THE SECRET MUSEUM
OF PORSCHE.
PORSCHE CENTRE
SOUTH LAKES
ISSUE 02
FEBRUARY 2026
LET’S TORQUE
PORSCHE
FOREWORD
“The car was ready
to keep going –
and truthfully,
so was I.”
Welcome to the second edition of Let’s Torque Porsche.
I have to confess that sitting down to write this foreword,
I am thinking back to one of the most unexpectedly
memorable journeys I have made in recent memory,
a drive from the UK all the way to Stuttgart, Germany,
and back again, entirely behind the wheel of the new
Porsche Macan Electric.
The trip was the occasion of a Porsche Conference in
Stuttgart, and I will admit I had a quiet moment of
hesitation when I decided to make the journey by electric
car rather than fly or travel by conventional means.
Long-distance EV travel still carries a certain mythology
around it, the range anxiety, the hunt for chargers, the
endless wait at a service station. What I discovered
could not have been further from that story.
The charging infrastructure across Europe has transformed
almost beyond recognition. It was not so long ago that
the launch of the Taycan, Porsche’s first fully electric
production car, felt like a genuine leap of faith for both
the brand and its customers.
The network of rapid chargers that existed then was
patchy at best. The world has caught up remarkably
quickly. Today, pulling into a motorway service area and
finding a bank of high-speed chargers available is simply
unremarkable. It is, quite rightly, expected.
What struck me most profoundly was something I had
not anticipated at all. I found myself stopping more than
the car ever needed to. The Macan Electric’s range and
efficiency meant that on several occasions I had pulled
into services for a coffee and a stretch of the legs,
entirely out of habit rather than necessity.
02
FOREWORD
“I found myself stopping more
than the car ever needed to.”
I’d park up, glance at the charge level, and realise I didn’t
need to charge. There is something quietly remarkable
about standing next to a charging bay, not charging,
because you simply don’t need to yet.
Beyond the practicalities, the driving experience itself
is one that feels tailor-made for long-distance travel.
The refinement of the electric powertrain, that seamless,
near-silent surge of torque, makes sustained motorway
cruising genuinely effortless. Combine that with the
sophistication of the Macan’s driver assistance technology,
its adaptive cruise control, lane guidance, and the sheer
quality of its interior environment, and the miles simply
dissolve. Rather than arriving in Stuttgart fatigued
from hours on the road, I arrived having genuinely
enjoyed the journey.
Stuttgart itself, of course, did not disappoint. The
conference was an inspiring few days, and the privilege
of being surrounded by colleagues who share the same
passion for this brand never grows old. But I confess it
was what happened beyond the formal schedule that
has stayed with me most, a visit to what can only be
described as one of the most extraordinary hidden
treasures in the automotive world.
Deep within a Porsche facility that many people will
never see lies a place that defies easy description.
The Porsche Secret Museum, a vast, climate-controlled
sanctuary, houses the cars, the prototypes, the test
mules, and the motorsport legends that the public
museum simply cannot accommodate.
Row upon row of automotive history sits in careful
preservation; some of the most significant machines
in the story of this company, waiting quietly in the dark.
Walking through it felt less like a museum visit and
more like being trusted with a secret.
Throughout this edition of Let’s Torque, you will find
the Secret Museum as our central feature. I had the
privilege of spending time among those cars, and I’ve
added a few personal notes alongside some of the
highlights, small reflections from someone who was
lucky enough to be there. I hope they bring the
experience a little closer to you.
This second edition is a particular milestone for us.
The response to our first issue was genuinely humbling,
and the team has worked hard to make this one even
better. Whether you are a lifelong Porsche enthusiast or
simply curious about what makes this brand so enduring,
I hope you find something within these pages that
resonates. As ever, we are here to talk Porsche, so if
anything inspires a question, a conversation, or a visit,
please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Warm regards,
Simon Parker
Centre Principal
Porsche Centre South Lakes
03
FOREWORD
THE PORSCHE
TREASURE TROVE.
Our Centre Principal, Simon Parker,
recently had the extraordinary
privilege of visiting this remarkable
facility, and what he witnessed left
him genuinely awestruck.
Imagine stepping into a warehouse where time
itself seems compressed, where decades of
automotive excellence stand silent yet speak
volumes through their mere presence. This isn’t
the polished, public-facing Porsche Museum in
Stuttgart with its gleaming displays and
interactive exhibits.
This is something altogether different – a vast
industrial space housing hundreds of sleeping
beauties, each with a story etched into its
bodywork, each representing a pivotal moment in
Porsche’s storied history.
INSIDE THE NOT-SO-SECRET STORAGE FACILITY
WHERE AUTOMOTIVE DREAMS COME TO REST.
From cabriolet Cayenne’s that never made
production to test mules that pushed
engineering boundaries, from race cars spanning
every generation to prototype oddities that make
you question reality – this is where Porsche
keeps its most precious automotive treasure.
04
THE PORSCHE TREASURE TROVE.
05
THE PORSCHE TREASURE TROVE.
THE SECRET THAT ISN’T REALLY A SECRET
THE SECRET THAT ISN’T
REALLY A SECRET
Even Wikipedia struggles with its precise location, offering
multiple spelling variations and uncertain coordinates.
This ambiguity is entirely intentional – while not completely
classified, access to this automotive kaleidoscope remains
strictly controlled and highly coveted.
The facility itself is an unadorned industrial construction,
devoid of the architectural flourishes found at the main
museum. Yet this simplicity is precisely what gives it
charm. Without the polish and presentation of a public
space, the warehouse allows the cars themselves to take
centre stage. Sunlight streams through massive
windows, catching familiar silhouettes draped beneath
protective covers, drawing shapes that enthusiasts
would recognise instantly even in shadow.
For seven years now, this centralised storage facility
has housed Porsche’s historical collection. Before its
establishment, the marque’s precious vehicles were
scattered across various locations throughout Stuttgart
– a logistical nightmare that made accessing specific
cars difficult and maintaining them consistently
nearly impossible.
Today, under the meticulous stewardship of facility
managers like Benjamin Marjanac and Alexander E. Klein,
every single vehicle is catalogued, maintained, and ready
to fulfil its purpose.
Despite various publications having
covered this facility over the years,
it remains shrouded in an air of mystery.
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A LIVING, BREATHING COLLECTION
Visit our online shop.
CLICK THE LINK TO EXPLORE THE PORSCHE LIFESTYLE COLLECTION.
A Living,
Breathing Collection
What sets this facility apart from typical automotive
museums is Porsche’s philosophy: these cars aren’t merely
artifacts to be preserved behind velvet ropes. They’re
meant to be driven, to fulfil the purpose for which they
were built. According to facility managers, approximately
twenty percent of the collection is registered and
road-ready at any given time, capable of being deployed
anywhere in the world with just hours’ notice.
“The museum itself is about the cars and the historic
information” explains one of the facility’s managers, “but
these cars have to be used, otherwise they cease to be a
car and driving is what we love more than anything else”.
This practical German approach means that when
collectors, journalists, or Porsche executives need a
specific historical model, it can be retrieved, prepared,
and delivered with remarkable efficiency.
Simon Parker witnessed this philosophy firsthand during
his visit. The organisation is extraordinary – race cars
positioned at the front for quick access, road cars
systematically arranged by model and year, prototypes
and test vehicles grouped by project. Everything is
considered from a logistical standpoint, the result of
countless hours of planning and reorganisation.
View shop
RACING PEDIGREE ON DISPLAY.
For motorsport enthusiasts, this facility
represents hallowed ground. Row upon row
of competition vehicles chronicle Porsche’s
remarkable racing heritage, bearing the
scars and stickers of battles fought on
circuits worldwide.
RACING PEDIGREE
ON DISPLAY.
08
Nearly seventy years of progress separates these bookends of
Porsche’s passion for sports cars and racing, yet they sit side by
side in the warehouse, united by the same DNA of engineering
excellence and racing spirit.
Blaupunkt, Rothmans, and other brands that once
adorned racing cars but have since faded from the sport.
Among the treasures Simon encountered were the
legendary 804 Formula One cars from the early 1960s.
Porsche built only three of these remarkable machines,
fitted with 1.5-litre eight-cylinder racing engines.
Despite their modest displacement, drivers regularly
pushed them to 9,000 rpm – you can smell the – burnt
racing fuel and imagine the adrenaline of the drive, by
just looking at the trailing rev counter pointers. These
represent Porsche’s brief but successful foray into Grand
Prix racing, a testament to the company’s engineering
prowess across all forms of motorsport.
Then there’s the 917-30 with serial number 001, a work
in progress that might eventually move to the main
museum looking factory-fresh, or perhaps return to the
track on wide racing slicks as it did with Willi Kauhsen
at the Nürburgring. The brutal sound of these racers,
the concentration of Porsche power – it’s overwhelming
even in silence.
Simon was particularly struck by the evolution on display,
from the humble 356 crafted by hand in 1949 to the
science-fiction-like 919 Hybrid Evo that demolished the
Nürburgring lap record. Nearly seventy years of progress
separates these bookends of Porsche’s passion for
sports cars and racing, yet they sit side by side in the
warehouse, united by the same DNA of engineering
excellence and racing spirit.
Many still carry the
original sponsor liveries.
MANY STILL CARRY THE ORIGINAL SPONSOR LIVERIES.
09
The Oddballs and One-Offs.
10
THE ODDBALLS AND ONE-OFFS.
Collectors now fight over these
“Red Nose” tractors, which
represent a lesser-known
chapter in Porsche’s diverse
manufacturing history.
Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of this collection is
the presence of vehicles that never made it to production,
prototypes that represent roads not taken in Porsche’s
history. Simon recounts seeing a four-door 928 –
designated the 928 H50 – one of several attempts
Porsche made to create a sporty family car. While the
concept never reached fruition under the Porsche badge,
elements of this thinking eventually influenced the
marque’s collaboration with Mercedes-Benz on the
legendary W124 500E.
Among the curiosities is a Mercedes W124 fitted with
D90 wheels and powered by a special 989 engine –
an eight-cylinder unit based on an IndyCar powerplant.
Imagine Porsche engineers dreaming of a family sedan
with racing DNA flowing through its veins.
The madness, the ambition, the sheer audacity of it all
is quintessentially Porsche. Then there are the cabriolet
Cayenne’s that Simon mentioned – open-top versions
of Porsche’s SUV that never progressed beyond the
prototype stage. These test mules serve as fascinating
glimpses into the development process, showing the
directions Porsche explored before settling on final
production specifications.
There’s even a Porsche-powered motorcycle, created when
an engineer named Mr. Hess couldn’t resist fitting a 356
engine into a bike frame. Like the Münch Mammoth with
its NSU TT engine, it was a brilliant engineering exercise
that proved entirely unsuitable for series production.
And yes, Porsche built diesel engines too – not for sports
cars, but for tractors in the company’s early days.
11
THE ODDBALLS AND ONE-OFFS.
RALLY LEGENDS AND SPECIAL BUILDS
Rally enthusiasts would find themselves equally enthralled by
the facility’s contents. The 924 GTP that Walter Röhrl piloted
stands as a unique specimen in Porsche’s rally heritage.
When Mercedes couldn’t provide Röhrl with a competitive vehicle,
Porsche stepped in, creating this special 924 fitted with a 944
Turbo engine. It’s a testament to Porsche’s flexibility and
willingness to push boundaries to support motorsport excellence.
Simon was fascinated by the Paris-Dakar support
vehicles as well - including a Mercedes G-Class fitted
with a Porsche 928 engine and adorned with Rothmans
livery. This indestructible machine served as the
engineers’ transport and parts van during the gruelling
desert race, ensuring that Jackie Ickx’s all-wheel-drive
Porsche had everything needed to achieve victory.
The 959 that dominated Paris-Dakar sits nearby, still
bearing the dust and patina of its triumph. Particularly
special is a 996 GT1 that sits ready to run, its significance
evident in every line. This was more than just a race car
– it represented Porsche’s commitment to GT racing
at the highest level, a homologation special that brought
Le Mans-winning technology to the road.
Rally Legends and
Special Builds
12
THE TEST MULES AND DEVELOPMENT VEHICLES
These aren’t showpieces – they’re working tools that
helped engineers solve problems and push boundaries.
There is a 918 Spyder body-in-white used for drivetrain
testing, complete with a Zarges aluminium box mounted
where the exhaust pipes would normally exit. In the early
development phase, there simply wasn’t enough space
for all the electronics, so a trainee came up with the
brilliantly simple solution of housing them externally.
There’s a 944 S that covered an astonishing 365,000
kilometres in a single year as a long-term test vehicle
– enough distance to reach the moon.
One thousand kilometres every single day, pushing
components to their limits, gathering data that would
inform future designs. The dedication this represents
is staggering.
A 996 Carrera RS prototype reveals the genesis of the
GT3 lineage. Beneath its road-going exterior lies a Cup car
chassis, representing the moment when Roland Kussmaul
and his team created their vision of the ultimate
road-going race car. This single vehicle spawned an
entire sub-brand that continues to thrive today.
The test mules and development vehicles
offer perhaps the most intriguing insights
into Porsche’s engineering process.
13
ORGANISATION MEETS OBSESSION
ORGANISATION
MEETS OBSESSION
The level of organisation throughout the facility reflects
a peculiarly German approach to problem-solving.
Cars are stored in custom-designed boxes not because
it looks impressive, but because it’s the most efficient
use of space.
Porsche even designed their own specialised Linde
forklifts for moving these precious crates. Every vehicle
has its designated location, every part is catalogued,
every system is documented. The facility managers
approach their work with genuine passion. Benjamin
Marjanac drives a black 996 Carrera 2 on BBS E88 wheels
– perhaps not the fanciest or latest special edition, but a
dream fulfilled for someone who
fell in love with six-cylinder engines via the Golf VR6.
Alexander E. Klein spent over a decade painstakingly
restoring a 1973 RS to perfection. These aren’t just
custodians; they’re enthusiasts who live and breathe
Porsche even outside working hours.
Simon noted that this dedication permeates the entire
organisation. The people employed by Porsche tend to be
true believers, deeply knowledgeable about the marque’s
history and genuinely excited to share that knowledge
with visitors fortunate enough to gain access.
14
A WEALTH OF STORIES
Every car in this vast
collection has a story,
some more unusual
than others.
Among the covered vehicles sit various aerodynamic
studies, wind tunnel models, and one-off experimental
projects. Pink race cars from the Porsche 944 Turbo Cup
era sit alongside sober Group B prototypes finished in
mother-of-pearl. A 968 Roadster exists as a unique
specimen, its very existence raising questions about
paths not taken in Porsche’s product planning.
Simon found himself struck by the variety of wheel
designs on display throughout the facility – from early
Porsche-manufactured turbo fans to the countless
iterations of designs that have graced everything from
early race cars to modern GT machines. Each set of
wheels tells its own story of engineering evolution and
aesthetic development.
There’s a 356 wallpapered in finest leather, commissioned by an
Austrian diplomat. A 1965 911 from Hawaii still wears its original
surfer stickers – a time capsule from a different era of car culture.
A Wealth
of Stories
15
THE EXPERIENCE.
THE EXPERIENCE.
The sheer concentration of Porsche heritage is
overwhelming. Unlike the main museum with its carefully
curated displays and didactic presentations, this warehouse
presents automotive history in its raw form. The dust on
the covers, the faint smell of old racing fuel, the way
sunlight plays across familiar shapes – it all combines
to create something magical.
Simon described the experience as almost surreal,
particularly when viewing cars by night. In darkness,
with strategic lighting illuminating certain vehicles,
imagination fills in the gaps.
You can almost hear the 804’s engine screaming to
9,000 rpm, smell the rubber from the 917-30’s wide
racing slicks, feel the adrenaline of the Paris-Dakar
competitors as they pushed through the desert.
The privilege of access isn’t lost on those fortunate
enough to visit. This isn’t a place for the general public, nor
will it likely ever be. The logistics of opening such a facility
to regular visitors would be prohibitive, and the intimate,
working nature of the collection would be lost. But for
those who do gain entry, the memories last a lifetime.
FOR ENTHUSIASTS, STEPPING INTO THIS FACILITY
REPRESENTS SOMETHING CLOSE TO AN AUTOMOTIVE
RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE.
16
The Porsche 911 GTS.
EXPERIENCE MOTORSPORT-DERIVED
TECHNOLOGY ON THE ROAD.
Three numbers. Three letters. The 911 GTS is, quite simply, one of the most thrilling cars ever
built. Not just for the astonishing T-Hybrid performance that will take you to 62 mph in 3.0 secs,
but for the sheer luxury, exquisite engineering and, above all, motorsport heritage that will make
the hairs on your neck stand tall. The 911 GTS can be personalised to your unique taste with
Exclusive Manufaktur options. Follow the link to enquire now with Porsche Centre South Lakes.
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1 Electric Drive
Carnforth
Lancashire
LA6 1FW
01524 911 911
info@porschesouthlakes.co.uk
www.porschesouthlakes.co.uk
THE BIRTH OF THE PORSCHE 911
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THE EXPERIENCE.
This requires significant resources – mechanics who
understand vintage racing engines, parts specialists who
can source or fabricate components for models built
decades ago, technicians who can ensure that electronics
from different eras function properly.
The collection continues to grow as significant vehicles
are acquired or retired from active competition. Current
racing cars will eventually join their predecessors in storage,
adding new chapters to Porsche’s documented history.
Development mules from ongoing projects will be
preserved once their active service concludes, ensuring
that future generations can study the engineering
evolution of hybrid systems, electric powertrains,
and autonomous technologies.
There’s enough material here to fill another complete
museum, Simon noted. The challenge lies in deciding what
to display publicly and what to keep in reserve. Some
vehicles are simply too valuable or too fragile for regular
public viewing. Others are so specialised or technical that
they require expert context to appreciate. The storage
facility serves as a vast archive from which the museum
can draw, rotating displays to keep the public exhibition
fresh while preserving the full breadth of Porsche’s history.
Preserving the Future.
Rather than treating historic vehicles as
untouchable museum pieces, Porsche
maintains them as working automobiles.
18
On the day you can
expect to see vehicle
displays, club stands,
trade, food & drink area,
special guest talks, live
music and more.
Renntag Lounge offers
a relaxed and refined
space at the heart of
the event. In this VIP
package you will have
access to inclusive food
and drink throughout
the day, Formula 1
simulation, VIP toilets
and more!
*Limited spaces available
What to expect
For more information visit:
The Renntag
Lounge*
THE NORTH’S
CELEBRATION OF PORSCHE
& PERFORMANCE VEHICLES.
7TH JUNE 2026
LEIGHTON HALL , LA5 9ST
@WHEELSUPNORTH
EVENTS@WHEELSUPNORTHRENNTAG.CO.UK
WWW.WHEELSUPNORTHRENNTAG.CO.UK
Great day out surrounded
by so many stunning cars!
Great location for this type
of event.
20
A TESTAMENT TO EXCELLENCE