We attend Porsche World Roadshow 2013 in Dubai, courtesy of Emirates NBD

The Porsche World Roadshow is an event held around the world almost every year by the German carmaker’s dealers, to showcase their latest models to potential customers in the comfort of, well, a racetrack. We’ve attended the UAE event in years past, but for whatever reason, we did not get an invite from Porsche this year. But then an invitation came in from the most unlikely of places — Emirates NBD Bank!

Emirates NBD generally reserves a day during the week-long event for some of their “Priority Banking” customers, so this year was no different. The roadshow was held at the Dubai Autodrome in the first week of February, with pretty much their entire line-up being paraded there.

After registration and breakfast, we all headed over to the racetrack and given a demonstration on driving position by the Porsche instructors, who all happened to be former professional international race drivers. After that, we got a chance to drive the Porsche 911 Carrera 4 and 4S, which were recently launched in the UAE. Other cars in the group were the Porsche 911 Carrera and the Boxster S. We drove a lap around the track with each car. We have to say, the new Boxster S really stood out for us, even more so than the new 911 4S. Don’t get us wrong, the 911 is one heck of a car, combining luxury and sportiness, but the Boxster S seems to edge it in fun factor.

Next up was the slalom run in the Boxster S. We really got a chance to explore the handling characteristics of the car in this stage. It was more like an autocross, as we had to go as fast as we could through the cones and come back again through it, with the whole thing being timed as well.

After the slalom, we were invited back in for lunch! After an hour, everyone was back out on the track again. Our group was greeted by a convoy of Porsche Cayennes to take us to the off-road track. This was to supposedly demonstrate that even with the lack of a low-range gear, the new Cayenne is still a capable off-roader, due to its short-geared 8-speed automatic, adjustable suspension and lighter weight. Still, the uphill-downhill and uneven-terrain exercises were easy enough for any basic crossover.

The next activity was back on the racetrack, where we drove the Porsche Panamera 4, the Panamera GTS and the Cayenne GTS. The Panamera 4 was more of a quiet cruiser, but if there is even a small possibility of you taking your Panamera to the track, you need to pick the GTS. The handling is sharper and the carbon-ceramic brakes really keeps the speed in check. The extra exterior details give it a more aggressive stance, and it also has a louder exhaust note.

Finally, all the participants were given demo laps by professional drivers on the track. This was to demonstrate the full capabilities of the Porsche 911 and the Panamera models. It was more of a fun ride as the drivers made sure they were drifting through all the turns.

To end the day, Porsche and Emirates NBD representatives handed out prizes and freebies to the participants. The roadshow event remains the most fun you can have with someone else’s Porsche on a racetrack, and while it is generally restricted to existing Porsche owners, the initiative by Emirates NBD to get some of their Priority Banking customers in on the action is a good one.

Photos by Marouf Hussain Chowdhury.