Porsche Experience Center Offers Life in the Fast Lane in Atlanta

Life in Atlanta offers all kinds of opportunities, but there’s a new one many locals haven’t even heard about yet that will give them a taste of life in the fast lane.

That’s a real treat if you’ve ever sat in Atlanta traffic during rush hour, when the pace can be considered a crawl.

Now, you can try taking a spin in a Porsche (it’s por-shuh, not porsh, in case you wondered) at the Porsche Experience Center at the brand’s headquarters in Atlanta, GA, located near Hartsfield Jackson Airport.

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The 27 acre complex allows you to enjoy a bit of Porsche’s past, present, and future.

For a fee (which varies, depending on how much time you want in the vehicle and which Porsche you choose to drive, but I’m told starts at around $300), you can get one-on-one instruction on the test track modules and off-road course (for the Cayenne only), take a virtual spin in the Driving Simulator Center (you can just book this if you don’t need to go out on the course), walk through the Heritage Center stocked with various Porsche models, peek into the Classic Restoration Center and enjoy a meal at the restaurant. Oh, and there’s a gift shop. Bring your money. A bunch.

On display, you’ll find the concept car for the Porsche Spyder 918. The current design is also on display in the Heritage Center, along with a 1957 356A Speedster.

You’ll also find a 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S which served as the Official Pace Car of the 50^th Anniversary of the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona held January 28-29, 2012. It’s signed by the legends of Daytona and all racers who competed in the 2012 race.

There’s also a very impressive dangling sculpture that, when you stand in a specific point and look up, forms the outline of a 918 Spyder. From any other vantage point it just looks like dangling metal.

This is the first Porsche Experience Center in the US. Another is being built in Carson City near Los Angeles (scheduled to open in September of 2016). There’s an existing PEC in Germany, and another opened in France earlier in 2015. Another is under construction in Shanghai.

You must make a reservation if you want to visit and I’m told you don’t need any previous skill to drive. You just need to be 21 and have a valid driver’s license.

You can find out more at this link.

Until you make it there yourself, enjoy the video above of my time at the center. Just click on the arrow to get it to play.

(Note to readers: I was hosted at the Porsche Experience Center as part of a promotional tour of Atlanta, sponsored by DiscoverAtlanta.  As always, my opinion remains my own.)