Headquartered in lovely Stuttgart, Germany is a well-known aftermarket brand known as TECHART. They have built a reputation around their incredible specialized aftermarket programs for Porsche models over the years, and they show no sign of slowing down. We recently took flight to Germany and had the chance to visit TECHART’s headquarters and were treated with a truly German automotive experience.
When we arrived in Stuttgart, we were greeted by Marc Herdtle, TECHART’s Marketing Director. He picked up the team in a stunning 700+ horsepower Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe that had been upgraded through TECHART’s own program for the model. Herdtle then took us through the streets of Germany in the magnificent SUV until we arrived at the TECHART HQ.
Upon entering their headquarters, a Rolf Benz Edition of the Porsche Cayenne was on display, as well as a classic Porsche 911 and 911 Turbo S that had been enhanced by TECHART. There were also displays that demonstrated TECHART’s abilities when it comes to personalized cars, like custom steering wheels and more.
After a quick lunch in the conference room, the tour of the headquarters began. Starting off in the mechanic’s garage, a new Porsche 911 (992 generation) that had been further improved by TECHART. This was technically an exclusive sneak peek, as the TECHART 911 (992) had not been unveiled during the time of our visit.
From here, we made our way to the leather upholstery department. The artisanship that goes into TECHART’s custom interior is a sight to behold. The artists that create these masterpieces are truly masters of their craft. Whether it’s the seats, steering wheel, door trim, or what have you, they can customize it with leather and other fine materials.
Not only does TECHART have a leather upholstery department, but they also produce their carbon fiber and carbon fiber components inhouse. TECHART utilizes a lot of carbon fiber, so it makes perfect sense that they produce it inhouse. This allows them to oversee everything that goes on, ensuring that their carbon fiber is of the highest quality.
For the design of the cars themselves, TECHART’s designers have a lot of tools at their disposal. One of the most interesting tools we saw that they use is a virtual reality setup that’s powered by the HTC Vive. This allows the designers to get up close and personal with the car and see what they’re building before their very own eyes. Even though they have this kind of technology available, they also design with the tried-and-true clay molding method.
After the cars have been fitted with new TECHART components, they’re placed in a wind tunnel to ensure that the cars have the most optimized aerodynamics possible. Seeing it in action is incredible, but it’s frowned upon to jump in while testing is taking place.
After the tour, we were treated with something special: a chance to drive TECHART’s Cayenne Turbo Coupe and new 911 (992) in the forests of Germany. If the tour of TECHART’s headquarters was the dinner, then this was the exquisite dessert.
Each of these vehicles not only looked fantastic, both inside and out, they handled beautifully. When sitting in each of the TECHART Porsches, you could feel the amount of craftsmanship that went into the refinement of the exterior and interior. With the press of the pedal, the true power and essence of the German sports car and SUV was on full display. We’ll just say this: if you ever have a chance to drive a Porsche through a German forest, take it.
We want to thank TECHART for inviting us to their headquarters and for treating us to a day we’ll never forget. Then again, we can live it again, to an extent, by getting a TECHART vehicle of our own. Could that be a business expense…?