Porsche’s new €100 million museum opens to the public this weekend

By Alex Kaufmann

Alex Kaufmann

Author

LATEST ARTICLE
2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG: First Drive
It's more than a half-century of progress by any measure: Ferrari's in its seventh decade, and the... Read More

• N/ALEADERBOARD RANK
• 1092ARTICLES CONTRIBUTED
• 1COMMENTS POSTED

3 3,454 views Jan 28, 2009

porsche museum 024

The new Porsche Museum contains more than 80 cars dating back to the beginning of last century

Enlarge Photo

More than 80 cars are on display in the 5,600 square metre (60,250 square feet) Exhibition Area styled by Viennese architectural firm Delugan Meissl, ranging from the legendary wheel hub motor of the Lohner-Porsche, the world’s first hybrid automobile built as far back as in 1900, all the way to the latest generation of the Porsche 911. The actual Exhibition Area is made up of a steel structure resting on just three concrete cores and appearing to hover in space, covering a span of up to 60m.

"This is our new business card on the Porscheplatz," said Porsche chairman Wendelin Wiedeking. "We will not only use the museum as an exhibition, but also as a communication platform - as a permanent, integral part of the ongoing dialogue which Porsche conducts with the public."

Some of the more important vehicles on show include a re-built 1939 Type 64, a car acknowledged as the “original Porsche”, the iconic 1950 Volkswagen Beetle, the 1948 Porsche 356 “No 1” Roadster, a 1956 Porsche 550 A Spyder, and the more recent Porsche 959 and Carrera GT.

The grand opening ceremonies today celebrated carmaker's history and its role in the industry. The date of the public opening is timed to occur exactly four years after the building's design was selected.