The Often-Seen Weissach Package

I regularly receive Porsche-related web news via Google Alerts (I usually just skim the titles and read what catches my eye), and back in May, I came across an article on the automotive media site autoblog.

→ Porsche’s GT Division Head Does Not Rule Out Introducing the “Weissach Package” to Models Other Than RS

…There it was. The Weissach Package. The Weissach Package I often see mentioned. Even though it costs around 3 million yen as an option on the GT2 and GT3, many people choose to add this Weissach Package. What exactly is this all about…? So, I decided to do a little digging this time.

What Is the Weissach Research Center?

First of all, the “Weissach” in the Weissach Package comes from Porsche’s research and development heart, the “Weissach Research Center”. Weissach is a town in southeastern Germany, about a 40-minute drive from Stuttgart. The relationship between Porsche headquarters and the Weissach Research Center is said to be similar to that between Honda Motor Co. and the Honda R&D Center in Japan. (By the way, the red mark on the map shows Weissach)

The Weissach Research Center was established in 1971. Here, technical design and development of Porsche cars, testing, and design, development, and manufacturing of race cars are carried out. In addition to Porsche’s new models, the center also accepts development and design requests from other companies, functioning as an independent R&D department within the automotive industry.

The Weissach facility covers 465,000 m². Since the Tokyo Dome is about 46,755 m², this is roughly the size of 10 Tokyo Domes. Within this area, there are three test tracks: a 2.531 km high-speed course, a 2.879 km winding course, and a dirt course for developing SUVs and rally cars. Nearly all Porsche production cars are tested here.

You often see “rare photos of test cars” or pre-release new car shots in automotive media, but security at the Weissach Research Center is reportedly extremely strict. One site described it like this:

Entering through the main gate and heading to the research center building, there was a sign with a camera crossed out. I took this as a warning not to take unauthorized photos of cars under development. Since I was just there to make memories, I quickly took out my DSLR, set the self-timer, and was about to take a commemorative photo with the Weissach building in the background when suddenly,
“○×△Oi□☆○×Hey△□☆You ○×△□Don’t mess around☆○×△□☆ (in German)!”
shouted a security guard!
I quickly apologized and ran away in a panic.
*Source: 911Days Poruseki Newspaper Porsche Photo Shiritori “Weissach”

Yikes, scary, I almost got in trouble… It seems even taking photos for memories at the Weissach Research Center is a big no-no.

Expansion of the Weissach Research Center

Although the Weissach Research Center opened in 1971, in 2011 construction began to expand the site and build a state-of-the-art studio and an Electronics Integration Center. The investment amounted to a staggering 150 million euros!!! Amazing… This investment was not only for Porsche’s future, enabling continued development of EV and hybrid technologies through the new Electronics Integration Center, but also demonstrated Porsche’s commitment to contributing to the Baden-Württemberg industrial region.

Thanks to Porsche, Weissach’s per capita tax revenue was reportedly the highest in Germany as of 2011 (I wonder if that’s still the case). This suggests that around this time Porsche was already preparing for the development of the electric Taycan (Mission E). The Taycan finally debuted in 2019, and it’s something to look forward to.
*Source: Porsche Expands Weissach R&D Center