them in perpetuity. It saddens me a little
that their days of fuel and fury are behind them. We
get into our taxi as a camouflaged Mission-E supercar
slinks across the yard in the factory behind us. It’s as
silent as a tomb in the museum but across the road
Porsche is busy building a new history.For a moment, you’re a child
again, filled with giddy wonder
Getting there
Pro tip: don’t turn
up on a Monday
because it’s closed.
Otherwise the
Porsche Museum
is fairly easy to
access. Admission
is eight euros for
adults, free for kids
up to 14. It’s open
9-6pm, parking
and wifi are laid
on, you can get
an audio tour of
the exhibits and
should you also
want to visit the
Mercedes museum
across town, your
Porsche entrance
ticket will net you
25 percent off the
price of admission
and vice versa.
If you’re driving
here, set the nav
for Porscheplatz,
Zuffenhausen
70435.