With many owners having strong emotional interactions with their cars, it is a frequent occurrence for owners to travel to the Zuffenhausen works in Stuttgart to collect their new cars, or merely explore their birthplaces. While this “European delivery” concept is no longer extraordinarily remarkable (Volvo and BMW now offer it, and combine it with a vacation), Porsche was certainly among the first marques to institute it (which they did not even as a policy intentionally, but simply because that was how things were done back then). American owners would order their cars to their specification and then travel to the factory in Germany where they would get a tour of the factory, meet some of the personnel, and get a tour of their new car. It was common to then tour much of Europe in the car for several weeks before putting it on a ship back to the United States.

A visit to the factory where 911’s are built reveals an almost surreal experience simply because it is so stereotyped. The factory is spotless and workers wear long white coats. Much of the work is still done by hand and quality control workers wearing white gloves run their hands over the paintwork feeling for imperfections. Each convertible top is made by a seamstress at a sewing machine and takes 14 hours to make. Each engine is test run on a bench for thirty minutes before being OK’d for installation, and each car is run on the autobahn before being released. Porsche used this for an advertisement campaign, proclaiming that “it is not possible to buy a new 911”. Incidentally, Porsche also invented the “bra” sometimes seen on cars as a device to protect new cars while undergoing this testing process.

Workers installing the factory bras in the late 1960's

An recent interview with one of the test drivers reveals (in thickly accented English) that he "...werk by Porsche since nineteen hundred eighty six. it's a very funny job and I like it to do. Some peeble pay for zhees experience but I get paid for it!” he proclaims happily as he laughs and simultaneously shifts into 6th gear at 220kph.

Among employees, there is tremendous pride to be working there, and there are many workers who have passed the trade along within their family. Much of the skilled work taught by apprenticeship, and despite the relatively large numbers that are built, much of the work is still done by hand. Factory output is about sixty cars a day, sixty-two on a good day. This is an interesting blend of old-world cottage-industry craftsmanship and extremely advanced technology present in the cars, which is a highly effective synthesis, even though the juxtaposition seems at first incongruous.

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