For a car maker as storied and successful as Porsche, celebrating its history requires something more than just a building full of old, dusty cars. So when the Stuttgart-based manufacturer, whose worldwide roadshow will arrive in Dubai next month, thought about expanding its original works museum, which had room for 20 cars in a rotating exhibit, Porsche decided to start from scratch. Today, the stunning Porsche Museum found outside the company's headquarters finally opens its doors to the public. The building was a year overdue and was completed at about double the original budget (the final price was ?100 million or Dh486m), but entering the modern structure and wandering around its 80 historic race and road cars makes those issues disappear before the visual delights in front of you. In 2004, a total of 170 architectural firms bid on design of the museum, and the Viennese firm of Delugan Meissi Associated Architects won with a proposal of angular proportions and floating main structure. Construction began in Oct 2005, and, finally, the museum found at the corner of PorschePlatz is open to the public today. "In professional circles, the design was initially regarded as unbuildable," says museum director Achim Stejskal. "But now it is finished and simply sensational. "The rooms are almost entirely white because the cars provide the colours," Stejskal says, explaining the museum's visual concept. "We didn't want any additional fancy staging for the vehicles." It makes sense. Among the cars featured are the very first 356 (Porsche's first real sports car), Niki Lauda's Porsche-powered McLaren Formula 1 contender and a slew of the marque's successful Le Mans and Dakar cars. There is also a whole section dedicated to the evolution of the 911 Turbo, and Porsche's as-yet unavailable new four-door, the Panamera. None of the cars are roped off or separated from the public. But these cars aren't merely static displays. Using the term "Museum on Wheels", Porsche says that most of the cars are not only roadworthy, but will be used - and competed with - in classic car rallies and events. But there is more for visitors than just the cars on display. In the basement, a glass-walled workshop houses car restorers who will be working on the vehicles. In fact, Porsche owners can have their beloved car rebuilt by the museum craftsmen in the shop, making it a museum display itself. The basement also house the Porsche Archive. This includes more than 2.5 million images, 1,000 hours of film footage, more than 3,000 books and 2,000 square metres of shelf space for papers of business, technical, social or cultural matters concerning Porsche. This historical record is available to be viewed by the public upon request. The Porsche Museum houses a coffee shop, a cigar bar, a bistro and an exclusive, high-end restaurant, making it possible to spend the entire day among the beautiful cars. The museum even makes it possible to bring one home - albeit on a smaller scale. Models, books and other paraphernalia can be bought in the shop. The museum is, indeed, a new jewel in the Porsche crown, and is already showing its worth in the large amount of requests Porsche has received to hold events there. Entry is ?8 (Dh39), perhaps the cheapest price around to get into a new Porsche. nvorano@thenational.ae