Maintaining a car is a task that other owners accomplish in very different ways. For some, a few fasteners and a can of spray paint are enough. On the other end of the spectrum are owners like those who bring their cars to the Porsche Classic. When we were there to see the new Macan EV in virtual reality, we had the opportunity to stop at the Classic Center, as it was right in the middle of multiple repair and recovery projects.
For the value of those cars and for the Porsche logo itself, what those mechanics, technicians, upholsterers and painters maintain is a heritage. The center’s mantra “Like new. But with even more character” is demonstrated to everyone who visits the site.
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Directly south of downtown Atlanta and conveniently at 300 Porsche Ave, the Porsche Classic Center is now a separate construction from the main Experience Center that opened in 2015.
In fact, just over a year ago, the new construction of Classic Factory Restoration opened in January 2023. “Our purpose is to be a dream location,” says Jonathan Sieber, senior director of Porsche Classic about the site. We just need to motivate and motivate. Porsche enthusiasts can keep their old cars on the road, but in these charming new facilities we can literally make dreams come true. Now, instead of having only 3 bays to paint, the team has 14 and each and every one of them was complete. our tour.
The Atlanta Experience
The Classic Center is not visible from the road when you drive towards the Porsche Experience Center complex. Instead, go through the gate, then walk past the main construction on the left and take a road on the right.
You’ll pass by the Kimpton Hotel, where many Porsche visitors stay, then through the hotel’s parking lot before arriving, regardless, at the Classic Center. Throughout this short journey from the gate to the center, it’s not unusual to hear and see. Porsche on the relatively new West Track.
The Classic Cinput doesn’t look as imposing compared to the rest of the cinput. The building has a medium-sized lobby with one or two cars on display. To the left of this domain is a café-bar and a room where Porsche showed us, the Macan EV. However, it continues past the lobby and into the domain of paintings, and this is where things get really interesting.
Behind Excellence
Even before you enter the workshop, it’s clear that this isn’t a trivial oil change and tire rotation scenario. As if, intentionally, neither one nor two Carrera GTs in GT Silver were in compartments one and two in other repair states. Before us We may just stop by to see them, they escorted us to the engine room, where the attention to detail displayed within those walls was laid bare.
Inside were various engines of all kinds from other Porsche models. As you can see from the photos, those engines aren’t simply removed from the car, they’re rebuilt with new parts, repaired, and then reinstalled. Porsche meticulously cleans each and every component to make it like new again and it doesn’t. Do not avoid hard parts of the engine.
The team tries to maintain every conceivable component of the original engine, adding clamps, connectors, nuts, bolts, and washers. Small portions like this will even get a new coating before being remounted on the engine, if necessary. The brass end you see on the nuts and bolts in those pictures are examples of the finished plating process.
Once the engine is reassembled, the team can check it on a test bench to make sure there are no issues before putting it back in the car. This same point of detail is part of the painting procedure that is done for each car. Of course, once the car is completely rebuilt, the team puts a few miles into the final setup to make sure the owner can drive it without delay once they pick it up.
Working in the store
Back at the main painting area, we had the opportunity to learn about the procedure that technicians follow during their day. Every car has its own quirks, and technicians will need to make sure they follow the steps conscientiously to maintain the car well. For example, in the Porsche Carrera GT you want to couple the lift formula for the engine disassembly.
Without the belts you see above, the car would possibly become unbalanced during the engine removal/reinstallation process. The technician conscientiously labels each organization of nuts and bolts and places them on a tray to keep track of what goes and where. Where else can you see the rear bumper hood of a Carrera GT lying on the ground, albeit with a soft top?
However, this point of attention is rarely reserved exclusively for supercars. Porsches from other decades were depicted in the store. A soft ivory 1963 convertible 356 B was being restored. A 928 had its newly rebuilt engine fitted (note all the brightness). work) and the technician was working on wiring the board. Even a humble 944 with a spare taillight segment was part of the rest of his family for some electrical jobs.
The Deepest Details
For those undergoing a recovery procedure, Porsche makes any and all efforts. The vehicle is “completely disassembled and all parts of the body, from the engine to the interior equipment, are removed,” according to Porsche. Why go through so much trouble? Problems for what could simply be something more superficial?
“This is the only way to clearly check the condition of the old vehicle,” says Porsche. When Porsche discovers a problem somewhere, whether it’s the transmission or anything else, it does its best to upgrade the parts with the original ones. portions or portions that have been replicated based on the original drawings of the original piece.
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In cases where the team discovers damage or deformation in the bodywork, it maintains it, even in cases where it requires reshaping warped areas, welding new metal, and removing remnants of the repair. Those cars then enter the paint booth where Porsche can repair the car to its original condition or give it a new tone, depending on the owner’s wish.
This same point of customization also occurs in the case of upholstery. Buyers can repair their car with original upholstery surfaces or upgrade it with whatever they want. In fact, there is a very special program that integrates both and it is unknown. because of its exclusivity.
Return to Service
It’s no secret that Porsche cars change hands, but what happens when a seasoned customer buys a Carrera GT that doesn’t quite suit their tastes?That’s where Porsche comes in, taking care of dismantling the GT and rebuilding it to the new owner’s precise specifications, from the paint to the upholstery to features. In at least one case, the team spent around 350 hours meticulously sanding and completing the carbon fiber of a GT, adding the monocoque. If that’s not a true testament to the preservation of excellence, then nothing is.