Porsche’s Rich And Iconic History, The ‘50 Years Of Porsche Development At Weissach’

The Porsche Museum in Zuffenhausen honours half a century of research and development at Weissach with a special exhibition.

Titled the ‘50 Years of Porsche Development at Weissach’, this exhibition rejoices in the fascinating 100-hectare site that is the birthplace of Porsche's sports cars.

“Sports cars for the road and thoroughbred racing cars have been developed in Weissach for half a century. Dreams are designed, created and tested here, in the middle of the idyllic countryside,” remarked Porsche Heritage and Museum’s director Achim Stejskal.

First opened in 1971, Porsche’s Weissach Development Centre has long been synonymous with cutting-edge technology, passion, engineering skill and innovation.

It is also home to the sports car maker’s design and motorsport departments, as well as various test rigs and the in-house test track.

Porsche chose Weissach as its hub in 1960 after racing driver Herbert Linge, who worked for Porsche at the time, spotted an overgrown piece of land in Weissach and Flacht.

A ground-breaking ceremony followed a year and a half later, a test track was unveiled in 1962, the Research and Development Centre opened its doors nine years later, and the rest is history.

As such, the exhibition centres around an Augmented Reality feature that allows visitors to digitally experience various topics and look back on the site’s milestones over the past five decades.

Designed to celebrate the many different departments at Weissach, the special exhibition is divided into first steps, test rig and wind tunnel, Porsche Engineering, design, motorsport and centre.

For the first steps, this section covers the history of the Development Centre and the ground-breaking ceremony in 1961. 

There, visitors pass by selected models, for instance, a bus from the Weissach works fire brigade from 1972.

At the test rig area, it starts with the wind tunnel and a Taycan AR app. It displays how Porsche tests and develops everything, e.g., innovative new materials, keys, vehicle safety and cold chambers.

Then, before the exhibition concludes, the design, Porsche Engineering and motorsport areas reveal fascinating insights, vehicles and innovations.

Here, visitors can explore these areas thoroughly with a digital model of Weissach using iPads and AR software.

Alternatively, analogue interactions are also possible, with shelves of exhibits, models, 3D printed items and mechanical flaps which lift to reveal exciting info about the Development Centre.

In brief, for visitors who wish to indulge in Porsche’s rich and iconic history, the special exhibition runs from August 10 to December 5, 2021.