We were headed to Munich from Heidelberg on our anniversary vacation, but upon the suggestion of Cody, we had to make a quick stop in Stuttgart, Germany. Why? To visit the Porsche Museum. The museum is well worth a side trip even if you’re not a car fan — and even if you are, it’s still worth going.
The exterior of the Porsche Museum
The Porsche Museum is located in Stuttgart, Germany and is a must-see for any automobile enthusiast. It’s free to enter, open 9:00 to 18:00 every day except Mondays, and has been around since 1998.
The museum houses over 350 cars dating back as far as 1898 and includes rare models that have never been driven on public roads before.
The Porsche 917/20 “Pink Pig”
The Porsche 917/20 is an absolute beast of a race car. It was designed to win the 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans, and it did just that after being driven by Gijs van Lennep and Herbert Müller.
The Porsche 917/20 was created by Ferdinand Piech, Hans Mezger, Josef Kales (who also designed the 1st generation 911). This masterpiece was built for both speed and comfort with its short wheelbase and incredible chassis design.
The Porsche 909 Bergspyder
The 909 Bergspyder, which translates to mountain climber, was a prototype sports car built by Porsche in 1963. The car was designed by Ferdinand Alexander Porsche and Hans Mersheimer. It was powered by a 1.5 liter flat-four engine that made over 300 horsepower and could accelerate from 0-60 mph in less than four seconds. The 909 Bergspyder competed in hillclimb races but didn’t win any titles before being destroyed during testing at the Nürburgring racetrack.
Porsches in the museum
You’ll find Porsches all over this museum. In fact, there are over 100 cars in the museum from different eras and with varying importance. Some are famous, like the first car ever produced by Porsche AG: the 356 “No. 1” (1948). Others are not as well known but still very important to the company’s history: The 924 Carrera GT (1982) is a prime example of this type of car—it was designed to be both fast and beautiful, and it won many races for its speed on track days around Europe before production ended in 1988 due to stricter emissions regulations coming into effect. Other models include some rare ones like a 959 S1 (1986) or one of only seven 250 GTO Berlinetta LMBs ever made ($25 million price tag!), but most were simply stylish sports cars made for driving joy rather than collecting value over time like some other luxury brands do today
Unique 911s
In addition to the wonderful selection of Porsche automobiles on display, the museum also features a few unique 911s. Among them are:
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The 911R (limited edition)
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The 911 GT1 (won Le Mans in 1998)
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The 911 GT3 RS (one of the fastest production cars in history)
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The 911 GT3 RS 4.0 Weissach Package (a lighter and more powerful version of the already-fast car)
There’s also another special edition model called the “Weissach Edition,” which has even more horsepower than its predecessor. You can see how much is left unspoken by looking at the photo above: it represents what happens when an engineer meets his or her maker—in this case, Dr. Helmuth Bott himself!
Historic airplane engine test rig
The test rig was used to test engines. The engine was built by Porsche, and it came from an airplane. The plane flew in a race, and it won the race because of this engine.
The engine was mounted on a car, which then went faster than any other car had ever gone before—it even beat out cars built by Mercedes-Benz and BMW when they raced each other on public roads!
Afterwards, Porsche made modifications to the original design so that it could be used on boats as well as trains; these versions were called “Porschen-Diesel” (“Diesel Porsches”), which was eventually shortened down into PD but still retains its meaning today: diesel power at its best!
The Carrera Panamericana race car
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Porsche 917/20 “Pink Pig”
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Porsche 909 Bergspyder (Weissach)
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Porsches in the museum – Type 356A 1500 GS Carrera Panamericana, Type 356A 1500 GS Carrera Panamericana, 911S Targa Florio Edition, 911 GT2 RS Clubsport
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Unique 911s – 1969 911T Targa, 1974 911 2.7 RS Touring, 1978-1980 Turbo Carrera 3.0 Coupé, 1989 Speedster and 1993 Turbo S Cabriolet (pictured)
Take a side trip to the remarkable Porsche Museum, even if you’re not a fan of cars
If you’re in Stuttgart, Germany and have even a passing interest in cars, we can’t recommend the Porsche Museum enough. The museum is located inside Porsche’s headquarters and is full of famous Porsches from past and present. You’ll see everything from the original 356 to modern-day 911s on display here. Even if you don’t know your flat sixes from your camshafts, it’s worth visiting this museum just to see how many different ways one company has been able to make cars that look sharp and go fast over the course of more than half-a-century.
Of course, if you are into cars (or even just one specific kind), then this place will be a paradise for you! It’s got everything from concept drawings to recent models; racecars to street machines; engines to art projects—you name it! And while all these amazing vehicles may be housed inside one building with over 500 square meters (5,400 square feet) worth of space dedicated exclusively for showing off their history…
Conclusion
A visit to the Porsche Museum is an experience that will last a lifetime. You can be sure that you’ll never forget it and you’ll always want to go back!