Somehow, Porsche has managed to carve 53 acres out of the crowded Los Angeles basin to build a test track and customer delivery center; the facility is slated to open in 2013. Echoing a similar facility that will be built near Atlanta—which will also have Porsche’s new North American headquarters on site—the Porsche Experience Center in Carson, California, will include a test track that is twice the size of Atlanta’s, plus a customer delivery center, a gymnasium, a gift shop, a café, and whatever else Porsche can think of between now and the groundbreaking next summer. Construction also begins next year in Atlanta.
Porsche is spending more than $100 million on the two facilities, which will resemble ones it already has in Germany, England, and China. And if nothing else, it may shut up those critics who said Porsche’s absorption by the mega-rich Volkswagen Group was a bad thing. The Carson facility will be located about 18 miles south of downtown L.A. and about 15 minutes from LAX airport (except from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., when it’s more like 45 minutes). Carson will have a handling course that includes special surfaces to replicate rain, ice, and snow, plus an off-road course that includes 45-degree inclines. There will be kids’ programs as well and it will be open to car clubs and other special events, the release says.
The facility also will boast a “Porsche Human Performance Center” that includes a gym and sports science laboratory that incorporates driver-training techniques into classes and “customized experiences” including “heat-acclimation training and hydration strategies,” which we’re pretty sure involves drinking lots of water.
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