As smooth as as the inside of a bunny's ear...

I mentioned that I purchased my Porsche pre-owned. All good, and for many, I'd highly recommend it from a price/performance perspective. But the Porsche option list has a greater thud-factor than War and Peace. So, much like monkey's successfully typing the constitution, the probability of the original buyer having the exact taste and choice as your own is about nil and thus, finding a car that closely matches your personal taste is equivalently low. Further, I'm a passionate student of design, and the interior of a car is target-rich in opportunities to demonstrate the taste and ergonomic skills of an auto company.
Here's are a few examples of interiors great and poor, modern and classic:

Modern and outstanding (Audi R8)


Modern and very sad (Corvette C6 - A great car nonetheless)


Classic and outstanding (Bentley Flying Spur)


Classic - well just old actually; and horrible (Jeep Wrangler - it's not clear that this car has any redeeming qualities)


The minimum benchmark for any car interior is the man/machine interface. All of those points that the driver explicitly touches or controls the car. The higher the frequency and likelihood of that interface, the higher priority for excellence. But, like random monkey's, the original buyer couldn't have done more poorly in his/her pursuit of such excellence. The stock Porsche wheel is too thin, too slippery and unworthy of of the purchase price of the car. The stock seats pale in comparison to the racing or upgraded seats available somewhere on page 761 of the option book. All options related to steering wheel and seats were left unchecked. Comparing the price of steering wheels versus seat upgrades, the answer was simple. Seats were simply out. Porsche OEM sports/racing seats – with side airbag - cost more than $10,000. That's one out of every ten of my list price car dollars spent to suspend my bottom. Sorry, no can do. That leaves the wheel.
So recently, while waiting at my local dealer, I had the chance to sit in a new GT3 RS on the showroom floor. The wheel was made out of a material called Alcantara. Much like artificial suede, it's used more and more frequently in the auto industry for headliners and other interior components. But, since it's pricey stuff it's almost always on some latter page of the manufacturers option book. Warm in winter, cool in summer. Thick, easy to grip and soft to the touch. It feels like the inside of a bunny's ear. And, the dark grey RS wheel has this nice yellow centering stripe on the top. I guess it's for informing the driver that the wheels are pointed straight ahead. So, if the strip is at the top, and the car is not going straight, you must be skidding. Brilliant. I had to have it. And the matching shifter and boot. And parking brake handle. All now one big bunny ear. And, while the patient was opened, I added the Porsche OEM short-shift kit. 20% shorter shifts. Crisper and more secure. I ordered the parts from some very nice folks at SunCoast Automotive (http://e-partssales.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?) and my local garage did the installation. Now, I'm a tough judge, so when I grade things, many are often disappointed. But in this case, on a scale of 1-10, I'd give it all an 11. It IS a bit odd every morning to grab a bunny's ear, but otherwise simply perfect.
But here you go:



Verde