Quick quiz - Why is the key to the left of the steering wheel?
 

I was told once and I believe it.

I don't know...excited to find out.

I do know I love the reminder that this car is something "other" every time I start it.

It's actually very cool.

I've been told of two reasons:

1) So your right hand is free to put the car into gear. All about racing and getting the car moving as quick as possible.

2) Weight. Shave every little bit. Apparently the left side is closed to the starter and therefore used a very slightly shorter wire. Every ounce counts.

Because of the old race cars turn the key while getting the car in gear

It was originally so the old Porsche racing driver's could (supposedly) start the car more quickly from a running start. Or so I have been told...

Wow, this is Porsche 101. Races used to start with the drivers running to get to their car
& jump in to start the engine. Turn key with left hand & shift with right hand.

Because of the original LeMans race start.

The book "Porsche Speedster - the Evolution of Porsche's light-weight sports car," by Dr Michael Thiriar, goes into much detail. It includes reference to the ignition switch orientation. He finds, less romantically, that it is so the key would be out of reach of the passenger.

I'd say nowadays, it's probably a combination of "to be different," and to acknowledge the Porsche brand heritage of it traditionally being that way. (And thus, even though the modern -- starting with our 986 Boxsters -- water-cooled Porsches don't share any parts with the earlier air cooled models, they are still both Porsches.)

I was told Le Mans. So you can jump in and get started faster.

This ^^^^^

Quick quiz - Why is the key to the left of the steering wheel?
 

I knew that.

Now what I don't know, why are our pedals hinged to the floor while most cars are top hinged.

What I can't figure out is why some cars (944, 928 come to mind) have the key on the column. Seriously it shouldn't matter but I've thought about a 928 or 944 someday in addition to a Boxster or 911 and I hate the fact that the key isn't in porsche position.

I know at least newer bmws are the same way. I rented an X3 for a while and it was just like the boxster. Even had the little click slot at the bottom. I like it, much more precise than a sloppy floppy pedal you get in your average minivan.

I always thought that it was on the left so that if you crashed on the track the marshall could reach in and shut off the car.

My understanding is it's homage to Le Mans cars that used left hand ignition to shave fractions of a second in the start sequence. Seems rather absurd given the race is twenty four hours, but whatever who am I to protest.

It's a real pain in the ass though when you've been programmed all your life on daily driver cars with it on the right side of the column, and you constantly enter the car and make a motion towards the wrong side.

Have you noticed the key is on the right in RHD / British versions of the Boxster? Guess Porsche wants the people with the wheel on the wrong side to get going tenths of a second faster too.

I've always heard/read that it was tradition going back to the LeMans cars as well.
Does anyone else find themselves automatically stabbing the key into the left (or right) side of the dash when they get in another car?

Yes lol. I think there is a mark by now on the dash of the other cars in the family. Get in, get the belt with the right hand as my left hand stabs the key into the dash lol. At least half the time I end up genuinely confused.

And when I drive either my Suburban or my truck, I'm always reaching for the center console for the window switches. :D

I really do think that of all the things these cars do right. what they do best is ergonomics. People complain about the interior of 9X6 Porsche's but everything is just in the perfect place.

Reach down and lower both windows at once with index and middle finger.

turn the intermittent wiper gauge thing with the right hand.

The trunk release is extremely easy to grab while getting out of the car.

Sitting comfortably in the seat my wrists are right on top of the wheel when arms extended making the driving position perfect.

The location of the shifter in relation to everything else.

Even the way my elbow fits perfectly into the divot of the door pocket cover.

Whoever is responsible for the ergonomics in the boxster is a legend.

When I'm in our Sequoia, I can never find the button to put the top down...


ETA: I think that's my modern, less cool Le Mans start - left hand turning key, right hand grabbing latch for the top.

Somebody finally did something for us lefties.:dance:

More broadly when I drove stick everytime I got into the car I immediately put my right foot on the brake and went to depress the clutch with my left foot. You look pretty dumb doing that when you get into a car that doesn't have one.

Always hated the window controls in the middle....fortunately, they moved them on the new rides to the door.

The switches in the middle always reminded me of my wife's old winter beater Pontiac Sunfire. Crappy car - so anything remotely the same as that brought back bad memories!

All the time. :cheers:

I think he cussed at me.

If it's not actually a LeMans racing tradition thing, I'll go with the southpaw tribute too. :D

Early Porsches used a steel cable (some with pulleys) for the clutch and throttle. Since the motor was behind the driver, hinging the pedals from the floor simplified cable routing.

Makes sense... How about BMW though?

Not so. 3 words. Porsche Mezger Blocks.

Race cars all have a clearly marked exterior kill switch. They use that. Not the ignition.

If you read old Porsche history books, you'll see it has nothing to do with the old Le Mans start. But that's a great story to tell. Porsche has simply stated, that's just the side they put the ignition switch on. Almost weekly, I try to start my Ford Explorer with the push button on the left. Duuuuuuu.:)

Here it is straight from Porsche. This is the quick start guide to a 2014 Cayenne:

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5792/...37f99814_b.jpg

That's from the guys in Marketing. The history books say otherwise. But it's a good story.

Lemans running start days I heard. Could start the car with left hand and shift with right hand. Course there is that damn steering wheel teeth maybe?

What I never understood about this why a racing had an ignition key rather than an ignition switch. Did all racing cars need ignition keys or just sports cars?

LOL. That would be handy for Corvettes and Mustang drivers!