The Art of Automobile
Arthur Kar, who began his career as a Porsche mechanic and later created his own fashion brand, "L'ART de l'Automobile", is coming to Japan with a limited collection inspired by Tokyo and "Porsche 968 L'Art".
This time, I had the opportunity to go see the exhibition of the "Porsche 968 L'Art," which was created based on the 968 Cabriolet.
The color of this car is not one of the Porsche PTS colors, but is apparently an original color.
Originally, the car had normal round headlights, but those are gone in favor of thin, linear lights.
It has a retro look but incorporates modern design elements.
The rear has also been completely changed.
The taillight has KAR's name on it. It's also innovative to write "PORSCHE" on the curved part.
How much can you see through the side mirrors?
The wheels were fitted with wheel covers in the same color as the body, but...
Only the front left brake caliper had been removed, so when I took a look, I saw that the brake caliper was the same color as the body.
Next to the car display, hats and apparel (I forgot to take photos...) were also on display and for sale.
A new Tokyo-inspired design has also been announced, and is now on sale at Porsche Centers nationwide.
Well, my main reason for going to see this car this time was to see the interior.
The seats are special, with a green design based on Recaro bucket seats.
No, that's not what I wanted to see.
Before seeing the actual car this time,Porsche officially released the video "Porsche x L'Art De L'Automobile in Tokyo"had.
This video starring Shota Matsuda also left me feeling like "???"
The Porsche 968 had the ignition on the right
In the video, there was a scene where Shota Matsuda started the engine of the car. He got into the driver's seat of the left-hand drive Porsche 968 L'Art and turned the key on the right side of the steering wheel with his right hand, as if starting the engine.
In the case of left-hand drive cars, I assumed that the ignition was on the left side of the steering wheel in Porsche, so I was wondering, "Huh? Why did you start the engine on the right side? What does that mean?"
I went there that day to confirm this. Was there some intention behind putting it on the right side? What was the reason? Is the ignition really on the right side?
And here is the answer!!
Wow.
Even though the steering wheel was on the left, the ignition was on the right!!!
Wow. Is that so???
I also had the opportunity to speak to Arthur Kar, the man who built the car, so I immediately asked him the following questions.
``Excuse me, why did you choose to put this ignition on the right side? Or was it originally on the right side...?''
The answer I got was, "Oh, the 968 was originally on the right side. The ignition was on the left in the 911 and the like."
That's right!!
I regret that I assumed that the ignition was on the left side and didn't check beforehand. By the way, when I asked "What is this on the left side?", I was told that it was a light switch.
Although I ended up asking Kar some very ignorant questions directly, I was still able to understand the situation.
Wow, not all Porsches were left-hand drive + left-hand ignition. I learned something.
By the way, this car was exhibited in a corner of Cat Street in Harajuku.
Looking from a little distance, I could see that there were many bicycles and motorcycles parked in front of the "No Bicycle/Motorcycle Parking" sign, and tickets for violations had been issued.
In the back of this bustling and chaotic area, the Porsche 968 L'Art, a fusion of retro and modern, had a wonderful atmosphere.
After viewing the exhibition, I had dinner nearby, and when I stopped by again after dinner, the darkened area was lit up, creating a different atmosphere which was also nice.
Beer was served at the exhibition, so we were able to enjoy it while looking around. The beer served was "BudX World Tour."
Thank you for the meal ^^
Related article:The "Tokyo" Porsche x L'Art De L'Automobile video is so funny (lol)