The long-rumored Porsche Experience Center, located in Carson, California, has finally been approved. This will be the second Experience Center in the U.S. and will span a total of 53 acres. According to the first details we have on the project, it will include "a museum displaying historical vehicles, a business center, driving simulators, a high-end parts and service area, a restaurant, and a ’human performance center’ designed to train people like race car drivers."
The work on this project will begin at the end of the year and Porsche hopes to have it ready by fall of 2013. However, There is still a lot of work to do, considering they will need to clean up the former landfill site, raze the now-closed Dominguez Hills Golf Course, and demolish the vacant Don Dominguez Apartments.
It looks like this hard work will worth in the end, as the new Porsche Experience Center will also include two tracks — one measuring 2,500 feet and the second one about 5,000 feet. It will include areas where special surfaces replicate rain, ice, and snowy conditions. One of the driver-training sections is a 350-foot-long "Ice Hill," where a steep slope, computer-controlled water jets, and a low-friction surface will challenge even the most experienced drivers and help them improve their real-world skills.
The new Experience Center will also offer lots of activities for kids, track access, dining and conference spaces for car clubs, corporate clients, and other special groups.
For true Ferrari enthusiasts that are planning to visit Italy during the Winter holidays, Ferrari has a treat in store for you.
Ferrari has opened an exhibition to pay tribute to the late Sergio Pininfarina and the not-to-be-forgotten Pinin Farina, by showcasing every model that has been designed by the man himself and his team. The idea behind the exhibition is to show the public the exemplary creations that came out from the Pininfarina drawing board. The exhibition includes 11 models that are divided between the front-engined berlinettas, such as the 1964 275 GTB4 and the Spider version of the legendary Daytona, the mid-rear-engined models, notably the milestone BB, and the contemporary creative evolution which encompasses, amongst others, the Testarossa and the 599 SA Aperta, the latter a homage by Ferrari to Sergio and Andrea Pininfarina. The highlight of the exhibition is the famous Modulo concept which previously was an unseen exhibit from the Pininfarina family’s private and company collections.
This exhibition was opened on October 27th and it will remain open until January 7th, 2013. So, anybody who is going to Europe, or Italy in that matter, can visit that museum before January 7th and behold the Italian passion that emanates from every single Pininfarina-designed Ferrari on display.
We pretty much just finished the Museum Secrets Part One video and Porsche has already graced us with part two of this awesome series. The Museum Secrets series is outlining the new storage facility for the Porsche Museum and also showing us a glimpse of some of the most awesome cars that pass through the museum.
Part One focused mainly on the storage facility and Porsche’s overall history, then showed us just one car, which was the first ever 911 Turbo. Part two, thankfully, focuses a lot more on the storage facilities contents – a ton of rare Porsches. The guys at Porsche outlined seven cars for us, some of which we never knew even existed.
The video’s pretty sweet and the cars are absolutely awesome, so check out the video. If you would like a quick peak at what’s in the video, click past the jump and you’ll see our quick summary on each car shown.
Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg in Germany is the home of the Porsche Museum, which holds roughly 500 various Porsche models, some of which are the rarest Porsches in the world. In the same city is a secrete compound that Porsche has purchased to store its priceless pieces when they are not being displayed.
As you would expect, there are some very exciting models in this storage facility, including a family car that Porsche was experimenting with for the Chinese market. The above video is the first of a series that will go through the various cars in this storage facility and let you in on all of the little details on each vehicle.
This debut video basically has just enough time to outline the Porsche Museum and the storage facility, as well as one ultra-rare model. This model in question is the first ever Porsche 911 Turbo. This model was specially built as a birthday present to the daughter of Ferdinand Porsche, Louise Porsche. Unlike every other 911 Turbo, this model actually lacks the “Turbo” badge on the rear, something that she specially requested.
In all, this introductory video is pretty awesome, but we can’t wait for part two. The second part will include a wider array of vehicles stored in the facility, including: 996 Bulletproof, 906 Ollon-Villars Hill Climb, FLA Concept Study, 924 World Record Car, 928 Convertible Prototype, 908 Targa Forio, and 984 Porsche Junior.
Stay tuned, as we will drop the second video as soon as we get our hands on it.
On August 27, 2012, U.K. banks are closed for a holiday and supercars are set to run wild in celebration of this holiday. At the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, the Supercar Showdown will take place and we will all get a good glimpse and listen to what these cars have to offer.
The guest list also includes a laundry list of car clubs that are sure to bring numerous hot cars to the National Motor Museum. This year, there will be a course set up in the museum’s parking lot, so you can watch these supercars do what they do best, navigate a road course, though we doubt it will be a timed race, but rather a friendly drive.
You also can get involved in the show, as you can vote on the People’s Choice Award for the best supercar at the show. The winner of this award receives a 60th anniversary Beaulieu trophy and tons of bragging rights.
To get into the show, all you need to do is purchase a general Beaulieu attraction admission ticket and you’re good to go. You can get tickets online at the rate of ₤18 for adults, ₤16.65 for those 60 years and older, ₤10.80 for those 13 to 17 years old, and ₤8,95 for those 5 to 12 years old. Alternatively, you can pick up family admission tickets, which are good for two adults and up to three children for just ₤47.25. This ticket also gives you admission to the museum, World of Top Gear, On Screen Cars, Beaulieu Abbey, and Palace House and Garden.
Not many Japanese automakers quite have the storied history of Datsun and Nissan. Even the now dominant Honda lineup is little more than a teenager in comparison to Nissan’s worldwide presence. With all of this history comes a lot of heritage, and it is obvious that Nissan and Datsun took and still do take this heritage very seriously, as they have over 400 various Datsun and Nissan vehicles dating back to the 1933 Datsun 12.
Recently, Nissan and Renault CEO, Carlos Ghosn, got to pay this warehouse turned pseudo museum a visit. He didn’t just waltz in and take a quick look at cars, as most of us do when we go to car shows. Nope, he hopped into a nearly 75-year-old, mint condition Datsun 17 Phaeton and went for a spin around the entire facility.
Seeing this warehouse full of classic cars that we rarely get to see is amazing in itself. The fact that Nissan takes special care to make sure these cars remain in impeccable shape truly shows how much Nissan respects its past. We all know that manufacturers hold back special models and keep them in good condition to show them off at later dates, but to see it on this scale and not dealing only with special models is impressive.
Nissan actually houses a staff full former staff and volunteers to keep about 70 percent of these classic imports operating. The warehouse also houses several classic Nissan rally cars and a wide array of Nissan-produced police cars.
The coolest thing about this whole visit is that Nissan filmed it and posted it online for all to see (the video is above). This is extremely unique, given the fact that the general public does not have access to this extravagant collection.
This lack of access may soon change, as former Nissan SVP, Kenichi Sasaki, stated that he hopes to see a Nissan Museum built so the public can enjoy these classic models. Our collective hats go off to Nissan for keeping these cars in this great of condition and allowing us a sneak peek into this restricted warehouse.
In 1984, the late Ayrton Senna made his debut in F1 racing by taking second place in a rain-shortened Monaco Grand Prix while driving a Toleman TG184-2 open-wheel racer. You can see this exact car overtaking second place at the 2:33 mark in the above video. Ten years later, in the 1994 racing season, Senna’s life ended abruptly during a freak accident at the San Marino Grand Prix. The legend of this three-time F1 World Champion lives on, as Silverstone Auctions has announced that the Toleman TG184 that Senna made his debut in is coming to auction on May 16, 2012.
Despite the age of this race car, its 1.5-liter engine is still a highly technical piece of machinery that produces horsepower in the range of the 2.4-liter V-8 engines used in today’s F1 series. Though this vehicle is not one that is setup for road driving, it is something that would be neat for a collector to have in his garage. However, it is not without its flaws and uncertainties.
Hit the jump for more details on Ayrton Senna’s F1 race car.
It took a lot longer than we all expected, but finally, one of the most famous names in the history of the auto industry now has a museum to call its own.
Enzo Ferrari, the founding father of the brand that we have come to know as Ferrari, has his own museum called the "Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari." The museum was built in Modena, Italy - the town where Enzo Ferrari himself was born - and cost a ridiculous sum of €18 million - $23.6 million based on current exchange rates - that was mostly funded by local leaders in Modena in an effort to drive up tourism in the area.
Spearheading the building of the museum was renowned architect, Jan Kaplicky, who began the project in 2003. Unfortunately, Kaplicky passed on in 2009, leaving the project in the hands of Andrea Morgante, a former colleague in the design firm, Future Systems.
The building covers 54,000 square feet of floor space and will feature plenty of exhibits, including a gallery of classic Ferraris, historical artifacts, and memorabilia. There will also be a significant amount of space allotted to Enzo Ferrari’s own personal belongings, as well as a variety of never-before-seen documents and drawings that encompass the rich and storied racing history of Modena, Italy.
Despite not being an officially licensed project by Ferrari itself, the Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari is still expected to draw throngs of visitors. The museum is open every day with the only exception being Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The doors open from 9:30 am to 6:00 pm or 7:00 pm depending on the calendar date.
Hit the jump for details on the Enzo Ferrari Museum’s first exhibit.
Facebook’s popularity has skyrocketed so it only makes sense for companies to take full advantage of the reach social media has to gain some attention for themselves. Porsche is diving into that headfirst with a special edition dedicated to the growing number of "fans" for their Facebook page. These images show a unique Cayman S decorated with the faces of Porsche’s first two million "fans."
Porsche sent out requests to their fans, asking permission to use their profile pictures as part of the design of the Cayman. Following this fan-based mosaic, the company went on to have their fans vote for their favorite historic racing livery. When the fans spoke, they chose the iconic Porsche 917 K with the red-white Salzburg livery, known best for delivering Porsche’s first overall victory in Le Mans with Richard Attwood and Hans Herrmann behind the wheel.
Porsche’s Cayman S tribute to their first two million Facebook fans will be on display at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart until January 27, 2012. If you look real close, maybe you’ll be able to find your picture!
Earlier this year, we chanced upon a dressed up Ferrari F430 Scuderia that was turned into a proverbial art car by digital artist Laurence Gartel, the same dude that pretty much taught Andy Warhol the ropes.
Recently, another 430 Scuderia-based Art Car was seen being developed, only this time, it’s the work of one Philippe Pasqua. The French artist took the task of wrapping up the Italian super car’s body in treated cowhide leather before putting his artistic skills to good use, designing the 430 Scuderia’s body in what can only be described as a comprehensive ode to something you’d see from Ed Hardy.
We doubt that Pasqua’s design had anything to do with the American clothing brand, but the intricate detail of Japanese motifs, sea creatures, and frightening skulls certainly speaks to the language of Hardy’s work. What we can take away from Pasqua’s design on the 430 Scuderia is that the man is a hell of an artist. What’s especially impressive is the fact that he was able to work around all of the edges and tiny crevices on the Italian supercar to enhance the beauty of his project.
We’ll give props where they’re due, and in Pasqua’s case, it’s all very much warranted. Now, if you happen to be in Paris next month, be sure to stop by at the Galerie Laurent Strouk to check out the Pasqua’s Ferrari F430 Scuderia Art Car hanging on a wall as an exhibit.
