With handling tracks, off-road courses, e-racing simulators and much more, as well as expert professionals on hand to guide you, you’ll become a better driver after a visit to any of the nine Porsche Experience Centers around the world
The Porsche Experience Centers are the best places to make the most of the full capabilities of cars from across the Porsche range. The first Porsche Experience Center was opened in the UK back in 2008. Since then, another eight have been opened around the world with a 10th – in Canada – set to open in 2024. These multimillion-dollar facilities feature twisty, challenging handling courses, low friction circuits, off-road tracks and even e-racing simulators. Located across Europe, North America and Asia, which one will you be heading to?GERMANYPorsche Experience Center HockenheimAs well as traditional handling circuits, venues like Porsche Experience Centre Hockenheim also offer off-road adventuresJust over an hour’s drive north from the Porsche headquarters in Zuffenhausen, the Porsche Experience Center Hockenheim is one of four Porsche Experience Centers to be located within or next to a GP race circuit. Apart from its off-road course, the Hockenheim facility is entirely within the layout of the track used for the German F1 Grand Prix. To many, that’s exciting enough – but of course, there’s much more to be had behind the wheel of a Porsche. As well as that off-road circuit, there’s a challenging handling track and six dynamic stretches on which to test the full Porsche range under the watchful and expert eye of its instructors. And if you want to get an even better view of the legendary Motordrom F1 track, we can recommend grabbing a bite to eat at its excellent restaurant.Porsche Experience Center LeipzigThe Porsche Experience Center Leipzig is situated right next to the factoryThe Porsche Experience Center Leipzig, known as the ‘Diamond’ because of the shape of its layout, is located right next to the Porsche factory where they make the Panamera and the Macan – although you can get behind the wheel of every car in the Porsche range here. A full range of tracks and handling circuits are on offer, but it’s the main FIA-certified Porsche circuit that adds a special sparkle to this particular Diamond. It features recreations of 11 corners from some of the greatest racetracks in the world, including the Loews Curve at Monaco, Laguna Seca’s Corkscrew and Monza’s Parabolica.GREAT BRITAINPorsche Experience Centre SilverstoneThe world’s first-ever Porsche Experience Centre opened to the public in 2008 at the Silverstone circuit complex in the heart of EnglandThe first ever Porsche Experience Centre wasn’t in Germany, but in the UK. Opened in 2008 at the home of British motor racing, Silverstone, the Porsche tracks are located in close proximity to the famous circuit where the British Grand Prix is held annually. Some of the Porsche Experience Centre’s main features include a challenging handling circuit, an ice hill and off-road course where expert driving consultants are on hand to help improve your driving skills.FRANCEPorsche Experience Center Le MansLe Mans is the home of the famous 24-hour race, but at the Porsche Experience Center you can even book a 48-hour programmeThere is surely no better location for a Porsche Experience Center in France than at Le Mans. No manufacturer has a better record at the famous 24h of Le Mans races than Porsche, with 19 overall victories and 109 class wins in the event's near 100-year history. Opened in 2015, the 2.9km-long Circuit Maison Blanche racetrack at the Porsche Experience Center complex allows customers to experience the unique handling characteristics of Porsche cars at a venue steeped in motorsport history.ITALYPorsche Experience Center FranciacortaOpened in 2021, the highlight of Porsche Experience Center Franciacorta is its highly technical, 2.5km-long main handling circuitFranciacorta may be famous to wine lovers – it’s renowned for being home to Italy’s highest quality sparkling wine – but the Porsche Experience Center here is rapidly making a name for itself too. Opened in September 2021, the Porsche Experience Center Franciacorta is located just a few kilometres west of Brescia and an hour’s drive from Milan. Facilities include training rooms, a showroom for picking up new vehicles and a futuristic curved customer centre – there are also eight latest-generation simulators and an e-kart track. But it’s the handling circuit, with its three different training areas, that will really get your pulse racing.USAPorsche Experience Center AtlantaHydraulic kick plates that teach you how to ‘catch’ a slide are popular attractions at Porsche Experience Centers, like this one at AtlantaWhether it’s tasting the incredible acceleration of the Taycan Turbo S, learning car control in extreme understeer conditions on the low-friction circuit or sampling the curves and dips of the handling circuit, Atlanta has got it covered. There’s even a Young Driver Experience option for 16 to 24-year-olds (providing they have a driver’s license) to help them develop their awareness and skills on road. For a more sedate, but no less demanding, alternative you can also test the full capabilities of the Porsche Cayenne on the off-road circuit. Just watch out for its (fake plastic) alligators!Porsche Experience Center Los AngelesThe Porsche Experience Center LA features a 6.5km-long test and development trackThe second Porsche Experience Center to be opened in the US, the LA venue occupies a site close to the I-405 highway in Carson. Over its 53 acres you can indulge in your Porsche passion in a host of ways. There’s a 1.3-mile handling circuit that’s been designed less as a racetrack and more like the kind of twisty canyon roads you encounter in this part of California. And for real speed freaks, the near 3/4-mile acceleration straight finishes with a replica of the famous Karussell on the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife. Los Angeles is known for its traffic – but you won’t get caught in a queue here.JAPANPorsche Experience Center TokyoAs well as the usual full range of exciting circuits to drive Porsche cars, you can also test your skills on these e-racing simsSituated in Kisarazu on the eastern side of Tokyo Bay, just south of Japan’s capital, the Porsche Experience Center Tokyo enjoys a rural setting despite its close proximity to the metropolis. Opened in October 2021, it’s a place where the forward-thinking nature of Porsche meets Japanese tradition. And that extends to the design of its main building, which features a cut glass design motif of the type made famous by Japan’s leading glass company, Edo Kiriko. Away from the striking architecture, there are expert instructors on hand to help customers improve their driving skills on a huge variety of tracks, from handling tracks to kick plates to off-road facilities.CHINAPorsche Experience Centre ShanghaiOver 300 million people live within three hours’ drive of the Porsche Experience Centre Shanghai siteThe sixth Porsche Experience Centre to be opened back in April 2018, and the first in China, the Shanghai facility occupies a sprawling 100,000m2 site next to the Shanghai International Circuit racetrack. There’s a 1.4km-long on-site test track, an 8,000m2 off-road track and those elements that make every Porsche Experience Centre so distinctive – like the low-friction circle and kick plate. With 300 million people living within a three-hour drive of the centre, there are no shortage of Porsche fans queuing up for expert guidance and driving fun.CANADAPorsche Experience Center Toronto (due to open early 2025)Artist's view of the forthcoming Porsche Experience Center Toronto, which will be at the heart of a new development that will include a concert hall and luxury hotelNext up? Canada. Set to open in early 2025, Porsche Experience Center Toronto is located a few kilometres outside of the city centre in the town of Pickering. It's part of a larger development that will include a large retail space, hotel and a concert hall. Lake Ontario is just a short walk away, but the best view around here will be from the cockpit of a Porsche on the 2km-long handling circuit.
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