I went to the Porsche Experience Center LA (PEC LA)

Porsche Experience Center Los Angeles

A while agoI've been taking a break from blogging for a while.However, during that time... yes, as many of you could have guessed, "She's playing around again", haha, yes, I was playing around!

This time, I went first with my three children and we were a family of four, and then my husband joined us a few days later, making it a family trip of five.

Our destination was California in the United States, but we mainly spent time at Disneyland so that the kids could have fun, so this time I was able to cool down my Porsche fever before heading to the US.

No, I intended to do so.

But.

Well, when I finally arrived in LA, I started to feel agitated and thought, "Well, the Porsche Experience Center Los Angeles (hereinafter referred to as PEC LA) is so close, so why don't we go there?" And before I knew it, I decided to have my kids accompany me to PEC LA for a completely meaningless reason: "Let's go to PEC LA for a bit to get rid of the jet lug"

and here I am going to PEC LA with our three children.

Surprisingly few Porsche owners at PEC LA visitors

There were several cars parked in the back of PEC LA's spacious parking lot, including Taycans, but I think these are probably cars owned by PEC LA (or managed by them or a nearby dealer) because they were parked in the back and only Porsches were parked together.

Other than those Porsches, there were hardly any other Porsches in the parking lot.

Almost all of the cars parked in the parking lot that appeared to belong to guests were made by manufacturers other than Porsche.

At PEC Tokyo, the majority of visitors are Porsche owners, so there is a strong impression that "you go to PEC Tokyo in a Porsche" (or maybe not?), but PEC LA may really function as a place where "non-Porsche owners can go to experience a Porsche."

Just to be sure, I asked someone involved with Porsche in the US, and they told me that of course there are a lot of Porsche owners who gather there on occasions like the Morning Mission, which is what we call it in Japan, but that on most days it seems that most visitors are non-Porsche owners.

Now, let's go inside.

Just like PEC Tokyo, there is a reception counter as soon as you enter the building, and you check in there, but what you are given upon entry here is a "sticker" rather than a tag to wear around your neck.

Of course, those who have made a reservation for a driving experience or something like that are given a tag to wear around their neck, but for people like us who didn't have any reservations and just came to have fun, the style was to "just put this sticker somewhere visible."

There is a display of various championship cups near the reception desk...

Further back, just like PEC Tokyo, there were many Porsches on display (maybe some actual cars/mockups?).

This wall is lined with a series of monitors, so it looks very stylish as it is constantly showing a variety of images.

Various images like this are displayed. They make the Porsche on display in front stand out even more.

There is a sofa in the center.

The gear object placed there was cute, and when I touched it, it was surprisingly light.

As you enter the building, there is a maintenance area at the back right where car maintenance is done, and the general structure of the facility is very similar to PEC Tokyo.

Maybe all PECs have a similar feel to each other. Maybe it's like a CI for PECs all over the world.

I would like to visit Atlanta, the next one to open in Toronto, and the PEC that will be built in Singapore in 2027, and see for myself.

The driving program on this day was also a great success, with many people attending.

Driving Program Track

This is the starting point (outside) where you get into the car to experience the driving program.

It's spacious! ↓

If you look closely, you can see the word "PORSCHE" discreetly in the background.

Do you see it? ↓

There was also a Manthey GT4 RS, cool!

Speedster Café

At PEC Tokyo in Japan, the starting area (outside) where you experience this driving program is connected to a cafe, and PEC LA also has a cafe located outside in a similar position.

The name of the cafe at PEC LA is "Speedster Café."

When you go outside the cafe area, it looks like this. There are tables and chairs so you can relax and enjoy a snack or tea while watching the Porsches go by while you wait.

As PEC LA is located near LA, where the climate is nice, many of the plants on display there have a very tropical feel, and when visiting from Japan, even these little details add to the different atmosphere, which I enjoyed.

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When I came to PEC in the US, the thing that surprised me was the trash cans that were placed outside (there?).

I know it may be rude to write it like this, but I was surprised to find that Americans even pay attention to the appearance of these trash cans and cover them with black cloth!

I was surprised at how much attention was paid to such small details. I think this is where you can really tell that it's a Porsche (especially since this is America) (laughs).

Porsche Lifestyle Shop

Returning to the facility, in the same area as PEC Tokyo, there was a store selling Porsche lifestyle goods (Porsche goods).

It's quite spacious, and they sell quite large items such as actual surfboards.

There were many things that you can't easily see in person in Japan, so it was fun to see.

And then, "Oh, I've seen this on the internet.It's the Andial 50th anniversary one.I was happy to come across things like that.

I was hoping to buy some California (PEC LA) exclusive goods, but I think all they had this series this time.

The T-shirt alone cost $70 (about 11,000 yen including tax at the exchange rate at the time), so I rejected it (personally (lol)).

Is this the paper bag you get when you buy something at a shop? So cute!

Various circuit layouts are on display in the hallway.

Here's the layout of PEC LA.

If you look at it all in one grey colour it may seem confusing, but if you look at a diagram like this, colour coded and divided into modules (such as the kick plate), it should be easier to understand: "Oh, that's how it is."

Handling tracks (where you drive like on a circuit) are completely different from those in Japan.

There is also one that allows you to control the launch and accelerate straight, and it's long!

At the end of the corridor where the course layout diagrams were displayed were meeting rooms named after cars such as Cayman and Panamera.

In another hallway, there are also some Porsche color samples, although not all of them.

These can be removed from the wall and viewed one by one.

PEC LA delivery ceremony area

later…Delivery ceremonies at PEC, which became possible in Japan last yearThere is also the Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur Studio, where

I wasn't able to meet with the person in charge here so I wasn't able to get any details, but I was told that several hundred vehicles have already been delivered at PEC LA.

Those who receive their car here will be able to display a design resembling a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with their signature (in Japan, they will sign a course map design by PEC Tokyo).

The serial number listed is over 1,000, but I don't think that many vehicles have been delivered to PEC LA so far, so it's unclear what the current situation is.

Restaurant 917

Finally, I would like to go to the only restaurant that my children and I had the opportunity to "experience" during our visit to PEC LA.

To be honest, I wanted to try the driving program as well, but initially I hadn't even planned on going to PEC LA with my kids, and even if we did get there, I thought it would be bad for both them and PEC LA to leave my three kids there and waiting for 90 minutes (plus a little extra time), so we only decided to try the lunch experience this time.

The name of the restaurant in PEC LA is "917". As you all know, the restaurant in Japan is "906".

The restaurant is on the second floor, so if you go up from the first floor...

First, you are greeted by the restaurant's reception counter and a wall lined with wines like this.

As expected of America (?), there was a wide variety of alcoholic beverages available, although of course there was a notice that drivers were not allowed to drink.

There is also Hennessy Paradis, which has 917 written on the bottle, which is very stylish.

And this is inside the restaurant.

It's a bright, clean and lovely restaurant. The bar counter is also full, and from looking at it alone it doesn't look like a restaurant inside PEC, it has the atmosphere of a normal stylish restaurant.

However, when you look towards the window on the other side, you see something like this, and you realize that this is definitely PEC.

Since the line of sight is a little higher when viewed from the second floor, you can see things like the kick plates that aren't visible well from the first floor, so it was fun to actually see the cars driving by.

A geeky mother eats a meal while explaining to her children what a kick plate is, watching the Porsche being sent flying and spinning around on a kick plate.

The day I visited PEC LA happened to be a weekend, so when I first went to the restaurant reception, I was told, "Unfortunately, there are no available seats."

This is because it is especially popular on weekends, and reservations open three months in advance, so it seems that it is difficult to get in unless you make a reservation that early.

Therefore, when I went to the counter, it seemed like the rest of the time slot was fully booked, and it was unclear whether I would be able to get in.

However, thankfully, I happened to meet a manager in the restaurant department, and as we chatted how I enjoyed my Porsche delivery ceremony at PEC Tokyo in February etc., at last, he was able to arrange a table for me.

So grateful! Thank you so much^^

Just like the butter served at PEC Tokyo and Momentum by Porsche in Japan is shaped like a 911, the butter served at Restaurant 917 in PEC LA is also shaped like a 911.

And the bread looks delicious, right? It was delicious! And even though there were only four of us, they brought a lot of it right from the start, which was so American and awesome.

What was even more appreciated was that while we were eating bread and waiting for our ordered meals, the first thing that was brought to us was this appetizer, which was a service provided by the restaurant.

It may not be clear from the photo, but there is something like rice crackers that are often served as a side dish at Chinese restaurants. You break open a deep fried thing (the white thing) with seaweed on it, put the amberjack tartare and avocado on top, and eat it, it was so delicious!!!

We also ordered a beet appetizer, which was also very delicious.

There were a variety of main dishes to choose from, from extravagant to luxurious, but I decided to go for my favourite hamburger, the 917 Burger.

I was told that the fries could be changed to truffle salt (Duck Fat Fries) for an additional fee, so I decided to go with those.

Wow, this hamburger was much more filling than it looked, with about 230g of Wagyu beef and bacon, and it was delicious.

Everything was absolutely delicious and the kids were in a great mood as they enjoyed their lunch at PEC LA.

Finally, we were given the dessert menu and when I looked at it...my kids and I couldn't help but burst out laughing.

The reason is this.

One of the desserts on the menu was "matcha namelaka."

Hahaha, "Smooth Matcha." That's a very direct name, isn't it? (laughs) It's interesting.

...There were menu items like "Matcha Smooth" that used a lot of Japanese names and ingredients, so I asked the waiter, "Is it possible that the chef is Japanese?".The chef was not Japanese, but to my surprise, there was a Japanese woman working there.

When I said, "The name Matcha Smooth made me laugh," the person replied, "I know, Nameraka is not Nameraka but Namelaka, so it makes you wonder if the L is okay," and he spoke from a different perspective, which made me laugh even more (laughs).

In the end, I wasn't even able to get to try the Matcha Nameraka, but the restaurant gave us a small dessert at the end and I had a truly warm, happy and delicious moment.

Initially, I had no plans to go to PEC LA and my visit was unplanned, but I'm still glad I went.

Although my kids are already amazed at my love for Porsche, I was glad that they were able to hang out with me and enjoy their time with me in America.

If you are planning to visit the Los Angeles area, you might enjoy trying out the driving program and having a meal at PEC LA.

If you are going on a weekend, it is best to make a reservation as the restaurants open three months in advance.

The person from PEC LA that I spoke to that day said he would love to visit PEC Tokyo, so I would be happy if he could come to PEC in Japan and we can meet up one day.

At the very end, the receptionist gave us a lot of extra stickers, etc. and was really kind to us. It was the best PEC LA experience.

Thank you ^^

Related Sites:PEC LA

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