Porsche Experience Center L.A., Dude! By Greg Dranow Photos courtesy of the Author aturday, October 29 was S the grand opening of the Porsche Experience center in Los Angeles. I was fortunately able to secure a 10:00 am drive in a <strong>2017</strong> C2 S on this Opening Day! The weekend started early with excellent transportation services provided by Bill Beard and Ben Connell. Bill picked me up at home in his gleaming Panamera and we enjoyed the Thursday Maverick lunch at Kincaid’s. From there, Ben graciously took me to DFW airport in his Cabriolet while we were enjoying the great weather. Why was I leaving such a great group on such a beautiful day? Oh yeah, to visit the Porsche Experience Center in Los Angeles!! Brenda was already out west and obviously this was the biggest reason for my journey. Honest. Really. Well, let’s stick to that story. Arriving at the Center on Saturday morning, access was refreshingly simple. Go through the unattended gate and park with any one of the over 100 Porsches in the parking lot. Apparently one of the local Porsche Clubs had a meet there that morning. Angry Bird found a spot among at least five other GT4s. Angry Bird at the L.A. Porsche Experience Center 22 <strong>January</strong> Entering the building, we were warmly greeted for check-in. From there, we explored the Center, seeing some amazing Porsches from both present as well as years past, perusing the gift shop and talking to other excited attendees and employees. While not nearly as many cars on display as the PEC in Atlanta, it was still very impressive. Impressive Porsches on display We were then met by Patrick (my instructor) and were given an overview of the playground. Similar to Atlanta with the kick plate, skid pad, and low friction course, but with a few added challenges. One is a “toilet bowl” type of turn mirroring part of the Nürburgring; a 25-degree banked turn that really allows one to experience G forces while exiting at an impressive speed. The road course is purported to be 1.8 miles (.1 longer than Atlanta). Then there was the ice hill. My nemesis! A watered-down downhill slick surface where the object is to line up wide, turn in, get the rear end out then navigate the approximately 180 degree turn at the bottom sideways using the throttle to steer. Awesome! The new 991 is amazing! Nearly all of the 420 horsepower seem to be at the beck and call of the driver’s right foot at a point barely above idle. No appreciable flat spots all the way to the redline is extraordinary -- as linear as a V8 of twice its displacement! While some say the noise isn’t as “cool” as last year’s model, I say the overall experience is so refined one hardly notices while grinning from ear to ear with all of this car’s improvements. Well done, Stuttgart! After the 90-minute session, Brenda and I enjoyed lunch at 917 Restaurant upstairs. The ambiance overlooking the “playground” was great, the food was up to the same standard, and the service was excellent! The General Manager, Jerry Perez (who is 100% French), made sure our entire dining service was impeccable! Top notch all the way around! In addition to being a lot of fun, I learned some car control techniques that I anticipate will really help smooth out my driving and, as an added benefit, lower my lap times. Braking: not only is it important to brake smoothly and firmly, brake release is also important. Rather than simply letting off the brake, releasing the brake to about 70% then the rest of the way significantly reduces weight transfer and vehicle upset. Acceleration: a direct correlation between accelerating and releasing the steering wheel allowing the vehicle to gently and smoothly use up the road surface with the tire contact points in the right places at the right times. Been doing this for years but to consciously identify, discuss, and implement was terrific. A smooth flow that becomes such a natural tendency, resulting in a smoother ride for passengers as well. I even applied this turning and acceleration technique in the airplane while taxiing. While I’m not sure it made a big difference for the passengers and crew, it did make made me smile once again thinking about this exceptional day at the Porsche Experience Centereven while piloting a business jet. It just makes you want to get out and drive!
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