Other than having your first baby in your arms, picking up a PORSCHE at the Factory in Stuttgart or Leipzig is one of THE greatest joyful luxurious experiences in your life.

LIFE IS SHORT… by Peter Sontag, President, Fast Lane Travel, Inc.

I drove my first Panamera in the fall of 2009 on a PORSCHE TREFFEN to Switzerland and Lake Como, Italy. In fact, I was so impressed that I wrote an article about the experience “3,600 Miles in a 2010 PORSCHE Panamera Turbo.” Local PORSCHE dealers asked me to come speak at their Panamera unveilings. I was smitten. I have a “big” birthday coming up and I decided that it’s time to stop drooling and take action. I have owned over thirty PORSCHES in my life and I’m not saying that my 911 isn’t a fabulous car – NO – all I’m saying is when the kids were little the 911 was great. We now go out with other couples – the Panamera is perfect.

This past spring on the TREFFEN to Salzburg, Austria (. . . the hills are alive with the Sound of Music . . .) I once again drove a Panamera – this time actually a hybrid. Then, while everyone else was on the PORSCHE Factory tour in Zuffenhausen, I went upstairs at Werk Zwei to the “Exclusive and Tequipment” special order department to look at colors, leather and options. Sven Theis, one of the customer consultants was extremely helpful in guiding me through the myriad, no cornucopia, of alternatives.

When I came back to the U.S. in May, I couldn’t take it anymore. I went to our local dealer, Bert Smith PORSCHE of St. Petersburg, Florida and met with my friend and professional PORSCHE Sales Counselor, Michael O’Donnell, to help me ease that knot of anticipation in my gut. We went over different options, but the decision was clear: I had to have a Panamera GTS.

Next decision: what color? I must give you a little background on the color choice. On the TREFFEN® trips in the late seventies Prof. Dr.h.c. Ferry Porsche used to come to our dinners and give a brief speech to the hundred or so “Americans” that came over to pick up cars. He used to call me to his side and asked me to help interpret because he felt that his English was not as fluent and he
felt better having me there. When I showed him to his car we talked about his favorite color combination: Jagdgrün mit hellbraunem Leder (hunting green with tan leather). So I decided that’s what I wanted for my Panamera. Well they don’t make Jagdgrün any more – the closest I learned, from Sven Theis in Zuffenhausen, was “jet green” which actually is not a Panamera color. So what I ordered was jet green with cognac leather interior complemented by yachting mahogany. Thank you Prof. Dr.h.c.Ferry Porsche.

Leipzig is easy to get to from either Berlin or Frankfurt. Stuttgart (STR) is even easier to get to as there are non-stop flights on Delta from ATL and on United from EWR. I arrived in Leipzig (LEJ) the night before. As I came out of the luggage pick-up area there stood a young man dressed to the nines with a sign that just said PORSCHE and the crest. I just nodded. He rushed over, took my bags and guided me to a black Cayenne S parked boldly directly in front of the terminal. PORSCHE being the largest employer in Leipzig has certain advantageous privileges. He placed my luggage in the back and whisked me to the Leipzig Marriott. He offered to deliver two of my bags that I didn’t need for my overnight stay directly to the PORSCHE Factory, for my departure tomorrow, so I didn’t need to schlep them around. What service!

The duty manager of the Marriott, Verena Müller, received me in the lobby and personally escorted me to the Executive Club Floor of the hotel. She invited me to dinner and we spent a delightful evening talking things PORSCHE. I couldn’t sleep. O.K. I slept…fitfully.

Leipzig not only boasts the PORSCHE Factory that makes the Cayennes and the Panameras, but it also has an amazing race track as part of the facility. Part of your car pick up at the Factory is a tour of the whole Factory and some track time with an instructor and a “hot lap” in a GT 2 or 3 with a race driver. What makes the Leipzig track so compelling is that it is actually a compendium of THE most famous race tracks in the world including the Nürburgring, Spa, Monza, Sebring, Suzuka and several more. It’s the EPCOT of racetracks . . . what a treat.

At 8:30 am sharp I was met in the lobby by one of PORSCHE Leipzig’s professional driving instructors, John Black, who had another Cayenne S parked outside the hotel. In less than 15 minutes I was at heaven’s gate. John guided me to the front desk of the customer center. After being offered refreshments, coffee, danish pastry and croissants I was guided along a very wide corridor which to the right had a half dozen living rooms in each of which a brand new Cayenne or Panamera was parked. The “front” of the living room had a giant translucent garage door.

There in the last bay sat this magnificent jet green Panamera GTS. To its left was the “living room” sitting area, a lovely plant – it looked perfect – as it should have been. John then started the two hour process of systematically going over every electronic, mechanical and ergonomic detail of the car. It’s much too much to absorb in one sitting. Between the navigation, sound system, countless seat adjustments, climate controls, shift settings, and countless other systems it was too much to absorb. I will have to get a refresher course in Zuffenhausen and another one from my sales advisor in Florida.

Then a mechanic appeared and mounted a 45-day German “tourist delivery” license plate in the back and glued on the front one since he didn’t want to drill holes there because in Florida no front license plates are required. My luggage was placed in the spacious trunk; the seat was adjusted and memorized for my physique; and I started the engine surely with the same emotion felt by a F15 pilot on his first solo combat mission. The translucent garage door slid silently upwards and I eased the GTS into the spacious driveway in front of Leipzig’s HQ. The navigation was set for Königsstein near Frankfurt, my first stop and then Stuttgart. I slid on my driving gloves – that’s serious now.

Within three minutes I was on the Autobahn heading South with the comforting feeling emanating from the GTS letting me know that this PORSCHE will take good care of me like no other PORSCHE ever has. As I accelerated with a powerful growl into the fast lane, safely ensconced into the two-tone cognac color leather seats, the navigation reassuring me of my progress and cars in front of me leaping into the right lanes upon my high-speed approach, I knew I made the right decision and added at least ten years of happiness to my life. I’m going to enjoy this baby . . . I’m off to Tuscany with The Tuscany TREFFEN® group.

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