Germans aren’t necessarily known for their unbridled sense of whimsy, and neither are German car companies. Porsche in particular is known for taking the business of engineering exceptional cars exceptionally seriously, which is why it’s such a surprise to see the sporty Stuttgarters file a patent for a technology with the sole purpose to make drivers giggle. Published on October 23, the technology will automatically detect an upcoming tunnel using cameras and open the car’s exhaust valves and windows to maximize aural pleasure.
Originally reported by CarBuzz, the patent describes two tunnel operating modes: one that accentuates the car’s exhaust note to make the driver’s inner child smile, and another that makes the driver’s inner prude smile by making it quieter. Now why anyone would buy a car as sporty as a Porsche and not want to hear the exhaust note when zipping through a tunnel is beyond me, but I guess it’s good to have the option.
The patent has some other exciting tricks
You didn’t think a company as advanced as Porsche would stop at a loud mode and a quiet mode, did you? Of course there’s much more than that. Beyond simply opening the exhaust valves, the patent mentions how the feature can also activate sport mode, open the windows, crank the heater if it’s cold out, downshift by at least one gear, and open up the active exhaust. The patent says this feature is meant to make the acoustic driving experience more emotional during the tunnel passage. It also discusses the potential for this technology to apply to its electric vehicles, and for convertibles to even lower the top for maximum sound enjoyment.
The quiet mode, in contrast, would roll the windows up, close the exhaust flaps, and step up the car’s active noise cancellation functionality to minimize intrusion from that awful racket they paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for. As of now, this is just a patent filing which does not automatically mean that this technology will be brought to Porsche’s production cars, but us enthusiasts can certainly hope.
