Porsche has just made owning vintage cars even more pleasant
Automaker’s Classic division has rolled out two infotainment systems which can be perfectly fitted into models from the ’60s to the ‘90s
Car ownership becomes an entirely different experience when it comes to vintage models. People own them for pleasure, rather than a necessity, so honoring their history becomes a priority to them. They’ll research everything there is to know about it, restore it with such attention to details as to make it almost brand new, and proudly show it at all kinds of conventions around the region. Nevertheless, that process is definitely not entirely made of pleasure.
The most obvious problem comes with restoration: depending on the model, it may be extremely difficult and expensive to find companies which produce replacement parts with the desired quality standards. However, this is a case of breaking eggs to make an omelet: most collectors see restoring vintage cars as lifelong recreational projects. Fortunately, the few companies which started to make that task easier are doing an outstanding job. Porsche is one of them.
Many owners extend the vintage experience by driving the cars every day, not only between garages and classic exhibitions. That’s often a complicated issue because driving has changed a lot: cars have become larger, heavier, safer and quieter, and use electronics more and more to deal with problems. As a result, drivers tend to have a hard time alternating with their modern-day cars. One way that happens is using the stereo: who wants to go back to tapes and CDs?
While enthusiasts claim analogic devices reach higher sound quality, it’s only enjoyable to use them at home; it’s difficult to conceive someone would truly enjoy replacing services such as Apple Music and Spotify with the necessity to browse through a big, heavy case of cassettes or discs whenever they wanted a different tune. When we remember modern devices also have features such as phone pairing and navigation assistance, they become even more desirable.
Porsche Classic solved that by releasing two infotainment systems specifically tailored to vintage cars: they follow the DIN standards with which cars used to comply and feature all-black designs simple enough to resemble stock parts as much as possible. Both come with Apple CarPlay interface, but the larger Plus version also supports Android Auto. While both have touchscreens, they bring buttons and rotary knobs as well — particularly useful on the smaller version.
While it shouldn’t be difficult to find aftermarket equivalents, Porsche’s device is a more sensible option because coming from the very same manufacturer as the car maximizes overall compatibility, but it’s also more pleasant for making an effort to minimize interference with the experience of driving vintage cars. Providing such connection between past and present is a great way to provide a little more of the pleasure which characterizes the ownership of those cars.
