AMAZING
and INCREDIBLE are the best words I can think of that
best describes the PCA Post Treffen experience. What
an “incredible” Porsche adventure that
included traveling through the beautiful Bavarian countryside,
a visit to the birthplace of the first Porsche in Gmund,
Austria, picturesque winding Alpine mountain routes, “incredible” stays
at a couple of ageless Castles, including the Porsche
owned castle in Zell am See, Austria and of course “amazing” drives
on the German Autobahn.
The Fantasy Come True!
How many Porschephiles have fantasized about cruising
the German Autobahn in a Porsche at “incredible” speeds?
Well I have, and my fantasy finally came true on
the Post Treffen trip. Cruising on the Autobahn at
120-130 mph speeds became ordinary, with a top speed
of 165 mph achieved. I also totally enjoyed the additional
horsepower of the newer Porsche 996s (320 vs. 300
HP) which I tested at every opportunity and was evident
by consistently being the first driver to run out
of gas.
The Post Treffen Trip
The optional three-day Post Treffen trip began immediately
after the regular Treffen trip was completed on Sunday,
October 12, 2003. Four couples participated from
the original PCA Treffen tour.
We were transported to the Porsche AG facility at
Ludwigsburg, Germany where we picked up “our” brand
new Carreras, which were equipped with almost every
option you could think of, including the GPS Navigational
system, Bose® Sound System, On-Board Computer,
PSM, ParkAssist and the super sounding Sports Exhaust
System.
Joni and I had a Polar Silver colored C4 Cabriolet,
Jane and Mike (Washington Stat) a Meridian C4 coupe,
Lou and Jerry (Illinois), a Dark Teal Targa, and
Su and Cam (Nevada) of course had their own easy
to spot bright Speed Yellow Targa.
Two way Walkie-Talkies were distributed to each
vehicle so we could communicate with each other and
locate anyone that had gone astray.
Porsche Travel Club Guide
The Post Treffen trip was conducted by the Porsche
Travel Club. Our Tour Guide was Harrald Becker who
is also a Porsche driving instructor and previously
led motorcycle tours for BMW. Harald described the
tour and explained the driving etiquette for the
tour. Initially he said that no passing of other
cars in the “convoy” or caravan was allowed,
but relented when questioned and said as long as
we didn’t pass him it would be alright.
To our surprise Harrald‘s ride was a brand
new Cayenne S, which I questioned if it was enough
of a vehicle to lead four voracious and eager Porsche
pilots. My doubts were eliminated once we got underway.
On the Autobahn and through the winding mountains
it was readily apparent that Harald’s possessed
excellent driving skill, but I was thoroughly impressed
with the Cayenne S handling abilities.
Top Down and Roaring to Go
Our C4 Cab was the last in line and even though
the temperature was in the 40’s (Fahrenheit)
I asked Joni if it was okay to put the top down,
she said, “Go for it!, and down came the top
for the duration of our trip. The next thing I did
was to get some help to reset the digital speedometer
from KPH to MPH and the thermometer on the On-Board
Computer from Celsius to Fahrenheit.
Day 1
As we left the Porsche facility at Ludwigsburg,
our Carrera C4 was the last one to leave and I was
a little concerned about whether we could keep up
with everyone or would we get lost and left behind.
My concerns vanished once we began to traverse the
Autobahn. The “convoy” got strung out
as traffic increased and not wanting to get lost,
I rapidly repositioned ourselves immediately behind
Harald and was promptly followed by Mike. It became
obvious that Mike and I were faster than the others
in our tour. After that I led the other Porsches
for most of the tour and was constantly trying to
push the leading Cayenne.
We were cruised the Autobahn at speeds not possible
in Hawaii, 120 -130 mph and I was eager to see what
the Carrera C4 could do on the Autobahn. I fell back
and let our Travel Guide, Harald, get well ahead
of us, then promptly “put the petal to the
metal”. The Porsche swiftly accelerated to
speeds I had never driven before. The digital speedometer
briskly displayed 140 mph, then 150 and finally 160
mph. I remember trying to hold at 160 mph, but I
had to take by eyes off the gauges in order to negotiate
the traffic. Joni recalls observing the digital speedometer
top off at 165 mph.
We concluded our first day with our arrival at the
Arabella Sheraton Hotel Schloss Fuschi, located on
Lake Fuschi which is surrounded by the beautiful
Daschstein Mountains. A champagne reception was followed
by a delicious gourmet dinner at the historic castle
hotel.
Day 2
The highlight of the second
day was an exciting drive through one of the most
beautiful Alpine mountain
routes, the GroBglockner Hochalpenstrasse. Here
the temperature on the winding mountain roads dipped
to a freezing 31 degrees Fahrenheit, but being
true cabriolet lovers, we continued on with the
Porsche still topless. The side windows were up
and the interior car heater was set to 80 degrees
Fahrenheit. Needless to say it was frosty, but
thanks to the heated seats and interior, not unbearable.
Kudos to my wife Joni for enduring the freezing
temperatures without a single complaint.
Additional highlights included a fascinating visit
to the Porsche Museum of Helmut Pfeifhofer, which
is the birthplace of the first Porsche, the original
Porsche office of Mr. Ferdinand Porsche in Gmund,
Austria, and a wonderful lunch served at the Alte
Burg restaurant (another old castle). The day culminated
with another outstanding epicurean dinner prepared
by a ”world class chef” and an overnight
stay at the Porsche owned castle, Hotel Schloss Prielau
in Zell am See, Austria.
Day 3
The final day consisted of a visit to the Porsche
Design Studio, also in Zell am See, where products
that have nothing to do with the Porsche cars (watches,
bicycles, kitchen appliances, laptop computers, TVs,
etc.) are designed for various manufacturers. From
the Design Studio, we were able to see in the distance
the Porsche family residence in Zell am See. This
is also is the final resting place of Ferdinand Porsche.
The last day of the tour also took us through typical
Bavarian country roads and a final (sigh!) drive
on the Autobahn back to Ludwigsburg, where we reluctantly
bid “Aloha Oe” to “our” Porsche
and the other tour participants.
The PCA Treffen Experience
If you would like to tour the Porsche Factories
and Museums and experience the German and Bavarian
countryside, then you should book PCA Treffen tour.
And if you dreamed of speeding through the German
Autobahns in an exotic, state of the art, high performance
Porsche, then definitely consider booking the Post
Treffen tour or a tour with through the Porsche Travel
Club (check out the Travel Club on the PCA website).
A variety of tours are available, all of which include
driving a Porsche. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
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