Porsche Club News 1/06 1. New from Porsche AG Porsche plant visits The guided tours do not include a visit to the development centre in Weissach. Those who do not want to miss the opportunity of a taxi ride over the test track or are interested in the engine test bench or wind tunnel can book a so-called “backstage tour” through the Porsche Travel Club, though there is a charge. Details of the tour are available from the Porsche Travel Club on: Tel.: +49 (0)711 911 78 155. Those wishing to attend one of the free guided tours in Zuffenhausen can obtain information from Sigrid Mauz on: Tel.: +49 (0)711 911 25 384. Free plant visits are also offered in Leipzig. Information is available on: Tel.: +49 (0)341 999 13 911. Worldwide Club support of Porsche AG Special plant visits for the clubs have the clubs. These guided tours take long since been part of the service place from Monday to Friday, either in provided by Porsche Club Support. the morning or in the afternoon, and Although the number of such visits is last around an hour and a half. In most limited, and therefore places are taken cases there are visits to the engine up very quickly, all members never- production facility and part of the vehi- theless have an opportunity of a free cle assembly line. It is also possible to guided tour of Zuffenhausen without visit the Porsche Museum free of the supporting programme offered for charge. 7 Porsche Club News 1/06 Porsche Panamera – development goes Ferrytales to plan The Rolf Heyne Collection now includes a new book about Porsche vehicles and the character of Ferry The eagerly awaited Porsche Porsche design characteristics adapt- Porsche. The book differs from previ- Panamera will hit the market in 2009. ed to its size.” The only thing Michael ous works in at least two respects. Development of this premium class Steiner will say about the Panamera Firstly, the book’s author is Prof. four-seater, four-door front-engined is that it is “a sporty top-class car with Susanne Porsche who has been able rear-wheel drive sports coupé is all of the Porsche characteristics, in to collate first-hand information from currently in full swing in Weissach. The other words a car like no other before her father-in-law Ferry Porsche. Sec- interior and exterior of the vehicle it.” ondly, Ferrytales contains numerous have now been approved by the Board previously unpublished photographs. of Directors. The engineering has also Worldwide Club support of been defined, but remains a secret. Porsche AG The 784-page retrospective view of Porsche in the years between 1909 Discretion is top priority during the and 1998, which comes in a slip case, development phase. To avoid any takes the reader on a journey of the nasty surprises, “this time the most thoughts and dreams of Ferry important suppliers have been Porsche, provides an insight into the involved in the development of the family album, and relates the history vehicle at an earlier stage”, explains of the Porsche marque from a previ- Dr. Michael Steiner, who is in charge ously unknown perspective. of the fourth series. The selected suppliers are contractually obliged Ferrytales, by Prof. Susanne Porsche not to communicate their involvement Rolf Heyne Collection in the project, and certainly not to ISBN 3-89910-278-9 advertise it. Price: € 150.00 Those keen to find out more must be content with the design outline already announced. Michael Mauer, head of Style Porsche, promises that: “The Panamera is a vehicle with typical 8 Porsche Club News 1/06 Porsche strengthens partnership with VW Last year, Porsche became the biggest acquire its stake. The liquidity reserve individual shareholder at Volkswagen. has since been made up through two Porsche now owns 18.53 per cent of bond issues. Wiedeking is convinced VW ordinary shares. For many, the that VW will regain its former strong involvement of the small-scale car man- position. With representation on the ufacturer Porsche with the giant VW VW Supervisory Board in line with the came as something of a surprise. size of its holding, Porsche has an “There were strategic reasons behind opportunity to make a constructive the deal”, is how Porsche Managing contribution in this respect. The coop- Director Dr. Wendelin Wiedeking eration with VW will have no bearing explains the move. It was a matter of on Porsche’s plans for the future. “If preventing a hostile takeover by VW anything, it should be seen as a sup- and not putting in danger the long-term portive step”, according to the co-operation between the two compa- Porsche CEO. nies. “As far as we are concerned, VW is now an important technology and Worldwide Club support of production partner for more than a Porsche AG third of our sales volume”, adds Wiedeking. He quotes the Cayenne/Touareg coop- eration as an example of a successful cooperation. The intention was to con- tinue to cooperate with VW in impor- tant technological areas because it would mean savings for both parties. Porsche paid around 3 billion euros to 9 Porsche Club News 1/06 Ferdinand Alexander Porsche celebrates his 70th birthday Acknowledged as the father of the household appliances and consumer Porsche 911, Prof. Ferdinand Alexander goods for internationally renowned Porsche, shareholder and honorary clients. Ferdinand Alexander Porsche chairman of the Supervisory Board of summed up his recipe for success Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, quite succinctly: “Good design must celebrated his 11. 70th birthday in be honest.” Today the design studio in December 2005. Zell am See is one of the most famous in the world. Born in Stuttgart, the eldest son of Ferry Porsche wrote the history of the Wiedeking recognises that, despite his car’s design. “He designed everything success and numerous awards for his that is important to men. Many of his designs, Butzi, as he is known to designs became classics”, says Dr. his family, has always remained a Wendelin Wiedeking, Chairman of the “modest and humane” man. Board of management of Porsche AG. In the autumn of 2003, in conjunction Ferdinand Alexander Porsche was in with Porsche AG, he and the other charge of the design studio of the “Porsche Design” shareholders found- Zuffenhausen-based sports car manu- ed the company Porsche Lizenz- und facturer between 1962 and 1972. It Handelsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG was during this era that the Porsche (PLH) in which Porsche AG has a major- 911 and the 904 racing car were ity shareholding. The task of this new designed. In 1972 he established his company is to utilise the potential of own design studio, moving the head the Porsche name in areas beyond that office to Zell am See in Austria two of the car. Central to this task is the years later. It was here in the decades “Porsche Design” brand, which is to that followed that he designed gentle- be built up into one of the world’s lead- men’s accessories such as watches, ing luxury brands with its own sales spectacles and writing instruments network. marketed under the “Porsche Design” brand. At the same time, together with Worldwide Club support of a dozen other designers, he designed Porsche AG a large number of industrial products, 10 For more information, visit www.porsche.com. High style for sprinters. The high-gloss 19-inch Carrera Sport wheel by Porsche Exclusive..