Detour Pit Stop #125: Porsche Museum, Stuttgart, Germany

What have AC/DC, Paris Hilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger got in common? They’re all listed as notable celebrity visitors to the Porsche Museum.

They rank among the 500,000 folks a year and over six million overall who’ve walked the halls of one of the planet’s most arresting car exhibitions since its doors first opened in 2009.

Located in Porsche’s Stuttgart hometown, it eschews the formality of other museums and lets one simple thing take centre stage: the cars. Sure, there’s the odd placard to read or QR code to scan. But with even a slight hint of petrol coursing through your veins, basking in the aura of some of history’s most iconic road and racecars will be ample entertainment.

“It always provides the right setting in which to meet not just faithful fans but also many companions and former racing driver colleagues – and to be reunited with many of the racing cars in which I tasted success.” Not the words of Arnie, but another formidable force: twice World Rally champ Walter Röhrl. References get little stronger.

From the 1898 Egger-Lohner C.2 Phaeton electric car to the hybrid motorsport heroes of today, the cars here are proper, not some stickered up facsimiles. Many of them still run, to the point you might miss the odd big hitter if your visit clashes with the Goodwood calendar. I promise there’ll be plenty to distract you 

There are two special exhibitions every year – 2024 marking 50 years of the Porsche Turbo – and a whole host of examples of Porsche’s diverse engineering nous. Prepare to discover supposed rivals’ cars with unexpected Stuttgart expertise. The Mk1 Vauxhall Zafira, for instance…

Nifty as its folding back seats are, I’d recommend dedicating more of your visit to the vibrantly coloured line of 917 endurance racers to really max out your 12-euro entry. Present a ticket from the Mercedes-Benz museum on the other side of town and you’ll get a healthy discount, too, thanks to a joyous crossing of the barricades between two esteemed foes. I wonder if Paris Hilton did that.

Words Stephen Dobie

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ROADBOOK

CLASS: Motor Museum

NAME: Porsche Museum

ROUTE: Porscheplatz 1, 70435 Stuttgart

COUNTRY: Germany

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