The Porsche Museum in Stuttgart is a special destination for any auto enthusiast, but we suspect nobody – not even the museum staff tending to this classic collection – has seen it like this. The above video is what happens when you take a compact drone, add a camera, and give it to a skilled pilot in a building full of amazing cars. In the span of two minutes, we go above, below, and through (yes, through) several iconic Porsche vehicles.
Truth be told, this short video is technically a promo for DJI. Known for its lineup of quadcopter drones, the company decided to showcase its new compact drone called the Avata by taking it through the Porsche Museum. The automaker approved the video shoot, and we assume Porsche knew what was going to happen ahead of time. We say that because this drone gets mighty close to some properly valuable machines.
Gallery: Spirit of Carrera RS special exhibition at Porsche Museum
How close you say? We're barely into the clip before the drone flies under the open engine cover of the Rothmans Porsche 953 – yes, the one that scored a win in the 1984 Paris-Dakar Rally and paved the way for the 959. After casually flying around the workshop (including a pass beneath a front fascia on a rack) the drone pilot exits just inches above a newer 911 and heads to the museum floor for more inches-from-disaster action.
After slaloming through 550s, 356s, and old 911s, the drone approaches another iconic Porsche race car, the 1970 917K in Gulf livery that won Le Mans. It passes through the small opening in the rear clamshell, then continues down low between a stack of race cars. After skirting the rooftops of numerous 911s, the next butt-clinching moment comes with the original 911 GT2. The drone pilot neatly slips through the open windows of the air-cooled classic, banks right, then goes under a Porsche Cayenne. The aerial display culminates with a quick pass through the open cockpit of Porsche's Formula E race car, before fading out to black.
This is certainly a cool way to demonstrate a new product, so we'll give DJI credit where it's due. Incredible pilot skill is also involved with this display, but short of a trip to Germany for a personalized tour, we aren't sure there's a better way to see the Porsche Museum.