Key-on-the-left lore a canard?

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

At least in part because I make a big deal of it in my new book "The Gold-Plated Porsche," I've been wondering...many of us have been recounting for years the lore that a Porsche's key is on the left because at Le Mans, this allowed a driver to crank the starter with the left hand and put it into gear with the right.

Does anybody know for a fact that there was a Le Mans rule specifying that a car had to be in neutral while it awaited the driver? If there wasn't, you could put the gearbox into first well before the start, jump in and dump the clutch, then start with a key on the right just as well.

And if there _was_ a rule, how on earth did they enforce it? Could a scrutineer on the pit wall, or wherever, possibly look into the cockpit and determine that the shifter was in neutral?

Is this our very own urban legend?

Stephan

[B D]

Good point and you usually open and close the door with your left hand, unless it's a RHD. HMMM?

[ubiquity0]

Maybe the starter motors on Le Mans cars are not always powerful enough to crank over those engines in gear??

[CHILI]

Although I've heard the Le Mans reason for the key position, I've never heard it was because the driver could use his right hand to put the car in gear. I assumed it was because it's easier to start the car with this location vs. having to reach around the wheel (while getting in) to the right side. Ergo the driver can start the car a fraction of a second sooner.

[Bill Verburg]

Steves description is the one I have heard for lo these many yrs.

[Dantilla]

Was Butzi left-handed?

[BlueSkyJaunte]

No, but I am, and they clearly designed their cars with me in mind.

[}{arlequin]

I agree with CHILI. Since you don't have to reach around the steering wheel you can start the car WHILE ENTERING the vehicle instead of being seated or almost seated to reach it. I never knew/heard the part about the cars being in 1st gear. Maybe they were in gear so they wouldn't roll back towards the pit wall? Few race cars have parking brakes. Never seen it in person, but I'm assuming there may be a slight gradient (crown) on the surface for drainage of rainwater. I know it's a far-fetched theory......

[juanbenae]

its a free hand for the cup holder thing.....

[911ctS]

If you launch the car hard enough from a stand still the door will close automaticly.

[Todd Simpson]

As long as we're asking questions, why did Porsche put keys in its racecars?

[arerrac]

I thought most of their first LeMans racers weren't coups. I dont think they opened doors, they just jumped in and in one fail swoop started the car and put it in gear.

That's what it looks like in some of the early footage I have seen.

-W

[goliver]

It does give Porsche a neat little difference kinda like Saab with the key on the floor.

Cheers,

Geoff

[john70t]

If the Le Mans thing were true why didn't they go furthur and make the ig. switch bezel cone-shaped so they couldn't miss, or leave the ig. on and add the standard push-button starter switch?
It could be they wanted to keep any psychological distraction from the right foot, or they did it just to be different.

[masraum]

Weren't most of Porsche's race cars also street cars?? 904 and 906 were technically street cars weren't they? As well as several other cars since they were supposed to be street cars with racing aspirations.

[DanTheCat]

I don't know why it's on the left, but I just thought I'd throw out the fact that my '69 datsun roadster has the ignition on the left too.

How many other cars had the ignition on the left?

Dan

[pwd72s]

My suspicion is so little Johnny or Sarah wouldn't grab the keys while daddy or mommy was driving. The heater controls reason doesn't work, because the sliding levers didn't appear until the '69 model year...

[Adam]

RHD 911s have the ignition key in the "normal" place.

It's probably for some reason of symmetry with regard to production. If they keep the controls roughly the same distance from the centreline (wiring looms etc), they can then just flip most parts over 180º and re-use them, rather than re-tool for a different market.

[A Quiet Boom]

I would think you could start the car while releasing the E-brake and drop the car into gear before taking off. I also think they would have left the key in the ignition so that the drive could jump in and use both hands to get the car moving quickly.

[nigel911]

Is anyone else seeing a repeated image of a set of 7R cases on this post?