Waiting is the hardest

A blog about the Porsche 718 Spyder, but why? Because the journey is long, the anticipation is like a gravity pulling me toward the day I can call it my own. From the moment the 981 Spyder and GT4 retired from the automotive scene, I was ready–waiting–waiting for the birth of the next generation. They didn’t exist, but that didn’t stop me from signing up for the car that I knew must come. Originally, the thought was to go with a GT4, but then the impossible came…unlike the 981, Porsche made the 982 Spyder whole–a GT4’s equal with the added benefit of the air in my hair. I knew I would rarely, if ever, track this beauty…and so my journey began. Come along for the ride…I’ll be updating as things unfold…

Season Start

28. Februar 2021 Keine Kommentare

I can hardly believe that the winter break is finally ending. 4 months my little one was well wrapped and connected to a power source in the garage. Summer tires and seasonal license plates forced her to stand still. And when her big brother started next to her, she grumbled under her hood.

So. tomorrow, when the first day of the month offers us its first rays of sunshine, we will uncover her and go for a first ride together. And every turn her engine will sound the most beautiful soundtrack. I will let you know how it was.

Pickup day

14. Februar 2021 Keine Kommentare
Arrived
So here we are. Finally arrived in Stuttgart and just one night away to pick her up
Which one is mine?
Several toys awaiting heir owners at the factory's courtyard
Truth
Even when there is a misfit to the perfect row..... but we will always return to the one and only
There she is..
It was love at first sight, when seeing her..... in her most beautiful shape
Voriger
Nächster

Finally.

After a seemingly endless wait, the day of pick up has arrived. With the recent restrictions due to Corona, it wasn’t sure if it would really take place at the factory in Zuffenhausen. But we caught one of the last slots before it all shuts down. It was magical. The moment you enter the room and see your car for the very first time.

Ronny did a very pleasant and memorable introduction to all the beautiful details of my Rey and her features.

And even though we couldn’t do the factory tour this time and the museum – we’ll make up for it! 

 

True Colors

8. März 2020 Keine Kommentare

I’ve been lucky enough to see a specially wrapped GT4 from the factory (but this was a Cup car) and it made me wish for more than the configurator provided. After the wait and the hurry to close my specification before the brought-forward-build-date (April/May to end of February), I was struggling to close on a color. I can’t count how many times I looked at Crayon, Miami Blue, Carrara White and Gentian Blue before choosing the Carrara. We are all trapped with the limited colors made available. So, how to stand out? How can I express myself? PTS was not available, so I had to look to some sort of wrap.

Originally, I had wanted to PTS a Gulf Spyder (similar to the lucky 918 owners), but that was not possible. As a result, I am now relying on my local PZ to secure the services of a proven ‚wrapper‘ to place a Gulf-inspired stripe on my new Spyder. The photos below show the ideas to date…what do you think?

Voriger
Nächster

What is the status of my Porsche?

21. Februar 2020 Keine Kommentare

Another 25 days until I can finally get my 718 „Schmuckstück“  home. Since my last post, I have been longing for some snippets of information about the progress on the construction. I look enviously across the big pond, where American buyers of a 911 receive a wonderful progress feed from the production chain.
By pure chance, I found this page from Porsche North America and was astonished that there is a seemingly continuous flow of information from configuration to delivery.

It starts with a day-brightening announcement of the manufacturing process…
911_order_progress
Then you get an overview of the manufacturing stages...
Porsche_production
1
Paint Shop

The paint shop in Zuffenhausen is one of the world's most modern and environmentally friendly of its kind. In a multi-stage process here, the bodies receive their flawless coat of paint, consisting of corrosion protection, coloration, and surface sealant.

Paint shop

This occurs in the precisely timed cycle of the entire sports car production process. At the end of the painting process, four coats of paint form a layer around 0.13 millimeters thick—barely thicker than a human hair.

The paint shop offers a range of colors similar to manufacturing. In addition to the defined standard colors, a special color system makes it possible to paint any model in many custom colors requested.

2
Body construction

The beginning—a Porsche acquires its unmistakable shape in the body construction facility. Ultra-precision industrial robots and state-of-the-art joining techniques ensure that hundreds of individual aluminum and steel parts are merged into a distinctive exterior.

Body construction

Despite the high degree of automation, the skill of our employees is the key to our success. All staff working in quality control, system operation, and maintenance are highly qualified. This is the only way for us to ensure and continuously extend our high standard of quality.

In body construction, we have already achieved the optimal interaction of human experience and the latest technology.

3
Vehicle assembly

Assembly begins by joining the body and the cockpit. The best seat in a Porscheis already identifiable—the one behind the steering wheel. Then the headliner and windows are installed. Very carefully. With pinpoint precision.

Vehicle assembly

At this point, the engine for the model is already travelling on the conveyer belt through the plant. In a parallel work step, it is connected to the chassis with the transmission, the drive shafts and axles, and the exhaust system. These simultaneous processes are timed to the second. As in the pit lane.

Then comes the all-important moment—the marriage, where the body, drivetrain, and chassis are connected and screwed together. The next step is the wheel assembly.

Then, the brand new Porsche is finally ready for its destiny.

For its driver. For the road. For the racetrack. In essence, for conquering uncharted territory at the limits of sporty performance.

4
Saddlery

A high-quality interior is a key feature of every Porsche, so Porsche indulges in a luxury that many other car manufacturers abandoned long ago: its own saddlery.

Saddlery

The "intrinsic values" of all Porsche sports cars are created at the saddlery in Zuffenhausen. The sewers and saddlers produce the interior trim and upholstery in the same order as the vehicles roll off the final assembly line.

Every single interior is crafted according to the customer’s wishes.

5
Engine manufacturing

Here also, manufacturing is based on model-mix production, for example in the exact order in which our customers have ordered their vehicles and in which they are built in the plant - whether a 911, Boxster, Cayman, Cayenne, Panamera, or Macan.

Engine manufacturing

Teamwork is crucial in this process. This applies to the complex logistics as well as the exact picking of the average 250 components required per engine and 150 components required per chassis. To guarantee maximum precision and quality, the optimal interaction of all employees is vital. Every screw and part must be manufactured to accuracy within a millimeter, and then made available at the right place and time.

And finally—when your car is ready to deliver.... my favourite stage...
Porsche_message

It’s a girl!

28. Januar 2020 Keine Kommentare

During the waiting period, I daydream – which routes to drive, how it feels to change gears after years of an automatic transmission, which extras I want to have (rally stripes–maybe in Gulf livery), etc. And, at some point, you start to deal with your (well that of your car’s) personality – naming is an essential aspect of it. For me, naming (yes, my cars always have names 🙂) starts with the character and the look. How should I call the combination of tremendous power and the contrast of light and darkness, whose past carries a meaningful legacy? This time, the answer was simple and clear to me: Rey.

May the force be with me.

How long until pickup?

26. Januar 2020 Keine Kommentare

In the last few days, we (along with our Porsche Zentrum) have been trying to set the date for the factory pickup in Zuffenhausen. Initially, we feared we would need to accept a timeslot for 08:00 o’clock, which is far too early for us, Luckily, we now have a slot on 19.03.2020 at 11:30. Of course, the application for a holiday was submitted immediately…I am really looking forward to the tour of the factory and especially the moment when I see ‚my‘ Spyder for the first time…and (of course) our first trip together! 

Porsche_Zuffenhausen

Finding a timeslot is a bit of a tedious. @Porsche: Wouldn’t it be great if I could simply select a date online, instead of playing an email ping-pong game with my PZ as a go-between?