Should Porsches have wooden interiors?

I was sifting through some old photos today when I came across this shot of the interior of a Porsche 993. Nothing unusual in that, you may think, but take a look at the photo. Check out all that wood – it’s more Bentley than Porsche.

Now, purists like to complain about wood inside Porsches, arguing that it’s just not right. But what’s the basis for that argument? The very first 911s had touches of wood around the dash and, traditionally, sports cars often had a bit of dead tree inside them.

As time has gone by, though, wooden dashes have almost become naff, to the extent that even marques such as Jaguar and Aston Martin have started to spurn tree in favour of carbonfibre and aluminium, and when they do use wood trim, it’s black ash which is so dark you have to look closely to spot any grain.

It’s a shame, I think, as we have wood in our homes and boats, so why not in our cars? It makes a change from black plastic and black leather, and I prefer it to carbonfibre.

Having said all that, I’d be the first to admit that there’s just too much wood in this particular Porsche! Less is more…

This Post Has 4 Comments

  1. Adam Foxton

    Problem with this particular car is that the colours do not compliment each other. Seat and wheel leather is too light for the dark timber, dash looks ok but maybe just a bit too mottled. i’m pretty sure I could live with it though!

  2. antonio

    Wood interiors from 996 millennium are beautifull. That’s a good exemple of wood use in the interiors cause the seats are almost in the same color. I love mine!

  3. Tanner Cole

    I have a minimalist wood (Makassar) interior in my 4S. My car is not used on the track and has been optioned as such. In my opinion it makes for the best possible GT car for my long commutes. I went with the 911 and these options mainly because I needed something reliable that could be driven daily and I wanted something that felt more special and less clinical that didn’t attract as much attention as an Audi R8 would.

  4. Paul Truckle

    Looks like Porsche employed an X-Jaguar employee who thought it might work well 🙂 I always believe it’s each to their own with interior choices. However, wood reminds me of old/new Jaguars and some older English manufacturers where it seems to work well and has its place. However, if there was a car for sale such as this, and I was a potential purchaser with a taste for such interiors, then my biggest concern would be the limited market I’d have when I come to sell it.

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