The 2010 Porsche Panamera debuts in Monterey, California, this week, as Porsche Cars North America has air-freighted 31 cars from Germany for display at the various events staged on the peninsula from August 9 to August 16. No doubt you'll see one at The Quail, the Monterey Historics, or the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
Fortunately I don't have to get a Monterey hotel room at $625 per night, because I had a chance to get into the car in Germany, where the car was presented for our First Drive. And because I was in Germany, I didn't have one of the 202 Porsche dealers in North America standing next to me while I shot video footage of this four-door that Porsche persists in calling a GT, not a sedan.
Not that I can remember much of it. It was a complete thrash, just like every event organized by a car manufacturer to introduce its new vehicle, and I spent so much time glued to the camera's eyepiece that I barely knew where I was.
My travel documents say that I flew into Munich, Germany, and then drove to Hotel Schloss Elmau. All I remember is a panicked full-throttle attack by Josh Jacquot as he drove us the 100 kilometers to the little vale in the Bavarian Alps just southeast of Garmish-Partenkirchen, where the 1936 Winter Olympics were held. We were looking for locations for video, but we didn't have much time before the press conference was scheduled to begin that evening.
It is a fancy place to stay, built in 1914-1916 by Johannes Muller, an evangelical theologian deeply troubled by World War I. It became a hotel after the war and has since become famous for its music festivals. I don't remember much about it except that beer in Germany really does taste different -- no surprise since there are 1,300 breweries in the country.
After I got back, there were lots of people asking me about the trip. "Was the car good to drive?" they asked. Well, I didn't exactly get to drive. This is my life as a videographer -- none of the driving but all of the carsickness.
John Adolph, Senior Video Specialist
dougtheeng says:
07:59 AM, 08/14/09
I love this part of Germany.