Porsche plans to open Experience Center near Los Angeles

The Porsche Experience Center in Silverstone, England. Image: Supermac1961/Flickr/CC BY

Porsche announced this week at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto show that it is planning to construct a 53-acre Experience Center in the city of Carson in the Los Angeles Basin. Sort of a theme park for speed-loving gear-heads with disposable income, the Experience Center will feature a test track, a customer delivery center, a gymnasium, a restaurant and more. It is slated to open in 2013.

A world-class test track and more

According to the Daily Breeze, the Experience Center will have:

“A world-class test track and handling course where drivers can practice maneuvering on rain, ice and snow. A section called Ice Hill will have a steep slope and water jets. Another off-road area will include 45-degree declines and ascents…The center also will feature a gift shop, cafe, and an athletic training facility for people interested in experiencing how professional drivers train – including heat acclimation training and hydration strategies.”

Two US Experience Centers to break ground

The Carson facility is being designed by Giffels/IBI and Tilke Engineering. The automaker also plans a similar Experience Center near Atlanta, which will also house the automaker’s headquarters in the U.S. Porsche is planning to spend more than $100 million on the two facilities. Three other Experience Centers already exist in England, Germany and China.

The Experience Center will also have special programs for children, advanced driving courses and will host automotive events.

Center takes place of golf course and apartment complex

The Porsche Experience Center will displace the Dominguez Hills Golf Course, popular for its two-deck driving range, as well as an already-vacated 64-unit apartment building. The owners of the Don Dominguez Apartments originally agreed to vacate, but later petitioned for it to remain open through the summer of 2012, when construction on the Experience Center is slated to begin. The request was denied by Carson building authorities, and the building now awaits demolition.