[carreraken]

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“The unparalleled nature of the Porsche ownership experience absolutely deserves an equally unique home,” says von Platen. “That is what we’ll create with our new headquarters – a concept completely new to the U.S. automotive industry and one that delivers our brand and product experience to our employees, dealers and customers alike.”

A second new Experience Center is also set for a spring groundbreaking in Carson, Calif. The purpose-built 53-acre facility and road handling course will be one of only five such sites in the world, including the original track at the Silverstone Circuit in England and locations in Leipzig, Germany and Shanghai, China.

“Helping enthusiasts feel and connect with their vehicle’s full potential through intelligent engineering has always been a part of the Porsche philosophy,” says von Platen as he describes an extensive lineup of facilities and programs that include special surfaces replicating rain, ice and snow conditions. The Ice Hill will consist of a steep slope, computer-controlled water jets and a low-friction pavement engineered to “challenge even the most experienced drivers and help them improve their real-world skills.”

Porsche’s plant in Leipzig is slated to undergo a $684.9 million expansion as the company prepares to produce its Cajun model beginning in late 2013.

The Leipzig site, currently home to 800 employees, has been producing the Cayenne since the car’s conception in 2002, and it also manufactures the four-seater Panamera. Porsche has already invested some $383 million in the plant, which has thus-far rolled more than 420,000 vehicles off the assembly line.

Production of the Cajun will bring about 1,000 additional jobs to the facility. Porsche also plans to expand its SUV lineup by adding a smaller SUV model below the Cayenne.

The carmaker is currently introducing two new cabriolet (a convertible recalling a swift type of carriage) versions of the recently unveiled seventh-generation 911 Carrera.

Like the coupe, the 2012 911 Carrera cabriolet features an innovative aluminum-steel construction with the addition of a new convertible top design that preserves the typically sleek 911 coupe roof line, the company reports. Intelligent lightweight design that includes extensive use of aluminum, magnesium and advanced high-strength steel ensures lower vehicle mass and lower fuel consumption while offering improved driving dynamics and additional comfort. As with the 911 coupe models, the new open-top editions are considerably lighter than their predecessors.

The suggested retail price tag for the 911 Carrera Cabriolet is $93,700; pricing on the 911 Carrera S Cabriolet begins at $108,000.

And Janis Joplin’s Porsche? According to the Peterson Automotive Museum, 1965 was the last year in which the 356C Cabriolet was produced, having been replaced by the 911. Yet that version is so highly regarded that more than half of the 78,000 units produced between 1949, the model’s first year, and 1965 are believed to still exist.

Joplin paid $500 to Dave Richards – a roadie for Big Brother and the Holding Co. in addition to being an ace with a spray gun – to create the truly one-of-a-kind psychedelic paint scheme. The car reverted to the singer’s younger siblings following her death in 1970. For several years it served as an around-town runabout for family errands until the vehicle’s ultimate restoration. It now resides in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with one of Elvis Presley’s many Cadillacs and a ZZ Top hot rod.