The textured paint below the doors on the rocker panels is not orange peel, it is a special plasticized paint Porsche uses to resist chipping. My '81 911 had it too.
Like most US cars, mine is Finland assembled, and I have seen virtually no orange peel on the exterior body panels. Inside the trunks, under the top cover, etc., is another story, as the paint is quite thin in places, evidence of a less thorough painting procedure than was the case on the old 911s. New 911s I have seen don't seem to be any better than the Boxsters as far as the paint goes. Orange peel not uncommon on the metallics, less so on the non-metallics.

This seems to be a common name most of the paint guy's use, it seems to be a common term,

I have heard it for 20+ years with VW and Porsche people.

Maybe you dun did lerned me sompin though :>)

I agree, orange peel is a common term for a paint condition which, as I understand it, stems from shooting the paint too "dry". Basically the paint droplets don't run together before the paint sets; they kind of sit up by themselves and form an appearance like the skin of an orange. If you run your fingers over orange peel paint, it won't feel rough, though.
The paint on the rockers is different than that, and has an obvious bumpy texture to it. Could be that Porsche sprays some kind of undercoat (overcoat?)-type material on the rockers and then paints over that, but somewhere I had read/heard that the paint was actually different. If you stick a fingernail in it, it actually feels slightly soft, unlike the body paint.
Whatever it is, it sure works. If a big enough rock hits it to chip that paint, it will leave a dent, too.

Ronzi is correct on the lower panels with the textured paint. I guess you can say it's an extreme version of orange peel. :D

The paint on my car is pretty good. But there does seem to be a little bit more orange peel on the rear quarters vs. the front quarters.

Even the most highly customized paint job will have a hint of orange peel. In order to get it glass smooth you have to "color sand" it. Basically, that means sanding with 1000 grit, 1500 grit, and finally 2000 grit before polishing. This is how those show cars/hot rod guys do it.

Another thing NOT to concern myself with!
 

I know this is an old post , but I had to comment on the orange peel look .....I saw this on my rocker panels exclusively, and was wondering whether it was just a crummy paint job.....Good to hear it was done that way on purpose, WITH a purpose.....The more I check thru my car and then back here, the more I realize my ride is in good shape for a '98 !

Thanks for the info!

Lou

The only way to remove the "Orange Peel" is to color sand. Time consuming and must be done correctly by a TRAINED person. I wouldn't trust "Bob" the neighbor to color sand your Porsche.