VICARIOUS | Discovered: Three days in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen

Discovered

Three Days in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen - Where The Wild Things Grow

Story and Photography | Jeff Voth

Timing, they say, is everything. This applies to life, work, love, vacations and, of course, driving. Choosing when a drive takes place on a favourite highway can be the difference between taking the road to paradise or bumper-to-bumper purgatory.

On this day, the choice is not made by me exactly, but by the 2019 Porsche Cayenne we are driving. Traversing our way on the winding two lanes highways an hour or so outside of Stuttgart, Germany, we are apparently heading in the wrong direction. It can’t be our mistake, we are experienced travellers, so it must be the technology— right? Pride comes before the fall or in this case, the wrong turn.

A quick right out of our lunch stop parking lot when we should have turned left, followed by a second and third right down a back alley just to make things even more interesting and we are now twenty minutes behind the rest of the pack on Bavarian country roads with a suddenly sinking sunset. Evening is near and we are on our own.

There are times when it seems like a good idea to disagree with today’s navigation systems as they miss having the benefit of local knowledge. But then you remember: it is software and how could it possibly know all the shortcuts in and around a particular area. In this case, however, we are actually lost, so our only choice is to listen and follow the directions “she” provides. And that’s when it happens. Timing, oh the bliss of perfect timing.

With the world now fully blanketed in darkness, the Black Forest closes in around us with menacing resolve. Not to fear, we have 434 horsepower underfoot, all-wheel drive and most importantly on this occasion, Burmester High- End 3D Surround Sound; the night is ours for the taking.

In one of those “I will never forget” moments, we make up for the lost time coursing left and right at speed on a perfectly paved country road all the while listening to Bohemian Rhapsody blaring through the speakers. “Galileo, Galileo, Galileo, Figaro, magnifico”. It is truly “paradise by the dashboard lights”, excuse the mixing of music medleys, of course.

In no time, we catch up to the group and are once again on the road in tandem heading back for a night of schnitzel and beer in downtown Stuttgart. Day one is complete.

This trip started when Porsche invited a small group of Canadian journalists across the Atlantic Ocean to see, hear about, experience, and be taken for a ride in the allnew 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera S and 4S. But ever the resourceful ones, Porsche Canada’s PR team got us in a day early and provided the unique opportunity to take all three new Cayenne models out for a spin including a Turbo and E-Hybrid. It was the perfect start to what would be three insightful days in the land of Zuffenhausen, where Porsche cars are born.

Unlike most trips we take as contributors to the diatribe of automotive advice and insight we call journalism; our stay for the next three evenings is somewhat modest and dare I say pedestrian. The Best Western Loftstyle Hotel Zuffenhausen is not a converted castle or a steel and glass monolith to the extreme architectural meanderings of some famous building designer.

It is your typical business hotel constructed of concrete and rebar that serves the purpose of providing a great night sleep, excellent self-serve breakfast, and easy access to all things Porsche. In other words, it is all we need and sometimes that is the very best thing. The fact that it features a rotating disco ball in my 3-piece bathroom is simply icing on the cake!

Day two starts with three frothy cappuccinos, a quick bite of breakfast and the sudden opportunity to beat the crush at the Porsche Museum in downtown Stuttgart and wander the halls uninhibited by the crowds. As someone unafraid to admit that I have a personal passion for all things Porsche, this was a chance not to be missed. Three of us gather our gear, jump in the waiting VW van and head into town.

The Porsche Museum is an all-glass and steel building that resides at the epicenter of Porsche manufacturing. There are other Porsche factories in Germany, but this is the place where the 911 is built, so it is as sacred to the company as Maranello is to Ferrari or Detroit is to Ford.

You feel it the moment you step onto the interlocking brick entrance way and look up at your reflection in the mirrored glass outcropping of the museum. This is holy ground.

Lanyards secured around our necks, we head up the escalator to start the self-guided tour. Reaching the top, I am immediately immersed in the experience of German engineering at its zenith. Inside the exhibit, the walls and floor are white so as to not distract from the 80 plus cars on display. This is minimalism at its best.

The tour takes place as a historical walkthrough of the company based on characteristic attributes that include “Fast”, “Light”, “Clever”, “Powerful”, “Passionate”, and “Consistent”. It all starts with the car known simply as Model 1, the first prototype of the Porsche 356 built in 1948. It is the Holy Grail of the company, simple in concept, bold in its approach, especially when you consider the era in which it was created. This is the chalice from which all Porsche designs take their first sip.

What follows is a fabled tale of road cars, a tractor, sports cars, endurance racers, off-road combatants, and a trophy case filled with enough wins to convince anyone skeptical of Porsche’s pedigree that there are few sports car companies, let alone automakers in general, who could challenge the German automaker for road supremacy. They are not the only company to make fine automobiles worthy of an exorbitant price tag for most of us, but they do deserve their rightful place in the pantheon of sports car reverence.

My tour ends before it begins, well sort of. Prior to the innovative Porsche 356 of 1948, there was the original Porsche Typ 64 (60K10) of 1939. It is still in raw form, with swirls demarking the curved metal structure (perhaps Guards Red had yet to be invented) that would signal a shift in automotive history. Beside it sits the original Volkswagen Beetle, itself playing a key role in allowing Dr. Ferdinand Porsche the opportunity to pursue his passion.

“ This is the chalice from which all Porsche designs take their first sip.”

The day continues with the offcial press conference for the all-new 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera and a series of workshops held on the grounds of the factory at Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. We are carefully instructed on the finer points of quality control, design, and engineering, of what it takes to recreate an icon such as the Porsche 911. The new car is exciting, continuing with the classic rounded form but taking it further down the road in both look and performance. This is a behind-the-scenes look on par with the history on display at the museum, but with an eye to the future of Porsche design and execution.

Day three is all about time spent at the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg where Porsche has gathered a small group of 2020 911’s in both S and 4S form for test ride purposes. Prior to taking to the track, we are once again walked through a series of classroom sessions, this time taking us deeper into the advancements of the new 911 and why it is a significant step forward.

The interior, telematics, engine and suspension, braking, aerodynamics, and safety are all covered in detail, with cutaways and no end of instruments and new technology to experience first outside and eventually inside from the passenger seat.

It goes without saying that driving the new Porsche 911 would be best, but a close second on this day is having the opportunity to be taken at speed around the Hockenheimring by a four-time participant in the 24 Hours Nürburgring. I am a fast driver and comfortable driving on a race track at speed, but this is a whole different level of performance, one I could never achieve.

Seat belt fastened, I am happily tossed from left to right and back again many times, lurched forward under hard braking and pushed back in my seat as speeds quickly build and exceed 220 km/h on the short straight.

We don’t have use of the whole course, longer sections of the Formula 1 track have been blocked off, but it is enough to experience the car and all it has to offer those skilled enough to push its limits.

At the end of four laps, my driver showcases the latest wet weather and icy road conditions technology redefining the new 911. We lap water and icecovered corners at neck-jarring speed, dancing across the surface like a ballerina on blades, unconcerned by whatever the road surface puts in our way. I am left feeling somewhat lightheaded from the experience, but fully in tune with the technological advancements onboard the 2020 icon.

Three days in Stuttgart is hardly enough time to fully satisfy my sports car passion, but it is a fine sampling of the Porsche smorgasbord that awaits your arrival should you make the trip.

My suggestion would be to rent a Porsche model if possible and first take it for a ride in the country to truly get a feel for what this marquee is all about. If you’re lucky like me, you may even get a little lost at night and have to find your way back on a winding two-lane road under the inky veil of the Black Forest.

Don’t forget to invite Freddy along for the ride, it promises to be epic.