The Porsche Museum
In recent years, the sheer variety of Porsche’s cars has made the company seem like a more traditional luxury automotive company. However, its heart has always been in racing – essentially selling cars to support its racing habit. And the best evidence for this is the Porsche Museum itself.
On the main floor, the race cars outnumber the production ones more than 2:1. The collection is stuffed full of Porsche racing legends - ranging from the earliest prototype derived Porsche Type 64, to the infamous Porsche 550, to the 959’s Group B Rally predecessor. One of my favorite displays highlighted the 917’s insane downforce by mounting the car upside down on the roof. And they placed the 2016 Porsche 919 Hybrid a few feet away, still coated in rubber and scarred by its final WEC outing at the 6 hours of Bahrain.
In contrast to the first floor, the much smaller second floor is devoid of historical racers – instead featuring Porsche’s entire modern line up. Showcasing all 5 bodies on sale today, the second floor depicts how diverse Porsche’s offerings have become in recent years. However, this floor feels less Ferdinand Porsche and more Ferdinand Piëch. Maybe the museum was in-between on special displays, but showcasing production cars hints at Volkswagen Auto Group’s influence, as the Porsche founder was reluctant to even sell cars in the first place.
Unlike the other big dog in the Stuttgart area (The Mercedes-Benz Museum), there’s very little offered here beyond the cars, technology and racing history. While this means that the Porsche Museum isn’t the best place for the non-mechanically inclined, it’s a fascinating experience for those who even have a passing interest in motorsports.
You can see more pictures from the museum at the Native Customs Facebook Page.