Exactly. At LeMans, they could have left the car in 1st. Hop in and start the car with either hand as long as you get the clutch down upon entering. A bigger question is how do you fasten your belts? I know, I know....I've seen the films too. They did it somehow on the run. But, I sure can't get them hooked up with one hand even while sitting still. The old aircraft latch link style (which I like) is just too much for a one handed operation.

Maybe the first stint was run unhooked. ;) Oh, now you're gonna tell me this all started before belts. OK.

So then, a better question is why do all Porsche race cars have a key anyway? (As reported on this forum years ago.)

Aussie cars on the right.
Right hand to unlock, right hand to open door, right hand to start, left hand to wipe, and shift gears!!
I'm sure you guys appreciate that when we shake hands.......

Seems kinda dumb, a few seconds saved iat the beginning of a 24 hour long race. :)

How about from keeping your kid in the passenger seat from touching the key? That's one I heard decades ago...Now you've all made me want to watch the race start scenes in the movie Lemans...I'm not sure the 917 had a key on the left...

A 917 did have the key on the left but remember, the seat was on the right. In the movie Le Mans, there was no running start. That tradition was over by the time the movie was made.

JR

This is just a guess, but didn't the early 911's have a manual cold start throttle in the center? Thus for a cold start (and I mean cold), it would be difficult to A) hold the ignition in the "start" position and B) operate the manual cold start throttle when both are on the same side of the steering wheel?

This came to mind because I can remember many a time on the older cars trying to get them to start on very cold mornings and having to do a dance and jig with the foot throttle while cranking the engine over. Imagine if the foot throttle were a manual cold start throttle on the same side as the ingition switch?

Carlton

Yes

I think we have a winner here! My 71 tub has the throttle / choke lever in the middle.

This is probably the same reason the key is on the left in my Land Cruiser. For the Land Rovers, it probably had more to do with the mechanic reaching in and trying to start as stated above :D .

because none of us are in our right mind...

I understood it was b/c of the Le Mans start, and it does seem silly for a 24 hr. race, but it probably was tradition coupled with some degree of "And they're off!" excitement for the spectators.

I read somewhere that the tradition was being challenged (by all the bang-ups at the start?). Soon after, a particular driver actually took his time walking to his car, calmly starting it up after everyone was already gone, and proceeded to win the race 24 hrs. later. This made the start quite moot and the following year, they ended the practice of the drivers running across the track and began the race with the drivers sitting in their cars, waiting for the start (like you see in the S. McQueen movie).

I saw an interview with a guy who raced a 917 at le mans...he said that they would take off and wait until they got to the mulsanne straight, then do their belts up while holding the steering wheel with their knees!!!

The reason for wanting to save time getting rolling at the start of the Le Mans race in the mid-60s had nothing to do with winning the race per se [from a time-saving aspect] but it had everything to do with being first to turn 1, and being ahead of the carnage if/when a bunch of cars get tangled up going into turn 1 and eliminated from further contention in the race! Being in the top three or four places had a great benefit ... seems like the accidents always happened when the 5-6-7 cars got crunched by stupid, over-eager drivers trying to improve their 8-9-10 position.

I love that the key is on the left side.

But I will say that is it not a good location for when a valet attendant leaves your keys in the car while they park the other vehicles that got there before you. I recently know of a 2001 Carrera that was taken for a joyride by an opportunist idiot. He walked right up to the window, and I am sure the first thing he saw was the keys in the ignition. I guess that answers the question about the ignition location of the newer water pumpers.

I'd never let my car near a varlet. Didn't you see Ferris Buehler?

A typical case of Thread Resurrection Syndrome. :D

If anything that supports JohnKo's thinking.

Good thing this thread was resurrected - I never got to put my worthless comment in.

Why is the standard to put the ignition key on the right? Doesn't seem to make any more sense than the left. It's just one of those things that you can put a lot of thought into, but in the end, it's just a coin flip and either way is just as good as the other.

Yes I heard also it was for the Le Mans start, actualy I like it like this . Its nice to be different!!

Jackie Ickx, sometime in the late '60s -- 1969?

so when the wife freaks out at your driving, she cant flip the key off..

I have heard of it due to the racing heritage. The part I dont understand is how long would it take to put on the safety harness? Back then I suppose they probably didn't have one? and the day they enforced the harness, they probably realized starting the race like that was too akward?

Yep...Ickx....GT40.... walking start ( last off) and won.....

- Wil

To add to what others have said, somewhere I read a quote from Dan Gurney where he talked about steering with his knees on the 1st lap at LeMans while he fastened his belts.

Someone asked about the key on a 356.
This is the key location on a 1965 356C.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1169144780.jpg

Back then, it was just a lap belt, if anything. There was a long period where it was believed safer to be thrown clear.

Masten Gregory, in fact, was known for his penchant for bailing out of race cars that were about to crash - he did it at least three times, when it was clear that the car was "lost". That would have been late 50s/early 60s.

Yes Javckie won, but he was barely ahead of the Hans Herman's 908 att he end of the race. His winning margin was something like 120 yards.

Jackie gave up considerably more than that at the start of the race as he sauntered over to his GT40 after everyone else was already headed to turn one. John Wolfe was probably already dead in the first lasp crash before even Ickx had his car started.

If Jackkie would have lost the race, John Wyer would have been pretty upset with him.

Regards,

Jerry Kroeger

According to the Porsche 993 FAQ

I think now that it is more a matter of tradition, a trademark that sets Porsche's apart. Kinda' like SAAB having their ignition key in the floor between the front seats and claiming it's there for safety reasons. Trollhattan Saab

I always heard that it was put on the left side because they ran out of wiring :).

it's probably a german thing the bolts on their machine guns are on the left side also so that you can keep your finger on the trigger while jacking a round into the chamber.

AERODYNAMICS!!!!!

When I had my SAAB it was really convenient because when I got in the car my right hand was about where the center console was and the ignition. But then all the window/lock controls where centralized as well. BMW used to have the window controls in the center as well. Both of these manufacturers have moved their controls to their doors now however SAAB still keeps the ignition in the center and still keeps the night panel display.

Well, there must be a sensible reason, but I'll tell you this:
one of the first few times I drove my SC, taking a left turn at a stop light, that U-shaped leather Porsche key ring attached to the keys got stuck in the turn signal and turned the ignition off. I got rid of that key ring right fast.

so righties get an eyeful of powder burns and grease?

Ignition key on the left helps with torque-issues:
Most people are right-handed and when the key is on the right, too many people are trying to force the key past the normal limit.
You know, if the engine doesn't start right away and keeps cranking, they turn the key harder cw to make it start believing it helps.
Look at some ignition keys and you'll see that they have a twist in them from too much force.
But I think David provided the real answer.
The most perverse key position was on some American gas-guzzlers in the 40's, 50's and 60's: low on the right side of the steering wheel so you would definately crack your right knee cap during a collision. LOL.
Then came Ralph Nader...........

maybe Ferdinan Porsche was left handed.

Back in the day (pre - '68) cars had ignitions on the dash. Early ergonomics dictated catering to the right hand crowd. Chev even let you take the key out making it possible to start and drive without it. (It was a kindler and gentler time ;) ) Porsche and apparently Land Bruisers saw the wisdom in isolating the key from passengers. Or so my story goes… but I really like the race one

thats how my dads 58 impala is :)
I beleive the lemans reasoning. If your building a one off race car you build everything from scratch anyway so you put things where they are best suited or wherever you can stick them. It made sence for the race cars to have them there and maby back in the day alot of people thought this was cool, original and worked better so they did it with their production cars too. Its definatly different theres no arguing with that :D

Many years ago, about 30, as an airline pilot, my airport car was a '67
Olds plain jane, no chrome two door post....igntion switch left of the steering wheel.

Washers position....'we dont need no washers' in Colorado no less!

Interesting... When I was a kid, I found that the key would come out in any position on my Dad's '68 Chevy station wagon. I thought it was just defective.