Studio Carguments: The Porsche 911
As we’ve said before, Design EyeQ is a studio composed of gearheads.Tina Mattison, our president and interior/material designer, is also our resident German-made car fan. Her favorite manufacturers include Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche. Tina appreciates that German cars are sophisticated, yet can still outperform many American-made muscle cars.
Exhibit A: the Porsche 911
This model has a long and storied history, but by far the most notable thing about the 911 is how little the design has changed over the last seventy years. Porsche fans like Tina argue that you can’t improve on perfection; others, like DEQ’s lead designer and long-time Corvette enthusiast Ray Mattison, argue the 911’s static design is booooring.
And so it was that the studio’s first recorded cargument began. (Get it? Car + argument = cargument! Ha!)
In the beginning…
The year was 1963. German car manufacturer Porsche released what would become its most prized model.
The year was 1963. German car manufacturer Porsche released what would become its most prized model.
Meanwhile, across the pond, American manufacturer Chevrolet released its defining model, the Corvette. The cars were destined to be rivals. Think Professor X vs. Magneto, the Montagues vs. Capulets, Ash Ketchum vs. Gary. The only question is, which car is the hero and which is the villain? We’ll present the facts and you can decide.
Today, we’re hearing the case for the Porsche 911.
Maintaining a standard of perfection (most of the time)
In the opening scene of Le Mans, Steve McQueen leans on his 911 S and stares at the road ahead with quiet intensity
Like McQueen, the Porsche 911 was iconic from the start. To this day, its defining attributes include the rear engine, ellipses headlights, and kickin’ handling.
Despite being small and light, the 911 was known as a powerhouse from the start. The company doubled down on that power with the 1973 2-liter 911 Carrerra RS, which you could use as a rally car on Saturday and drive to the grocery store on Sunday. An RS was auctioned off in 2002 for $973,000, which is equivalent to over 1.5 million dollars today.
Notable 911s iterations include: the 964, a car made famous by Will Smith in the movie Bad Boys (no cup holders though); the 993, known as the prettiest Porsche; the 996, or the most hated Porsche of all time (note the “fried egg” headlight design); and the GT2, known commonly as the batsh*t crazy Porsche.
Since the year 2000, the Porsche 911 has featured water-cooled engines, electric steering, and turbochargers. Though these changes only increased the car’s performance, safety, and efficiency, fans of the car are typically skeptical of any changes. Some purists believe the only 911 worth driving is air-cooled and engine-steered. Still, the future of the Porsche 911 is electric; we expect the 992 will be a hybrid, and we expect a revolt among 911 enthusiasts.
They have good reason to never want this car to change. This sports car can do it all, and does it with way more class than a Ferrari or Lamborghini. It handles brilliantly, whether in rain or snow, and is by far the most consistent supercar out there. Though there may have been one or two design fails along the way, the Porsche 911 has maintained its design integrity over the years, and that’s why people love it.
Why the haters gonna hate
911 Pushback
Those who refuse to be impressed by the Porsche 911s style, grace, speed and power usually have the same two arguments: the design of the car is stagnant (read: boring) and Porsche fans are insufferable. For a better understanding of how the mind of a Porsche hater works, enjoy this montage of Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson expressing his opinion many, many times.
Stay tuned for our next cargument, featuring the Porsche 911s longtime rival, the Chevrolet Corvette.
What do you think of the Porsche 911?
Let us know on LinkedIn, Facebook, or you can always contact our studio directly. You can also read more of our blog and check out our design process.