It’s Thursday – the weekend is just around the corner, and peace has settled over the Berchtesgaden Alps. On the podium are two Porsche veterans with very different stories. They are ready for an octane talk – a Benzingespräch. One of them chased the competition in a 928 at Daytona, saved Niki Lauda in the Nürburgring disaster, and as a technician built the only two 8-cylinder 914s. It’s Hans Clausecker, known in the community as the “Carver of Daytona”. The other one is nicknamed “The Long One”. A Porsche brand ambassador since 1993, a winner of the Monte Carlo Rally and Pikes Peak, a World Rally Champion (World Champion!), and the best rally driver of all time. He drifts sideways in the Carrera GT if he has to, probably because of the horizontal tears of excitement – and there’s no Porsche road car without approval from the volant legend Walter Röhrl.
Two men, two lives, many anecdotes. What they both have in common is the passion for Porsche. Both of them carry the love for the Zuffenhausen brand deep in their hearts – and the key to its cars in their pockets. One has played a key role in shaping Porsche’s fortunes behind the scenes, in the factory and in the so “cage”. The second has pushed Porsche technology at the world’s rallies and racetracks like no other. But there is something else that unites them: their appreciation for the Porsche community, the Porsche Clubs, and their affection for the enthusiasts and friends of Porsche.
Which brings us to the place where we met: the Hans-Peter Porsche Traumwerk. At Anger, in the Berchtesgadener Land region near Salzburg, Hans-Peter Porsche has created a place of dreams for his impressive collection of vehicles and tin toys. Today, it is above all a place to dream for fans of the Porsche brand. The team – led by the new Managing Directors Peter Daniell Porsche and Sven Bössow – has converted the large event room to the right of the entrance and at the start of the museum’s striking octagonal shape from the “Wechselwerk” into the “Hans-Peter Porsche Salon”. In future, visitors can look forward to changing vehicle exhibitions, redesigned showcases focusing on the Porsche theme, and video installations that immerse the room in a spectacular atmosphere.
Tonight’s petrol talk is hosted by Joachim Althammer, organiser of the Edelweiss Classic Rally. The vehicles from the current exhibition had to make way for seating and a podium, with a current Turbo from the Exclusive Manufaktur in the centre and a Turbo G model from Hans-Peter Porsche’s collection to the right of the stage. There’s no question what tonight is all about: the automobile as cultural heritage, and 50 years of the Porsche Turbo.
It will be a successful Porsche evening, not only because of the legends on stage, but also because of the keen audience. From the Porsche family in attendance are Hans-Peter Porsche and Mark Porsche from Porsche Salzburg, Helmut Eggert, the long-time Röhrl co-driver Christian Gaißdörfer, 917 Salzburg technician Helmut “Käfer” Frauenschuh, Christoph Pfeifhofer from Gmünd, Porsche specialist Roger Kaege, from Porsche Club Deutschland, Erwin Pfeiffer, from the United States, Frank Tueckmantel as part of the Concours d’Elégance at Tegernsee and community specialist Paul Gregor from Global Community Management as a representative of Porsche AG.
The talks between the enthusiasts continue late into the evening. The discussions deepen between finger food and show pieces, and the long queue for a Röhrl autograph is skilfully used to socialise and swap contacts. Porsche meetings are always a get-together with extra benefit. And there is no better place for this than the Traumwerk in Anger. With the Benzingespräche, Cars and Friends meetings, the planned exhibitions and the announced premieres, the Traumwerk is living up to its automotive roots, becoming an extraordinary focal point for the Porsche family and brand, and spanning a wide range from model railways, historic tin toys to Porsche icons.
The Benzingespräche take place throughout the year, and future dates will be announced on the Hans-Peter Porsche Traumwerk website.
The next event will be a warm-up meeting to celebrate 95 years of Gaisberg.
Saturday, 4 May 2024
Hans-Peter Porsche Traumwerk, Anger
www.traumwerk.de
