Experience Porsche in a whole new way

Nov 18 2008 Barrie Mills

Experience Porsche in a whole new way

FORGET traction control and anti-lock brakes - Porsche has come up with a driving aid that uses no electronics whatsoever.

Step forward the Porsche Driving Consultant - an expert who comes specified as standard on all new Porsches.

The German car maker has offered advanced driving tuition to its customers for a number of years, but now its opened its first purpose-built home in the UK.

The Porsche Driving Experience next to the Grand Prix circuit at Silverstone in Northamptonshire offers new 911, Cayenne, Cayman and Boxster owners the chance to develop their skills and learn more about their cars with one-on-one tuition on a range of surfaces, on what is typically a half-day course.

The new Porsche centre has been built alongside Hangar Straight, on the site of the old World Rally Championship special stage, and has been four years in the planning.

It features a handling circuit (designed to replicate a good B-road), a low-friction area, an ice hill and a kick-plate (where you can learn how to control slides and use ABS properly on a slippery surface) and an off-road course (where you can get your new Cayenne very dirty indeed).

The people providing the tuition come from a range of driving backgrounds - from an advanced police instructor to a karting champion - but they share the highest levels of car control coupled with an ability to teach.

The ice hill works by flooding a low-grip surface with water jets, which are also used to create 'safe' obstacles to try and drive around while sliding.

The kick-plate uses a hydraulic ram beneath a special section of tarmac to throw the car into a slide, just as it enters another water-soaked, low-grip area.

On the off-road course, you can see how comfortably the Cayenne copes with a one-in-one hill, or fords a stream with water above the sills.

After a demonstration from the expert, you get the chance to put his lessons into practice - and it's not often you find yourself encouraged to put a £70,000 car into a spin.

A neat little on-board video system means that you can take home a record of how you did, with a straight-ahead view mixed with a shot of you and the instructor.

You don't have to be a new Porsche customer to visit the Silverstone centre - you can pay to attend a variety of driving courses, some of which last two days and include laps of the Grand Prix circuit (prices range from £275 to £400).

Besides a superb view from its rooftop balcony of the racing action at Silverstone, the centre also gives Porsche the chance to offer other services.

The Human Performance centre allows you to experience the specialised gym conditioning used by people like F1 racer Mark Webber, who sometimes trains there.

And if you're thinking of buying a new Porsche but can't decide on the options, a showroom area - together with the variety of specifications on the centre's own cars - allows you to look at what's on offer and personalise your car to your taste.

For further information call 08443 575 911 or email drivingexperience@porsche.co.uk