The Sound of Porsche echoes in West London

"It is truly a pleasure to welcome you to the opening of Sound of Porsche", said Bernhard Maier, Member of the Executive Board for Sales and Marketing at Porsche AG. “This interactive experience extends our brand beyond the boundaries of the traditional showroom, and enables Porsche to connect with people in a setting familiar to them. You only need to look at the numbers of people around Westfield to understand why the Christmas period is the best time for Porsche to have such a store in a shopping mall.”

The ‘Sound of Porsche’ runs in Westfield until 28 December. The launch of the London initiative follows a successful debut of the first ‘Sound of Porsche’ in New York City in September. A further store is planned for Shanghai, China in 2015.

A Sound Lab presents the new Porsche 911 GTS

“The unique appeal in the ‘Sound of Porsche’ concept comes from our innovative approach. We have individual Media Stations featuring 16 exclusive films highlighting our values, a Sound Lab which presents the new 911 GTS through sound and light visualisation, and a Design Corner, where visitors can express what they personally associate with the ‘Sound of Porsche’,” Maier added.

By using a clever mix of contemporary multi-media and traditional methods of communication, the experience brings the Porsche brand alive by sharing its true essence with long-standing fans and casual enthusiasts alike.

Visitors are greeted by a welcoming ambience reminiscent of a record store, but where you might expect racks of music LPs there are instead a selection of digital films available to choose from - albeit presented in the style of a record – and which can then be viewed on individual screens. The soundtrack is replayed via Bose QuietComfort® 25 headphones.

Special guests: Magnus Walker and Neel Jani

Topics span the marque’s core, intelligent performance, plus the Porsche principles of design, and historic highlights. A further emphasis is on motorsport achievements, and in particular how Porsche successes on the race track transfer into the technology of the road cars.

Underlining these particular aspects of the company during the opening night were further special guests; Porsche Cars GB Managing Director Chris Craft, Project Director Sports Cars Style Porsche Matthias Kulla, Head of Porsche Motorsport Dr Frank Walliser, and Porsche factory race driver, Neel Jani, who just two weeks ago scored the first victory for the LMP1 Porsche 919 Hybrid in Brazil.

A special highlight was the attendance of Magnus Walker, a Los Angeles-domiciled Englishman with a cult following among Porsche fans. Famous for restoring and collecting classic Porsche 911s, he currently has five examples of the 1967 911 ‘S’. Magnus Walker eloquently described what the ‘Sound of Porsche’ means to him; “to drive at your own pace on your own road.”

A tour of the ‘Sound of Porsche’

The Sound Lab Virtual Drive Experience powered by Bose® features the new 911 GTS Coupé. This latest example of the iconic 911 features a rear-mounted, 430 hp, 3.8-litre flat-six engine and exemplifies the commitment of Porsche to design, innovation, quality and excellence. These values are portrayed in one of the featured media tracks titled “From Draft to Drift – The Porsche 911”. Visitors experience the 911 through sound and 3D projection visual mapping, and can select the backdrop of an urban drive through a city, along a mountain pass, or racing on the renowned 14-mile Nürburgring circuit in Germany.

The Media Stations introduce guests to a custom record / playlist created by Porsche. Viewing highlights include ‘Electrifying Performance’ and ‘One of Us’ which feature Porsche race car drivers Mark Webber and Patrick Dempsey. Other curated Porsche enthusiasts include Los Angeles-domiciled Englishman Magnus Walker featured in ‘The Urban Outlaw’, and Sally Carrera from the ‘CARS’ animated movie in ‘A Porsche Goes to Hollywood.’ The films signify what the Porsche brand experience means to each individual in the form of an audio and film perspective. Each media station features advanced noise-cancelling Bose QuietComfort® 25 headphones, so that participants can completely ‘lose themselves in Porsche.’

Lastly, The Design Corner area features a chalk board which serves as a ‘blank canvas’ inviting visitors to draw what the sound of Porsche means to them, and then share their designs via Instagram using #soundofporsche. The winner of the best design will win an ice-driving trip to Porsche Camp4 in Finland. Further prizes on offer for participants in The Design Corner competition include a Range Day at the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone for one person plus a guest, and a 911 Driving Experience at the Porsche Experience Centre.