The Porsche World Roadshow: Disneyland For Gearheads

A lot of car companies put together special events designed to say 'thank you' to loyal customers who have become ambassadors of the brand through their repeat ownership and vocal support of its products.  Few automakers, however, go out of their way to stage elaborate driving experiences targeted exclusively at individuals who have never actually piloted one of their own home from the showroom.

Bucking the trend is Porsche, whose traveling Porsche World Roadshow presents an opportunity for dealers to take prospective customers on a full day of exploring the very best of what the German manufacturer's line-up has to offer.  I recently had the opportunity to slip into the shoes of a potential Porsche buyer and experience firsthand the whirlwind that is the Porsche World Roadshow, and I came away suitably impressed not just with the quality of the event itself but also the remarkable performance of the automobiles involved.

Track / Break / Track

Porsche might have broadened its offerings in recent years to include more family-friendly fare like the Porsche Panamera sedan and the Porsche Cayenne SUV, but it would be a mistake to think that there is a single vehicle bearing the Porsche logo that couldn't hold its own on a race track.  In fact, my day at the Porsche World Roadshow began behind the wheel of the all-wheel drive Porsche Cayenne Hybrid S, followed by GTS and Turbo S versions of that same vehicle.  Despite being down on power compared to its siblings, the Cayenne Hybrid S demonstrated excellent handling for such a tall vehicle when flung through the corners of Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (where the event was held), and the additional grunt and fantastic soundtrack of both the GTS and Turbo S models (with 550 horses on tap in the latter) provided a clear indication of what the truck's platform was capable of.

The Porsche Panamera was also a pleasant surprise.  The additional bulk of the four-passenger sedan not didn't interfere with its exceptional acceleration and superior all-wheel drive road-holding ability that allowed the Panamera to feel far more potent than it really should on a road course.  The Panamera 4, the GTS, and the Turbo each had their charms, but it was the Sport Exhaust feature on the GTS that delivered the most race-ready soundtrack with a delightful eargasm of guttural V8 rumblings each and every time I lifted my foot off of the go-pedal.

Nearly an hour of high speed track driving can wear you down, even if it is of the lead/follow variety with a seasoned instructor at the head of the pack.  Recognizing this fact, Porsche had us move to an autocross course where we took turns piloting a Porsche Boxster roadster through a sea of cones with the goal of posting the fast time of the day (and winning the prize of a diecast Cayman coupe).

I didn't take home any hardware - blame the hot shoes in my group, plus the pylon that I tagged on my final run - but I was consoled by the fact that immediately after my run I was able to slip behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 Turbo S and feed all 530 of its horses through its launch control system.  The exercise, which had us blasting off in the all-wheel drive cabriolet with and without the launch control system activated, also had us test out the Turbo S' braking with an avoidance test at the end of our drag strip.

911 Torture Test

A side note about the Porsche 911 Turbo S and its launch control system, which is capable of accelerating the car to 100 km/h in just 2.7 seconds.  The feature, which is quite impressive from both a visual and sonic perspective as the 911 leaps forward off of the line in a hail of exhaust gases and muffled tailpipe explosions, looks to be incredibly hard on the car's drivetrain.  After all, dumping more than 500 horses through a set of clutch packs has to be the sports car equivalent of towing 10,000 lbs up a 7 percent grade, right?

I was astounded, then, when I was told by a Porsche representative that during a typical tour of duty in the Porsche World Roadshow a 911 will go through 7,600 full-throttle launch control activations.  Not only that, but once the Roadshow has chewed it up and spit it out, the car will be taken to dealership, given a fresh coat of wax, and sold as a fully warrantied automobile.  No special maintenance, no replacing the clutch packs - there is simply no need.  The particular car I drove last week had so far undergone 1,700 launches in a two week period, hard labour that in no way affected its performance in the hot sun that particular afternoon.

Back To The Track

After a delicious lunch, my group of would-be customers (read: lucky journalists) was once again herded to the pit lane for another on-track session.  This time, we would be piloting the all-new 2014 Porsche Cayman and Cayman S, along with three Porsche 911 models (Carrera, Carrera S, and Carrera 4S) for comparison's sake.  The Cayman's mid-engine chassis was the very definition of balance, while the Cayman S significantly upped the performance ante with its 325 horsepower and 272 lb-ft of torque and proved to be my favourite ride of the entire event.  The Carrera S might have been quicker at the top end (with 400 horses on tap that pushed me to 220 km/h on the long back straight), but the Cayman S was absolutely divine through the corners, indicating to me that Porsche's least expensive S coupe is also its most appealing.

Getting Dirty

Wrapping up our day with the Porsche World Roadshow was a return to the Porsche Cayenne SUV to demonstrate that the truck didn't need pavement under its wheels to get from point A to point B.  Porsche set up a fairly challenging off-road trail that had the mid-size sport-utility vehicle up on three wheels, facing down steep descents, and generally putting its adjustable ride height, locking differentials, and all-wheel drive prowess to the test.  The session also gave me the chance to drive the Porsche Cayenne Diesel, a vehicle which offers more than 400 lb-ft of torque while returning fuel economy that is far more reasonable than one might expect for a luxury SUV.

A Portrait Of Porsche

It's fair to say that the Porsche World Roadshow - which travels the globe, is operated at three locations simultaneously, and which returns to Canada every two years - provides those curious about the benefits of Porsche ownership with an excellent glimpse into the inner workings of one of the world's most lauded performance brands.  Organization of the event was superb, the quality of the instruction top-notch, and the ability to sample Porsche's products in their natural environment was a rare chance to push the limits of their capabilities to the breaking point.  The hot laps at the end of the day at the hands of professional racing drivers also make a lasting impression…one that Porsche hopes will push you further into the ownership camp.