Going to lay a little heavy on you for a minute.

One of the other hats I wear involves me in urban
planning/growth/development issues. Not Sprawl, the other stuff
(Urbanism, Smart Growth, Traditional Neighborhood Design, etc.) As such,
I've learned a bit about a concept called the "Transect", which is kind
of the 'magic' behind places we all love, and (when it abused) the pain
we all feel when we visit someplace really uncomfortable/uninspiring.

The transect basically works like this: good development takes place in
a logical linear progression from the wildest wilderness, through a
natural/agricultural zone, to a more manicured agricultural zone, to a
mixed sub-urban zone,  etc. etc all the way to what we call the "Urban
Core". Each zone has its own natural features, building heights, night
lighting standards, noise levels, ways of dealing with run-off, etc.

When there is a logical delineation to the transect zone, and all of the
correct features are there, the place is fantastic. For example: Times
Square, NYC is a fantastic, enriching, enlivening place to be, it is a
great example of an Urban Core. Noisy, bright, paved, high buildings,
and only Five (5) trees (which really contribute nothing to the scene).
Conversely, the Grand Canyon is a fantastic, enriching, enlivening place
to be, it is a great example of a Wilderness. Relatively untouched. Dark
at night. Quiet. Unpaved. Run-off soaks in. Few buildings, none over 2
stories. Countless plants and animals.

Each is real. And (in a perfect world) in between, there is to be a
gradation of places, each identifiable as a place on the transect, each
attracting different types of people, with different lifestyles.

The trouble is, for the last 50 years or so, we didn't build using this
"transect" here in the USA, and so you get all sorts of odd mixes that
make people uneasy and make them love Europe. City Houses on a 2 acre
wooded lot for the "Montana Man" who has to live in Fairfax. Brightly
lit "modern" restaurants in small agricultural towns like Wilson, NE.
Hokey "county store cabin" restaurants along urban highways. Etc.  Who
are we trying to fool?

These "transect violations" are a loss of authenticity that is, in
effect lying to ourselves.

I say all these things to say this. As a former Porsche owner (my first
3 cars) I can say that Porsche has completely lost its way. They are not
being authentic to themselves. For 40 years they built gritty, smart
sports cars, the type of vehicle you could race on the weekend, and WIN.
If you have never driven a 1960-1980 Porsche, you must before you pass
on; it is kind of like the 'first time' all over again; gritty, messy,
clumsy, exhilarating, unpredictable, fun, noisy, addictive.

In the 80's and 90's Porsche started to vacillate into heavy leather
carpeted luxury muck. Today, an SUV/sports car? Puh-leeze. Why not a
Porsche pick-up truck? Or Mini-van? When is the Porsche bulldozer coming
to a construction site near you?

One of the early posters was right. It is ugly. Not only because of its
lines, but because of its bloodlines. Sigh. My $.02.

G. Matthew Bulley
Creator and Grand Emporer of the
VW Heat, Rust, Noise Web Page
http://www.bulley-hewlett.com/VWindex/
Owner of too many VW's to mention