Porsche 911 - the key is on the left

The key is on the left. If someone tosses you the keys to a Porsche 911 and you open the door and sit in the driver's seat the first thing that will jump out at you is the location of the ignition, it's on the left. It may seem strange at first. Why in the world would Porsche do that? Once you know the answer to that question, you will understand Porsche.

Porsche put the key on the left to help them get a faster start in the 24 Le Mans race. For nearly fifty years Le Mans started by having all the drivers line up their cars against a wall with the drivers lined up a few yards away. The starting flag would be waved and the drivers would run to their cars, jump in, start them up and drive off. Porsche put the key on the left so that the driver could jump in, turn the key with his left hand, push the clutch in with his foot and put the car in gear all at the same time, thus resulting in a faster start. Although the Le Mans is no longer started in the same manner, Porsche is a company of tradition, so even on new Porsches you will find the key on the left.

So that sets the tone for the company. At its core, Porsche is about building race cars, nothing else. So I am going to review the car that is the foundation of Porsche as we know it, the 911. Now, the 911 has been essentially the same for nearly 45 years. A 1964 911 looks strikingly similar to a 2008 911. The only other car to keep the same basic design for that long is the classic Jeep, which has been basically the same since WWII.

The layout of the 911 is what makes it most unique. The engine is in the back, and all the power is sent to the two rear wheels. (Porsche now makes an all wheel drive version, which is a little easier to handle.) With all the weight and power in the back the 911 could be quite a handful at times, depending on the engine you had. For this article I am going to talk about the 911 that was built between 1989 and 1993. I choose this version because it was the last 911 that was an example of unabashedly race-inspired German engineering in my humble opinion.

Sit in one of these older 911s and you will be shocked at how utilitarian the cabin is. The dials are there to tell you information, they are not trying to look pretty. The cabin is loud, you can hear both the engine and the tires clearly. The seats are leather, but that is the only way in which they are comfortable. You could use many words to describe the cabin but beautiful would not be one of them, a Ferrari this car certainly is not.

Now it must be said that it was during the 1989-93 911 run that Porsche began to offer an all wheel drive version for the first time, but I am not going to talk about that version, today I am strictly focusing on the classic, rear wheel drive configuration. When Porsche began putting turbo chargers on the 911, people jokingly referred to them as widow makers. The car had so much power going to the rear wheels that often times people would find themselves spinning out when the turbo finally kicked in after it overcame its lag. You could be driving around a curve with 200 horsepower going to the rear wheels, then the turbo kicks in and all of a sudden you have 300 horsepower going to the rear wheels, resulting in spectacular crashes when driven incorrectly. This trait made the 911 unique, and to many it made it too scary to drive, especially in poor weather.

There is something to be said for driving a car that feels like it can kill you at anytime. Taking a risk behind the wheel of a car makes the driver feel more alive. One time I was driving with a friend in his 911 and we went around a corner and next thing I know we are spinning into a gravel pit and came within feet wrapping the car around a tree. Did we stop joyriding after that? Of course not, we pushed the car out if the gravel, jumped right back in (started it up quickly, thanks to the key being on the left) and kept on driving like it was Le Mans.

Driving this car is a real pleasure. The transmission is solid, but it is possible to put it in the wrong gear so it takes time to get used to. The sound of the engine is classic Porsche, an engine like that was built for one purpose: racing. Everything feels solid in the car, you are not worried about it breaking at all. Unlike a Ferrari, this car feels like it is willing to drive 20,000 miles without you ever having to pop the hood and baby the engine. This car is not an Italian supermodel with an eating disorder; no this car is a hearty German woman named Heike, who might be able to beat you in an arm wrestling match.

The only downside to this car for me is the size. At 6'5" my legs are crunched, and I would have a hard time driving this car much longer than an hour or two. Other than that the car is a dream to drive. It is easy to see why 911 owners become Porsche enthusiasts, even apologetics. A true 911 owner will claim that the engine should alway be in the back, safety be damned!

If I were to buy a 911 I would most certainly buy an older one. The newer 911s are great, but there is something to be said for having a pure Porsche experience. What is great about 911s is that they can be used as a daily driver. They are durable cars, and most models have a semblance of a back seat to allow you to put your briefcase in. Believe it or not, you can get a decent 911 from the the years 89-93 for between $15-22 thousand dollars. Not a bad price for a car this much fun, and depreciation is next to nothing on these cars, so conceivably if you get a good deal on one, you could drive it for two years and sell it for the same price you bought it, especially if you keep it in great shape.

If you have the money to buy a new 911 go right ahead, they are faster, safer, and more comfortable than the old ones, but for my money I like a good classic. But whichever 911 you drive remember: the key is on the left.