Dear Forum,
I offer some excerpts from the WSJ automotive column of
Dan Neil from this weekend: "The Sultrier Snarl of the Turbo Porsche
Boxster".
"As scripture counsels, I am a modest person. So I have never quite shaken
the feeling that, maybe, bombing around town in a flashy drop-top sports car
was showing off. A bit, don't you think?
I mean, there I am with my perfect silver streak, Persol sunglasses and
reasonable body-mass index, wheeling oh-so-expertly the 2017 Porsche 718
Boxster S, the snarl of this fine little dragon rending the suburban veil.
Arch and artful, smart and fine, the midengine, two-seat Boxster is the
company's starter sports car. The 2017 model adds slinkiness with available
18, 19 or 20 inch wheels press-fit into the wheel wells. Fancy schmanzy.
I bet a lot of people think, "hey, there's someone who works at a Porsche
dealership." Perhaps they think I am what they used to call an available
gentleman? Curbside clinicians will diagnose midlife crisis, and they would
be spot-on. This look would also work well for the owner of a chain of hair
salons.
But some, a cultivated few, will cup an ear, waiting to hear the new
turbocharged Boxster under way. They will note the car's more concussive
idle-the flat-four engine inherently has more of a discernible pulse than
the previous six, even a bit of VW chuff-overdubbed with the distinctive
chinning of the Porsche's valvetrain. And cooling fans, lots of fans.
Perhaps these observers will linger over the sound of me romping it, all
flourishing tom-toms and tenor trombones pitching up to the satisfyingly
instant first-to-second upshift, over 7,000 revs Not loud, not furious, but
murderously precise and sultry. After a moment, I expect these connoisseurs
will approve. Then they can go back to hating me.
------So,yeah, turbochargers. Trouble is ,turbos sap energy from the
engine's exhaust-gas stream, which means less sound pressure, less of an
aural presence. In a word: volume. There will be purists who walk away
from this vastly fast, quicker, roundly superior Boxster only because they
prefer the dinosaur trill of the previous engine.
Here is where Porsche's engineering and my Amish sense of
modesty meet. Thanks to a lot of clever engineering-including an acoustic
channel from the engine bay to just above the driver's left shoulder-the
Boxster S sounds much more fierce from the driver's seat than it does
outside the car.. As my wife drove off in it, I realized how short a
distance the sound carried. There is a pretty huge difference in gestalt.
You know what? I am fine with a technical outcome that allows
the driver's experience to be rich and vivid, without unduly imposing on
those around him. The problem with driving an aggressively loud open-top
sports car is that, when people look around for the jerk, they can easily
see you. Oops, sorry. Please, return to your outdoor memorial service. "
Warmest regards, Chuck Engles
Dear Forum,
I offer some excerpts from the WSJ automotive column
of Dan Neil from this weekend: "The Sultrier Snarl of the Turbo Porsche
Boxster".
"As scripture counsels, I am a modest person. So I have never quite
shaken the feeling that, maybe, bombing around town in a flashy
drop-top sports car was showing off. A bit, don't you think?
I mean, there I am with my perfect silver streak, Persol sunglasses and
reasonable body-mass index, wheeling oh-so-expertly the 2017 Porsche
718 Boxster S, the snarl of this fine little dragon rending the
suburban veil. Arch and artful, smart and fine, the midengine,
two-seat Boxster is the company's starter sports car. The 2017 model
adds slinkiness with available 18, 19 or 20 inch wheels press-fit into
the wheel wells. Fancy schmanzy.
I bet a lot of people think, "hey, there's someone who works at a
Porsche dealership." Perhaps they think I am what they used to call an
available gentleman? Curbside clinicians will diagnose midlife crisis,
and they would be spot-on. This look would also work well for the
owner of a chain of hair salons.
But some, a cultivated few, will cup an ear, waiting to hear the new
turbocharged Boxster under way. They will note the car's more
concussive idle--the flat-four engine inherently has more of a
discernible pulse than the previous six, even a bit of VW
chuff--overdubbed with the distinctive chinning of the Porsche's
valvetrain. And cooling fans, lots of fans.
Perhaps these observers will linger over the sound of me romping it,
all flourishing tom-toms and tenor trombones pitching up to the
satisfyingly instant first-to-second upshift, over 7,000 revs Not
loud, not furious, but murderously precise and sultry. After a moment,
I expect these connoisseurs will approve. Then they can go back to
hating me.
------So,yeah, turbochargers. Trouble is ,turbos sap energy from the
engine's exhaust-gas stream, which means less sound pressure, less of
an aural presence. In a word: volume. There will be purists who walk
away from this vastly fast, quicker, roundly superior Boxster only
because they prefer the dinosaur trill of the previous engine.
Here is where Porsche's engineering and my Amish sense of
modesty meet. Thanks to a lot of clever engineering--including an
acoustic channel from the engine bay to just above the driver's left
shoulder--the Boxster S sounds much more fierce from the driver's seat
than it does outside the car.. As my wife drove off in it, I realized
how short a distance the sound carried. There is a pretty huge
difference in gestalt.
You know what? I am fine with a technical outcome that
allows the driver's experience to be rich and vivid, without unduly
imposing on those around him. The problem with driving an aggressively
loud open-top sports car is that, when people look around for the jerk,
they can easily see you. Oops, sorry. Please, return to your outdoor
memorial service. "
Warmest regards, Chuck Engles
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