Did you know that the handling of modern cars results not only from adjustments to chassis components such as dampers and springs, but also from sophisticated calibration of active systems? These systems change dynamically according to the driving mode, driver inputs and road conditions, particularly in premium cars such as Porsche. The man whose story you must not miss also works for this legendary carmaker.
A master of calibration
For six years, Vojtěch Hujňák has worked as a calibration and test engineer at Porsche Engineering, specialising in chassis. During that time, many cars, not just Porsches, have passed beneath his “calibration seat”. As he says: “When I joined Porsche in 2018, the Porsche Taycan was less than two years from its debut. My first project was developing predictive chassis functions. I drove thousands of kilometres on frozen lakes in Sweden and Finland and on secret test circuits across Europe while the public still had no idea how the car would drive or look.” This story shows how demanding and complex the development of modern cars is.
I drove thousands of kilometres on frozen lakes in Sweden and Finland and on secret test circuits across Europe
DNA at Bentley and a future in electric Porsches
Vojtěch Hujňák’s portfolio includes not only Porsche but other prestigious brands too. At Bentley, for example, he helped develop the new generation of the hybrid Bentley Continental GT and the upcoming Flying Spur (2025), calibrating the entire 4WD drivetrain. He says four-wheel drive has a crucial impact on how a car behaves at and beyond the limit of grip. It also plays a key role in understeer and oversteer.
An innovator and educator
At Porsche, Vojtěch became the lead instructor for internal driver training, which is essential for all employees testing prototype cars. Together with a team, he is also launching a new online project to share calibration and test-engineering expertise. The project aims to help car enthusiasts understand vehicle dynamics and the effects of individual systems, and to show that the best investment in a car is an investment in your own education.
Development stories that will draw you in
Vojtěch Hujňák has countless anecdotes from business trips and fascinating stories from vehicle development. For example, why the Porsche Cayman GT4 has such “long manual gearing”, or what it is like to spend whole days driving an unreleased Bentley on frozen lakes. Vojtěch will share these and many other insights at Speed Festival.