Test Drive the Porsche Life

Photos: Porche Cars North America, Inc.

Within the withered husk of every commuter wasting away behind the wheel of a grocery-grabber beats the heart of a driver. At the Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta, you can find the pulse of that heart, then send its BPM soaring as you tear across the track in one of the finest automobiles known to man.

​​No less a visionary than Ferdinand Porsche once said, “Life itself is a race, marked by a start, and a finish. It is what we learn during the race, and how we apply it, that determines whether our participation has had particular value. If we learn from each success, and each failure, and improve ourselves through this process, then at the end, we have fulfilled our potential and performed well.”

Of course, he also famously said, “I couldn’t find the sports car of my dreams, so I built it myself.”

For many of us, the car he willed into existence sits at the center of our loftiest ambitions for that race. In life, we all want to be the person behind the wheel of that Porsche, its sleek design and horsepower sending us roaring through a life well lived.

But, owning one of these legendary machines might not be in the cards just yet. So the best we can do is hope to spend a few laps putting one through its paces. 

At the Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta, along 1.6 miles of track, we can all live that life if only for one day. Here, whether you are looking to purchase a Porsche or just want to see what it feels like, you can take out one of these machines on a driver development track that incorporates a whole world of experiences. Hug winding country roads on the handling circuit. See how well you handle ice and rain on the kick plate. Test the Cayenne’s off-road engineering on the obstacle course. And make the physics of driving your plaything on the dynamics area and low-friction courses. 

On these courses, drivers have a fleet of 77 vehicles representing the full range of core Porsche products at their disposal. And when they’re done giving their adrenal glands a workout, there is plenty more to see, do and taste at the Porsche Experience Center.

At the Heritage Gallery, view static displays of significant vehicles from Porsche’s long history. At the Porsche Classic Factor Restoration Workshop, owners of classic Porsche models can enjoy restoration services unlike anything outside of Germany. At Restaurant 356, enjoy gourmet excellence overlooking the track. At the Driving Simulator Lab, dive into a state-of-the-art VR experience that puts those behind the wheel on some of the most famous tracks in the world. 

And if a few laps around the track has you convinced that, like Ferdinand Porsche, you must build the sports car of your dreams, you can do that at the Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur – Personal Design Studio, where you can build your Porsche from the ground up, selecting leather, paint samples, options and specialty parts. And when it’s time to sign the paperwork, the New Vehicle Delivery Program offers a private vehicle orientation with a New Vehicle Delivery Specialist, drive experience on the Driver Development Track in a Porsche similar to their new vehicle, a tour of One Porsche Drive and lunch for two in Restaurant 356.

Porsche Experience Atlanta is located at One Porsche Drive in Atlanta, Georgia. Visit porschedriving.com/atlanta or follow @PECATL to learn more.

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