Porsche reveals its secret: the Weissach development centre

Porsche cars are well known for their features and functionality. But achieving all of that is no simple task and requires careful planning and a highly elaborate design and development process. A great deal of time, work and dedication so that the cars from the Stuttgart brand are the most coveted in the world. At the Weissach development centre the new models take shape, and it is the heart of the brand, where those projects are born and grow.

The Weissach development centre has everything needed to begin shaping the new model on paper and, little by little, move forward with design and development on other media. Everything begins, of course, on paper. The designers start working on the car from scratch, creating it to meet the required needs and preparing its first visualisation. On paper or in digital format, the new car gradually takes shape in the engineers’ eyes.

From paper to scale model

The second step is checking whether the designed car is truly efficient from a structural standpoint and offers the necessary drag coefficient. In another part of the Porsche development centre the model is shaped using clay modelling. This material helps to determine the vehicle’s aerodynamic drag coefficient. The interior design is also developed at this stage of the process, and a multidisciplinary team shapes the vehicle in a coordinated way.

Prototype manufacturing

The first prototypes of the new models are built using parts created specifically for them. Some parts are made using 3D printing techniques. But while this system is very practical, it cannot produce parts made from specific alloys. So within the same complex there is a foundry where parts made from exclusive alloys are prepared for use in Porsche models.

This foundry produces both body parts and components that will form part of the electric motors and the car’s chassis. A key element that means Porsche does not have to rely on other companies to prepare cars that are closely guarded secrets, shielded from anyone outside the process.

Assembly and testing

The assembly is the next step, in which the different elements that make up the car are adjusted. Here all the parts are measured with great precision, both individually and once assembled. Accurate measurement helps to establish the model’s drag coefficient well. This is achieved with a sophisticated measurement system with a deviation of 1.5 per 1,000, which provides almost total accuracy.

Testing does not stop at this stage: the prototype is also subjected to a climate chamber. In this test the vehicle is exposed to extreme temperatures, both well below freezing and far above it. The durability of the paint is also checked, along with how long the windscreen takes to defrost in the event of frost.

In the wind tunnel not only is the aerodynamic behaviour of the prototype checked, but measurements are also taken of road and wind noise around the car. There are 600 microphones installed around the car, which produces an acoustic picture of the vehicle and helps to correct any imperfection that is detected.

The engines are tested in a dedicated area, with 18 test benches where every engine undergoes specific tests. It makes no difference whether they are conventional engines or electric motors. The powertrain is put through its paces as an individual unit and once installed on the chassis, to confirm that it is exactly what is being sought for each model.

And as electronics play a big part in the new models, another section of the Weissach development centre works on all the electronic systems that shape the driver assistance systems, multimedia and control systems. Everything is set up to move forward in the development process for all the prototypes. Not all of them will reach production, but what is achieved in each one ends up being applied to other cars that we can see on our roads.