This report could already make it as another addition to the blast from the past series, as I visited Wolfsburg last autumn. The massive Autostadt site hosts over a dozen buildings, and given my slightly late arrival, I immediately made my way to the Porsche Pavilion to arrive before the masses. The 70th anniversary year of the Porsche brand raised my expectations, as I witnessed several commemorative exhibitions from Rétromobile to Autoworld.
The Porsche Pavilion is located on the southeast side of the massive 28-hectare Autostadt site. I started with this one upon arrival, as the Porsche pavilion was among the closest to the gateway building. The elegant concrete structure is located next to a lake that was refurbished at the time of my visit.
A famous quote from Ferry Porsche welcomes visitors into the display area. “In the beginning, I looked around but couldn’t find the car of my dreams. So I decided to build it myself.” Certainly more appropriate than Enzo’s famous quote in the Louwman Museum.
The pavilion interior continues with the minimalist design focusing on the substance. Contoured highlight the cars on display. The first installation showcases the evolution of Porsche models.
The car of Ferdinand’s dream, announced at the entrance became the Porsche 356, that is the starting point of the first installation, consisting of a group of 28 silver models in 1:3 scale. At the other end, three specimen of recent Porsche models are showcased.
The collection of cars illustrates the development of the series-production models and race cars built in Zuffenhausen. I just briefly mention here, that the main Porsche Museum also keeps a wide variety of cars from the period before 1948, when Ferdinand Porsche designed cars for companies like Lohner, Austro Daimler and Mercedes, and I also recommend to visit the Fahtraum, the private collection of the Porsche family located near Salzburg.
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The main exhibit for the classic period was the very first 1954 Porsche 356 Speedster from the private collection of the Porsche family.
Thematic media installations provide further insight into the brand 70-year history but also its philosophy.
The cornerstone of this part is the interactive book that allows to page through the history of the brand.
Finally, I have to give a quick remark on the best part: upon leaving, I started a brief chat with the ward who was guarding the exit. Turned out he was an avid fan, with a classic 964 at home, and quite knowledgeable in the classic genre. He gave me a whole bunch of ideas for the rest of Autostadt and also for my future trips, and thanks to him, I added the Porsche Leipzig to my bucket list.
