Question I always wanted to ask.
 

Over the years I have owned many VW air cooled bugs along with a 356 that I owned for 10 years. I notice that all of these cars had really smelly exhaust including my 85 911. I guess I can see the older cars smelling but the 911 air cooled cars have a cat. Is it just because of the high heat with air cooled engines? Thanks, Nick

Tough to say. Could it be oil that's leaked onto the exhaust? I would expect that to be a very common thread. :)

The '85 should not have a smelly exhaust after it's warmed up. If it does, then there is something wrong with the lambda sensor.

Stop putting cat poop in the fuel tank...

Any oil that drips off the valve covers drips onto the heat exchanger which blows it into the cabin. Doesn't take much.

Wow. Thanks. I don't care if old Porsche cars or old bugs are rebuilt and perfect they still smell gassy. Hot and nasty. Mine passes smog no problem. Smell is on the outside. Never mind.

Nick........We musta had the same Girlfriend, ....had that "musty" smell.

1973 911 T MFI Coupe, Aubergine

Steve

That's one of the best parts! The smell of gasoline and warm motor oil reminds me of good times. :)

It's always been the smell of gasoline and perfume that does it for me! :)

Properly running fuel injected car should not be "smelly". Especially if no oil drips onto exhaust

I have a carburated 1982 Toyota Landcruiser with catalytic converter and all kinds of smog equipment, including air pump. It just passed California smog inspection again without a problem. But it does smell pretty strong when idling.

My '78 SC warmed-up, without-cat, on a hot day....

Smells of oil, exhaust, age, and AWESOME.

Olfactory...most influential part of the experience.

Exactly.

Having said that, some oil will eventually drip somewhere and you'll have an ambient oil burning smell. But not from the exhaust.

old porsches are supposed to smell like oil, gas, and leather.

All my VW's, 356, 911S had "that" smell. My '85 just smells of leather.

My wife got me Porsche cologne for Christmas. When I unwrapped it and saw what it was, first thing I said was "does it smell like hot oil and German vinyl mixed together"?:D

I'm relatively new to the club, but that was really one of the first things that I fell in love with. She's stored for the winter but I sat in it a couple weeks ago for a moment and the smell was incredible. C'mon spring, let's go!!

And after your shutdown the pinging those stainless headers and muffler make cooling off:)

I miss that smell in the winter. In a related sense, it actually reminds me of the smell of some old trains I was familiar with abt 50 years ago - believe it or don't.