JAPAN TO WELCOME THE NINTH PORSCHE EXPERIENCE CENTRE
Porsche Experience Centres (PEC) have become an integral part of the way owners learn to get the best out of their Porsches. Driver training at a regional PEC is offered by the manufacturer upon completion of sale in an Official Porsche Centre, but it can also be independently booked by owners of older Porsches looking to test the limit of what their car is capable of in a safe, controlled environment, with guidance from a professional Porsche Driving Consultant. Regardless of the age or performance of the Stuttgart-crested car you drive, if you haven’t taken advantage of this service to date, book a slot as soon as your local PEC is once again open for business. You won’t regret it.
That said, not everyone is lucky enough to have a PEC in their home country. Porsche is doing what it can to rectify the situation, as demonstrated by a recent announcement confirming the ninth PEC will open in Japan later this year. Located in Chiba prefecture (near Tokyo), the site will boast an advanced chassis dynamics testing area, an off-road track and a traditional circuit. The latter comes with a twist (literally) — the 2.1km track will feature copies of famous corners from some of the world’s best-loved circuits. Chief among inclusions are the Nürburgring’s famous Karussell and Laguna Seca’s ‘corkscrew’. Interestingly, while current PECS feature flat tracks, a unique feature of PEC Tokyo will be an undulating surface taking advantage of the area’s natural topography.
The adjoining building will employ an exterior design inspired by Edo Kiriko, a long-standing Japanese craft where clear colours and delicate patterns are cut into glass. Diagonal lines (yaraimon) will be carefully introduced to protect the exterior of the building from damage and dirt. The interior will also adopt Japanese design cues, bringing to mind images of intricate plasterwork and the country’s traditional gardens.
Tokyo joins Leipzig, Silverstone, Atlanta, Le Mans, Los Angeles, Shanghai, Hockenheim and Franciacorta in Porsche’s PEC portfolio, with more centres planned for the near future.