Porscheplatz was cordoned off on the last day of August 2015 for the inauguration of the "Inspiration 911" sculpture.
The artwork by artist Gerry Judah is reminiscent of an installation with which he caused a sensation at the Festival of Speed in Goodwood in 2013. With its height of 24 m, it not only welcomes all drivers from afar, but also has a highly symbolic character in several respects.
The steles are anchored deep in the ground in Zuffenhausen, because this is where Porsche is at home, where the heart of the brand has been beating for eight decades. The 356 was produced here from 1950 and the first 911 was built here in 1963.
And in addition to the site where the two-door sports cars are produced, Zuffenhausen is also home to the central administration and worldwide sales. Since 2009, the museum has functioned here as a functional and emotional center for sports car fans - there could not have been a better place.
Orientation towards Austria, Weissach and Saxony
One of the three steles points towards Austria. In Gmünd in Kernten, Ferry Porsche built the ancestor of all Porsche sports cars, the first 356, in 1948. The final resting places of Ferdinand, Ferry and Ferdinand-Alexander Porsche are in Zell am See, Austria.
The second stele is located in Weissach, where all sports cars are developed and made ready for series production in the development center. The company's racing department is also based here.
The third stele points east towards the Free State of Saxony, where four-door vehicles are manufactured today. Not far from Leipzig, in Schwarzenberg in the Ore Mountains, Porsche had just taken over the keys to the new Porsche Werkzeugbau GmbH, formerly Kuka Systems, a few hours earlier.
And, of course, three Porsche 911s
Vehicles from the 911 model series from different model years are installed at the ends of the three pillars, because the 911 is pure Porsche.
For more than half a century, it has been the essence of the brand. In addition to a current model, an F and a G model logically represent the history of this sports car, which Stuttgart's mayor Schreier later said was one of the most beautiful cars in the world, if not the most beautiful ever.
Multimedia for the inauguration
The video projections on the approx. 200m2 glass wall of the museum reviewed the development of the iconic 911 sports car before Matthias Müller, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG, welcomed those present.
Uwe Hück then addressed the employees present in particular and was genuinely delighted with the work of art, which used to be the site of a Christmas tree from December to December. Now the new sculpture adorns the square from January to January and is not only a reminder of the company's success, but above all of its origins, in keeping with Ferry Porsche's motto: "Those who have the good fortune to build a business from a dream owe it to the world to protect it".
Inauguration by the mayor
Stuttgart's mayor Schreier ended his speech with the words "the state capital has never granted planning permission so quickly, so willingly and with such pleasure as for these three steles", not without first expressing his hope that drivers would pay attention to the road and not forget the traffic while looking at the new attraction.
Perhaps the new views will also be a welcome distraction in the evening traffic jam, we'll see.
The motorcade, which presented the public almost exclusively with air-cooled 911s from a wide variety of model years, should not go unmentioned. Needless to say, some genuine 911 Carrera RSs were also on display ...
