At the end of the tour of the exhibition, there is an interactive “Porsche Touchwall” that invites visitors to take part in a multimedia exploration of the company’s history. When the visitor approaches the 12-metre long touchwall, a new level opens that enables virtual time travel through nine decades of automotive and Porsche history. Visitors can browse through the wall’s collection of over 3,000 pictures, drawings, posters and advertisements in the period from 1931 to the present – including an extensive selection of images and technical data for nearly all road vehicles and race cars that sport the Porsche crest.
New content is imported and added daily – fully automatically – via the wall’s interface to the database of the Historical Archive. Another special feature is the navigation by touch frames, which allow several different visitors to control the media simultaneously with multi-touch gestures. Even the smallest of details can be viewed using the zoom function. While it seems so simple to the visitors it turns out that it is actually an exceptional piece of high-tech wizardry. The 20 full-HD 55” displays are driven by five graphic PCs with a 3D real-time application that also enables functions such as moving images over the entire length of the touchwall.
One of the biggest dreams of many Porsche enthusiasts is to take a seat in an actual Porsche. For visitors to the Museum, this dream can now come true – and they can even take home a souvenir photo. Visitors who wish to have their photo taken simply take a seat in the car provided from the current model range. The guest and vehicle can be placed in different scenarios using an image cut-out function. The desired backdrop as well as any photo filters are chosen at the collection station. You can then take a free print home with you and have the photo emailed to you so that you can share it on your own social media channels, for example.
Porsche design DNA extends across all model ranges – and that of the 911 goes all the way back to 1963. Visitors can experience the design DNA interactively. The “Consistent” station features six car models on turntables, one derivative for each model line. The exhibit combines classic exhibition furniture with 3D printing methods and optical sensor technology. When a visitor approaches the interactive turntable, all cars stop their pause loop and turn to face the visitor. As soon as the turntable under the 911 moves, the other Porsche rotate in sync. Meanwhile, red illuminated lines appear on all six models, which provide a visual depiction of the Porsche design DNA, and which are explained in detail on the Multimedia Guide. Rarely has it been easier to visualise the relationships between the model ranges by means of design lines. The interactive exhibition furniture is an established fixture of the permanent exhibition – in addition to the 80 cars and more than 200 small exhibits.
For those looking for a real racing driver experience, there is good news: With the Porsche Racing Simulators, Museum visitors can now experience the true feeling of motorsport. Visitors can play games and race in E-Sports competitions at all levels of difficulty according to the target group. An extremely exciting experience is guaranteed by the curved screen, which is specifically oriented towards the driver, and the steering wheel based on the original wheel from the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. The new Porsche Racing Simulator features high-performance pedals to make the response as direct and realistic as possible. The racing seat offers exceptional lateral support during cornering, while the D-BOX Motion System moves the driver in the dimensions sideways, up and down, forwards and backwards.
A further highlight of the permanent exhibition is the interactive sound installation “Porsche in the Mix”, which is unique in the world. Here, the visitor first chooses a favourite from seven vehicle models. The exhibit plays back the characteristic sounds of vehicles ranging from the 356 to the 911 and up to the 918. The visitor can then activate and deactivate eight additional sounds via a touchscreen. Sounds like indicators lights, doors closing and engine sounds are integrated into the “base track”. This progressively leads to a complete composition. The sound sources are based on original Porsche vehicle sounds that are visualised by video and kinetic animations on the wall surface. The LED sound level indicators hover in space and vary in height and movement according to the vehicle sound and its volume. At the end, visitors can send the music they have composed home by email. “Porsche in the Mix” gives visitors a dynamic, audio-visual experience that lets them experience the Porsche brand emotionally in a unique way.
In future, modern channels will be increasingly used to enhance the presentation of Porsche’s origins and its experience in vehicle construction. The Porsche Museum now has a new multimedia guide. The previous audio clips have been expanded to include 5,000 pictures and 700 films of all exhibits in the permanent exhibition, which can be accessed via a high-resolution touch display. The multimedia guide is intuitive to use, and a children’s version is also still available for young visitors. The guide reacts very quickly, which makes it fun to delve into the wide range of content and to learn all about the exhibits through dynamic storytelling. In order to ensure that the information was kept up-to-date, the team produced new audio content for 210 vehicles, since the exhibits in the permanent exhibition are changed on a regular basis. Audio commentaries in multiple languages were added to video clips and existing media. As a result, visitors will be able to immerse themselves even more deeply into the sports car manufacturer’s history in the future. The guide is available in the following languages: German, English, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese and Chinese. A children’s version is also available for our younger visitors.
