Porsche Cars North America has devotees of style and speed salivating with the announcement that its new $100 million Porsche Experience Center (PEC) in Atlanta, Georgia is open for business. The 27-acre complex located adjacent to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the largest investment outside Germany for the iconic sports car manufacturer and it will serve as the company’s North American headquarters.

The PEC features a driver-development track, a classic car gallery and restoration center, a driving simulator lab, a business center with 13,000 square feet of conference and event space, and dining at Restaurant 356, named after the first production Porsche model.

“Our vision for our new home was to create a bold, energizing environment here in Atlanta to demonstrate the unique capabilities of our sports cars,” says Detlev von Platen, president and CEO of Porsche Cars North America (PCNA).

The experience center, von Platen says, “is truly the first of its kind in the automotive industry where we welcome employees, partners, customers and enthusiasts alike.”. An estimated 30,000 guests are expected to visit the PEC annually with visitors and corporate groups “honing their driving skills on a 1.6-mile driver development track that runs through the courtyard of the facility.”

The track will offer amateur drivers a variety of experiences with a handling circuit, an off-road course, a dynamics area, a low-friction handling circuit and a low-friction circle that the company says is “designed to demonstrate the engineering and technological capabilities of all Porsche models.”

ATLANTA SITE SELECTED OVER 70-PLUS COMPETING AREAS

In addition to serving as Porsche’s new North American HQ, the new facility will also house the operations of subsidiaries Porsche Financial Services, Porsche Business Services, Porsche Consulting and IT consultants Mieschke Hofmann & Partners.

The new PCNA facility “is as innovative, forward-thinking and performance-driven as the company itself,” said Georgia Governor Nathan Deal at the PEC’s recent opening. “From their windows on I-75, travelers have borne witness to the progress being made here, and now, the day has come when these same visitors can truly experience all that Porsche and Georgia have to offer.”

More than 70 alternative locations in a number of states were considered during the site selection process. In the end, von Platen says, “Atlanta’s transportation infrastructure, skilled workforce and strong support from the city and the state were key reasons for the decision to expand in Atlanta.”

“The proximity to the world’s busiest airport allows approximately 80 percent of the U.S. population to reach the Porsche Experience Center within two and a half hours of flying time,” he says.

Established in 1984, Porsche Cars North America is the exclusive U.S. importer of Porsche 918 Spyder, 911, Boxster and Cayman sports cars, as well as the Macan and Cayenne SUVs and Panamera sports sedans.