Boring is beautiful: The porsche 911
One of my favorite modern 911’s: The 911 Turbo 50 Years (and a cheeky 993 hiding behind it)
Alright buckle up… here’s another article about the illustrious Porsche 911. I’m already thinking of ways to make this article not boring as I’m writing this. However, maybe I should lean into boring for this one… As you may or may not know already, I love design - whether it’s timeless, crazy, inspiring, or just nice and simple. As much as the Porsche 911 is a perfect execution of a sports car, it is simultaneously a crash course on good design; a course that some self-proclaimed design savant based out of Miami might make you pay for nowadays.
A beautifully built Porsche 964 owned by @badbiturbo
All it needs to start with is a concept that resonates: a mid-engine sports car that can do it all. Wow, real inspiring… But like it or not, that is the catalyst for timeless design. The Rolex Submariner: A no frills, professional dive watch that you can wear anywhere. The Leica M6: A camera that checks off every box, even the ones you don’t think about. But let’s not forget the other side of this coin, you still have to make it look good. Ferdinand Alexander Porsche did his big one on the 911 (am I the first person to ever say that?) There are a lot of examples of cars and other things that check off one box, and not the other - and they can still be great. The Toyota Rav4 does just about anything you’d need it to, except look good - but we still love it. McLaren’s are some of the most beautiful cars you’ll ever see, however they’re in the repair shop more than they’re on the road, and the build quality resembles that of a paper machete project. (trust me I’ve owned plenty of McLarens). I won’t say it’s easy to make something that looks good or performs good. But truth be told, it sure as hell is a lot easier than something that does both.
Voluptuous rear end of a classy 991.2 Carrera 4S (rear wiper is mandatory)
Maybe there’s a metaphor for life in here somewhere? I won’t say it’s easy to make something that looks good or performs good, but truth be told, it sure as hell is a lot easier than something that does both. So here’s the life lesson you came to this article about sports cars for: Don’t be half-assed in anything you care about, do the work and eventually people will notice.