I was at a gas station a year or two ago when I noticed a guy in a Chevy Silverado with his daughter a few pumps over – his little girl was pointing eagerly at my car. She was maybe nine years old – although I admit I’m not the best at judging the age of children, so that’s just my best guess. As I started fueling, they had finished up and started over toward me. He was rubbing his chin as he stared at my modified Cayman, and she was jumping up and down like she just saw a bunny.
“What kind of car is that?” he inquired as they got closer. I was rather proud of my Porsche, and I never minded the attention. Perfect strangers give you the thumbs-up. Neighborhood kids will race you to the corner on their bikes, and you’ll always get the two-finger salute from other Porsche drivers when you cross paths. Like walking an alligator in the park, I’d come to expect interaction from strangers. It comes with the territory – part of owning a Porsche.
Funny though, I always hesitate in answering the make-and-model question; just long enough for it to be awkward. “It’s a Porsche Cayman,” carefully annunciating Porsche-uh. I suddenly felt like I was speaking with an air of aristocracy – as though I were addressing the Queen. And truck-guy backed up a little like I insulted his ancestry.
I could have avoided the whole gaffe by simply referring to the model alone – disowning its family heritage for the sake of the ensuing discussion. Don’t get me wrong, he was a perfectly pleasant guy with a delightful little girl, and there was absolutely no reason why I should have felt embarrassed. But somehow the exchange was still awkward – I shifted my weight on my feet like I was asking out the Prom Queen.
Yes, I own and drive a Porsche – with no apology (but apparently some excuses). I thought of an unsolicited response such as, “I’ve been saving for this car since I was 13” or “My other car is a Hyundai Accent” (as if that mattered). I pronounce Porsche with a lift at the end because that’s the guy’s name and also how it’s referred to over there in Germany where it was born. The way I look at it, if you introduce yourself to someone as “William”, it’s presumptuous for them to call you Bill.
The Correct Pronunciation of Porsche
Still, I feel like there’s a stigma with Porsche, especially surrounding the correct pronunciation. To the general public here in the states, the Americanized version is not only accepted, but preferred. I don’t feel like BMW, Audi or Mercedes shares in the same perception even though they are all regional neighbors. And I’m not sure how I otherwise reconcile my discomfort.
The author and his Mustang
For some reason, the public often associates Porsche with the Grey Poupon and Polo crowd. With full disclosure, I was raised on Mustangs and Camaros – never thought I’d end up driving any kind of Porsche. My first car cost me a whopping $175, and I continue to have a car payment to this day. I think I’m a down-to-earth kind of guy. Yet I continue with this defensive posture.
I suppose I shouldn’t let it bother me. Who cares, right? And maybe I’m imagining some of these responses (I really don’t think I am). I suppose other brands enjoy a similar reaction, but Bentley and Ferrari cost a bundle more than most Porsche models, so don’t they at least deserve some negative press?
None of these assumptions are inherently true of course, but I’d like to dispel the myth anyway. I love my Porsche. I like doing things with it, in it and about it. And I thought when I finally traded in my Cayman on a Macan S that these comments would subside. But to my joint dismay and delight, it’s made little difference.
I don’t have hundred dollar bills falling out of my pockets, my jeans are Wrangler and my leather jacket isn’t even real leather. I appreciate cars of all kinds. American muscle, foreign, and domestic – and I don’t discriminate much. So the next time I pronounce Porsche out loud, I will do so with the accompanying accent. And it’ll still feel weird.
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I've only encountered one instance where someone was actually rude about my Boxster and they were in a Volvo. It was a warm summer day and I had the top down when I pulled up to a red traffic signal and next to me were two women in the front seat and two guys in the back seat. The female passenger rolled the window down and asked me if I used my air conditioning and I said yes and asked her if they used theirs. She then asked if I had any Grey Poupon and I told her no but I could whip her up a hot dog with a little mayonnaise on it at which point the guys in the back broke up laughing at her. She rolled the window up real fast and I waved goodbye when the light changed and I smoked them.
Excellent come back!
If I sense an attitude, I explain that I drive Porsches (five unapologetically) because I'm a cheapskate. Porsches don't break all the time like many other exotic cars so I've found them to be the sensible, economical choice. No one debates me much after that. Then we just talk about cars like we're supposed to.
When I was 9, I jumped up and down at seeing a Porsche. A college friend, of a friend had a chocolate brown 911 with the whale tail and all. At that point in my life, I never thought I'd be able to afford one. 30 years later, I own one, a Boxster and my husband has one, a 911. Yes, his and hers. Ok, so I couldn't afford a new one and bought one that was 4 years old. It's still a Porsche. I'm not rich and don't have $100 bills flying out of my pocket either. I get the "looks" at the gas station and at red lights. My boss tells me not to tell clients I drive a Porsche, like, there's something bad about it or that I'm throwing wealth in their face. I'm not. I don't brag but being in my 50's now, I think I've earned every inch of that Porsche and I'm not bashful to mention it, if it comes up.
Oh, how so many folks forget the shitty 10 year old Corolla I drove to work, parties, road trips etc for all of those years. I bought it for almost nothing and drove it into the ground. Folks would look at me with pity not understanding that I chose that car. I love it! It allowed me to put a car payment aside in an account until the day I could afford my dream car.
Then I found it, my 1988 Carrera 911. It needed work, so I worked on it. It cost a lot, to me, so I sold the commuter. My fiance and I worked on it in my carport during the summer nights while it was well over 100F. We got it sorted out and I drive it every day, every where. Now that I have it people say "Doing well, eh Tim." I just say, "Doing the same as I have the last few years."
Then, we got married and promptly left on a camping roadtrip in the car spanning 2 weeks and 3,500 miles. So, I don't give a damn if they understand what it took to get this car or keep it running right. It's a member of the family.
http://www.hu-bar.com/#!13-days-and-34109-miles-Part-I/dxqsy/56a908c50cf22a80b02b682a
That's a lovely story, Tim. People make assumptions about all sorts of things - so good that you don't let it bother you. It's about them, not you, and you know the work that's gone into your 911 family member...
Thanks for the comments... I never parked my Cayman at work and few even knew I owned it. Thought the Macan would cause less of a stir. Boy was I wrong!
Never underestimate who is "paying attention", especially neighbors.
Yup. Works every time.
Then I mention that you can have a sip of coffee knee steering without hesitation——-at 200 Km. AND, can’t seem to get thru a day without having a special hour in my car or I get withdrawl issues.
I relate to this article. Every time someone asks, I debate just saying, "Cayman" and then the necessary explanation that it doesn't actually cost a fortune. In fact, I enjoy telling people how it cost less than their Camry to purchase. But still, the pronunciation and explanation is an oddity to owning a Porsche, and I guess that's just the way it is.
I drive a 66 mustang around OKC and get thumbs up, smiles, pictures and people even slow down to let me merge. Drive a 993 and most folks give you dirty looks. ( except current and past Porsche owners). It's amazing how the night and day reaction. It's amazing how polarizing a brand can be. Especially when a large percentage of trucks on the road cost significantly more.
These comments are so awesome and so true!
Great article BTW, A true inside view in our insane pop culture and how people view certain things.
I live in Los Angeles where Porsches are pretty common so driving a Porsche isn't an embarrassment. But, I am sometimes embarrassed when people ask me about "my Porsche" and I don't know which one...
Actually, I'm often surprised that my 2003 Boxster daily driver gets the reactions it does considering it's definitely a "reasonably priced car."
I have had a little fun with the "what kind of car is that?" At the CostCo gas pumps an older woman asked where my Boxster was from, I replied "Finland."
And, one time a woman (who had some concept of Porsches) asked me what ind of car my 356A was. I finally got to use the line, "It's from a small, family-owned company in Europe. It's called a Porsche."