What's all this about?
Everyone knows that Porsche is a marque for enthusiasts, which means that the company's older models are much-cherished machines - to such an extent that more than 70 per cent of the cars ever built by the brand are still running on the roads of the world today. So the German carmaker has decided to expand its network of Porsche Classic Centres as a result.
Do these do what they say on the tin?
If by that, you mean 'do they service, maintain, repair and generally look after old Porsches', then the answer is yes. There are currently 24 Porsche Classic Centres around the world, mostly found in Europe (with ten in the marque's native Germany, natch), but also placed as far afield as Japan, South Africa, Thailand and the UAE. Now another 100 are due to come on stream by 2018 and the first of this new wave opened at the end of November in Arnhem, Holland.
How does it work?
Using existing Porsche Centres - which look after the current range like any dealership - selected sites are then certified as Porsche Classic Partners. That means the technicians get special training to give them a better knowledge of the old vehicles, while there will be a specific area set aside in the showroom for the classics, including heritage cars on display and an assortment of technical literature and information.
And what services can these Porsche Classic Centres carry out?
Anything from partial or full overhauls of cars, to simple service and upkeep work. They will also have access to 52,000 spare parts, which will be handy if you've got, for an example, a 928 S4 that's got a very specific component failure and you're wondering where to turn to for a solution. New sites will open in countries such as Australia, Belgium, Canada and the US during the expansion through to 2018 and fans of classic Porsches can keep abreast of all the developments on the dedicated website, www.porsche.de/classic.
Matt Robinson - 26 Nov 2015