Having read many of the comments written here, I notice a thread of "don't change what I'm familiar with" extending through many subjects. As a auto enthusiast who started out with a 55 MG TF following experience driving a Bugatti type 57, I find discourses about "servotronic" versus manual steering or PDK transmissions versus sticks rather amusing.
In particular, the Bugatti had an in/out multidisc clutch that was either disengaged or engaged with nothing in between. A start from a standing start was a process of launching the car without stalling. Now, having mastered that process made accommodating the TF's clutch child's play and should have made me feel that progress was diluting the essence of auto mastery. Likewise, the steering of the Bugatti was instantaneous and at low speeds required the use of shoulder muscles as well as arms. So that combination in an open car with no weather protection whatsoever made for "macho style" driving.......fun for a demonstration but I'm glad it's history.
Now, my P4S has brought me full circle to the latest modern features and after owning 4 other Porsche of various eras, I find that accommodating the improvements comes pretty naturally. The human species is pretty adaptable given some saddle time and an open mind.

 

All I can say is...

I LOVE MY 4S!!!

 

People resist change, its in our nature.

 

Change is good and when it comes to cars somethings are good and somethings may make us feel we are losing some of the essence of prior experiences. What we do get is appreciation for advancement and the opportunity to continue to evaluate what we like of the new stuff and what we liked of the old.

Porsche seems to be doing a better job of improving things and still capturing the essence of their heritage than most other car companies. And of course they offer us many boxes to check to individualize our own car. We have to pay for that, but that is ok, at least we get the opportunity.

I enjoy each new car I get for the advancements over the last (32 and counting). The passion in the views on both sides of the dicussion are what keep things interesting. Learning to have an open mind and to listen to other views to help refine your own comes with age or goes with age, depends on the person!

 

Or... people are unwilling to accept that the $120K+ they spent just two or three years ago to buy "the car" would actually buy a better car today. Terms like "heritage", "essence", "purity" are used as weapons against "new and improved" to help soften the blow of spending a sizable amount of money on an obsolete car. Seems the auto industry is the only industry that is not allowed to make their product significantly better for fear of alienating people who have already made a purchase.

How can it really a bad thing that a new PDK Boxster S is almost as fast as a 996 GT3? That is how it is supposed to work, no? If you want the new cars to be like the old cars, just keep your old car. The new cars are supposed to be faster, safer, more efficient and yes, less raw with less "driver involvement". The driver is the only component in the car the auto industry cannot improve, and in most cases, minimizing their involvement is the first step in improving the entire package.

Old Porsches are cool, new Porsches are better; there is enough room in the world for both. Better will always beat cool around a track BTW.