Porsche Starts Building Its Latest Facility At Germany’s ‘Other’ Grand Prix Circuit

Want to see and feel what Zuffenhausen’s finest can do, first hand? Then you’ll want to take one of its high-performance vehicles to the track – and Hockenheim could be just the ticket.

That’s where the German automaker has now laid the cornerstone for its newest Porsche Experience Center. Once completed, it will encompass a 1.7-mile (2.7-kilometer) handling course and an off-road route (with gradients up to 70 percent), as well as driving simulators, a restaurant, shop, showroom, and conference center – all on some 40 acres (160,000 square meters) of real estate.

A mecca for all things Porsche, the facility is slated to open late next year. It’ll be similar to the Porsche Experience Centers already operating in Atlanta and Los Angeles, at Le Mans and Silverstone, in Shanghai (opened earlier this year), and at the factory in Leipzig. The second such location in Germany, the Hockenheim facility will be even closer to the headquarters in Stuttgart, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) away.

The Hockenheimring where it’s located is arguably Germany’s second best-know racing circuit, historically alternating with the more famous Nürburgring to host Formula One’s German Grand Prix every other year.

“Porsche is inextricably linked to sports cars. Our new Hockenheimring Experience Centre will demonstrate this bond perfectly,” said Alexander Pollich, CEO of Porsche Deutschland GmbH. “Located just 100 or so kilometres from the brand’s headquarters in the Zuffenhausen area of Stuttgart, the centre will give customers and fans the chance to feel the thrill of driving our sports cars on challenging on-road and off-road tracks.”