Porsche classic cars on the
streets of Stuttgart
The
"125 years of the car" birthday procession kicks off on the Porscheplatz
On Sunday 8 May 2011, Dr. Ing. h.c. F.
Porsche AG, Stuttgart, will be teaming up with Mercedes-Benz and Audi,
two other car brands also based in Baden-Württemberg, to stage a
car procession through Stuttgart. 125 vehicles, contemporary witnesses
all, will bring the history of the three carmakers to life – in some
cases with well-known drivers at the wheel. The Zuffenhausen sports car
manufacturer will be putting 45 current and historic vehicles from more
than six decades of Porsche history on the start line.
The “125 years of the car”
procession will get under way at 11.00 a.m. at the Porsche museum,
which will be offering visitors free admission on the day. Matthias
Müller, Chairman of the Board of Management of Porsche AG, will
head the birthday procession in a Porsche 911 Turbo S – together with
his Mercedes-Benz and Audi opposite numbers. Dr. Wolfgang Porsche,
Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Porsche Automobil Holding SE, will
be driving the first Porsche prototype, the Type 356 “No. 1”, developed
by his father Ferry Porsche in 1948.
Current and former Porsche AG
works and racing drivers will also be taking part in the drive through
the town. For example, racing legend Hans Hermann will be piloting the
Porsche 917 KH on the streets of Stuttgart, the same car he and Richard
Attwood drove in the 1970 Le Mans 24 Hours when they won the first ever
overall victory for the Zuffenhausen company. The three times winning
Porsche 908/03 Spyder is being withdrawn from the Porsche museum’s
exhibition for Porsche works driver Marc Lieb. Finally, the 612 hp (450
kW) Carrera GT high performance sports car, once limited to 1,270
units, will be driven by double world rally champion Walter Röhrl.
In addition to a “police
presence”, the car procession will also give an outing to the Swabian
sense of humour. Stuttgart “Tatort” (Crime Scene Investigation)
Inspector Richy Müller will be switching on the blue lights on the
Porsche 356 C Cabriolet. In the Sixties, this classic car was used by
the Württemberg motorway police. And cabaret artist Christof
Sonntag will be behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 Targa (Type 964).
The destination of the
procession that will start at Zuffenhausen’s Porscheplatz is the
Schlossplatz in the centre of Stuttgart. Here there will be an
opportunity on Sunday afternoon to admire all the participating
vehicles at close quarters. Porsche will also be showcasing itself on
the Schlossplatz as part of an innovation exhibition true to its
“Porsche Intelligent Performance” philosophy: more power with lower
consumption, increased efficiency and reduced CO2 emissions. Three
modern day Porsche vehicles await the visitor there, providing an
impressive demonstration of alternative driveline technologies: the
Porsche Boxster E, the Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid and the Porsche 911 GT3
R.
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