Tuning in to the Sound of Porsche in Dubai

The Porsche 919 ­Hybrid retained its title on Sunday as champion of the world's most gruelling endurance race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
A life-size replica of the same race car is currently on display at Dubai's Mall of the ­Emirates. Flanking the black, white and red livery of the futuristic-­looking vehicle are the ­Porsche ­Cayenne S E-­Hybrid and ­Panamera S E-Hybrid, each with touchscreens providing information about their design DNA and technical tick points. ­Before you know it, you have spent hours at the Sound of ­Porsche pop-up exhibition.
Dubai is the sixth stop for the travelling exhibition, which has also been to New York, London, ­Moscow and Shanghai since 2014. In addition to the three Porsche models on display, the event has three sections highlighting the German company's storied history and many motoring triumphs.
The Media Station, designed to resemble a modern music store, has 20-inch screens and noise-cancelling headphones placed alongside vinyl-sized discs. Playlists include GTS ­Unleashed: A Road Trip from ­Dubai to Jeddah; Mission: ­Future Sports Car, showing the victory lap at last year's Le Mans; ­Symphony of Colours, which explains the design decisions that go into creating the shades exclusive to ­Porsche cars; and even a Porsche ­Dictionary, a tutorial explaining the meaning and pronunciation of words such as Carrera, dampfrad, blockmalz sitze and ­doppelzentner, among others.
Available in English or Arabic, the videos allow a glimpse into the making, marketing and rationale behind a Porsche car, as well as interviews with designers, technicians, and racers Mark Webber and Patrick Dempsey (also known as Dr "McDreamy" Derek from Grey's Anatomy).
The Sound Lab area will have your VR-glasses-clad head bobbing in all directions as you find yourself standing outside ­Porsche's Stuttgart factory. ­Fancy a look inside the new 911? How about riding shotgun with a professional racer? The crisp virtual-reality visuals, coupled with the roar of the engine and screech of the tyres as you turn a particularly narrow corner, come as close as you can get to the real thing - it's armchair travel meets motoring fantasy.
The Design Corner is where things get really interesting. In a cozy nook equipped with lime-green pouffes, multi-category design books and a blackboard, visitors are asked to draw the visual that, to them, best reflects "the sound and speed of a ­Porsche". From wild-maned race horses to a crouching ­cheetah on the prowl, the images are creative, thought-­provoking and they could also be your ticket to an all-­expenses-paid trip to the ­final race of this year's FIA World ­Endurance Championship in Bahrain in November.
Deesch Papke, Porsche ­Middle East and ­Africa's chief executive, says: "Through Sound of Porsche, we've tried to tell the stories that make up our history. From learning more about our technical capabilities, design and motorsport achievements to having the chance to get close to some of our most advanced models, we hope people can truly engage with this one-off experience."
The three hours I spent at Sound of Porsche - rather than at Harvey Nichols - are proof that it's an engaging experience. Now if only my image of a spaceship launching itself from a loudspeaker would win that design competition.
. The Sound of Porsche pop-up exhibition is on at South Galleria, Mall of the Emirates, until June 29.
pmunyal@thenational.ae
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