Porsche opens first Classic Center with 100 more planned

The first of a planned 100 Porsche Classic Centers opened in the Netherlands | Porsche

Porsche has announced big plans for bringing in-house the sale and maintenance of its popular and increasingly valuable classic sports cars: around 100 Porsche Classic Centers will be created around the globe by 2018, the company said.

The first Porsche Classic Center opened recently in Gelderland, Netherlands, designed to provide service from routine upkeep to complete restorations for everything from the earliest 365 models through the most exotic of 911 derivatives. The center also will offer certified used classics for sale.

“This is the first time that service, workshop and sales exclusively for the classic sports cars have been brought together under one roof,” according to a Porsche news release. “A small number of additional certified Porsche Classic Centers are set to follow around the world and produce an even more closely knit Porsche Classic network.”

The Porsche Classic Centers will offer service by specially trained technicians who are expert in the inner workings of the rear-engine, air-cooled classics, and will have more than 52,000 factory spare parts available, the automaker said.

“More than 70 per cent of the vehicles ever produced by Porsche are still running today,” the news release said. “To ensure that these classic cars receive optimum support and overhaul facilities, Porsche is establishing an international dealer and service network.”

Porsche operates 24 Classic Partners service centers in Porsche dealerships worldwide, none in North America. The goal for the new free-standing Porsche Classic Centers will bring some of them to the US and Canada by 2018.