The Scent of the Green Porsche

Recently, my husband had been commuting in our air-cooled 911 (964). One evening when he came home, our eldest daughter ran up to him saying, “Welcome home~” (When she’s in a good mood, she runs and hugs him, but when she’s not, she completely ignores him… even at five years old, she’s already as changeable as the autumn sky), and said this:

Dad smells like the green Porsche (964)!

My husband replied, “Really? Is that so?” with a smile, but I wondered if he’d been around the 964 so much that even its scent had soaked into him, haha.

Later, I asked our daughter, “What kind of smell is the green Porsche’s scent?” After thinking for a moment, she answered,

“Hmm… I don’t really know…”

I thought, yeah, that smell is hard to describe… So I asked, “Was it a nice smell or a bad smell?” and she said,

Hmm, it’s not really a nice smell. But it’s not a bad smell either.

She was a bit unclear (-_-). I guess she meant, “It’s not exactly a nice smell, but I don’t dislike it either.”

The Distinctive Scent of Air-Cooled Porsches

Many air-cooled owners I’ve met have said, “I love the unique scent of the air-cooled Porsche.” But when asked, “What exactly is that smell?” the conversation often ends with, “I wonder what it really is…” without a clear answer.

I once asked my husband, “People say the air-cooled Porsche smells great, but what exactly is that smell?” and he said,

That’s a tough one. Maybe it’s the leather seats… or the engine oil smell… but either way, it’s comforting.

Sometimes when he drives the Boxster, he notices a “Porsche-like scent,” but it’s completely different from the 964’s smell. So, I decided to look into what causes that unique air-cooled scent.

Is It the Leather Seats? The Engine?

I searched online but didn’t find much solid information. Instead, many people seemed just as curious, asking, “What exactly is that smell?” For example, one blog mentioned:

– To some degree, they all have a similar smell, but is it really the leather seats?
– The leather seats are in great condition, no scratches, and no smell coming from the vents.
– Tried using unscented car deodorizer, but the smell doesn’t go away.
– It hasn’t disappeared even after 10+ years.
– The smell seems stronger during the humid rainy season.
– It’s different from moldy, gasoline, or exhaust smells.
– Is it true that the 911’s engine air intake sends the smell into the cabin?
– Tried airing out the car by opening the doors for a while, but no change.

* Porsche (TYPE964) and Leica Days: “What’s that Porsche smell…”

– People call it the “Porsche smell,” but no one has a definitive answer.
– Thought it might be leather, but only the seat cushions use real leather, so that theory is questionable.
– Could it be engine compartment odors entering the cabin?
– Or the adhesives used in the interior finishing?

* From Minkara: “Porukura… Life with a Porsche is happiness… The truth about the Porsche smell…”

All articles agree on one thing: “It’s not an unbearable smell like tobacco or air fresheners.” True, it’s not unpleasant, but then what exactly is it?

Air-Cooled 911 Interior Smell

Since I couldn’t find much in Japanese, I searched in English and found a forum thread titled “Aircooled 911 interior smell – What’s the source?” discussing the 964’s scent.

Turns out, this question is universal! (lol)

The original poster was rebuilding a 964 and didn’t want to lose that smell, so they asked if anyone knew its origin.

Here are some of the replies (my translations may not be perfect, haha):

I think a lot of the p-car smell is the oil that has dripped onto the heat exchanger burning off.

That’s part of the exterior smell… along with scent of fried brakes, eau de burnt clutch, and musk of running rich 98 octane…

Sigh… The smell shall forever remain a mystery at this rate…

Could be the leather… Ferraris have a distinctive smell as well.

I think it has a lot to do with the foam sound deadening and the adhesive used on the interior. I have pulled my seats and had them in the garage for a few days and they don’t seem to have any scent at all. I also believe that the connection between the engine compartment and the heater system has something to do with it as well.

I had a 964 and it had that smell. Oil leaks onto the heat exchanger and into the cabin. Water leaks from the windshield, door seals, etc. into the floor pad where it sits and becomes moldy. The moldy and oily smell then combine and age in the car sitting outside in 90-degree heat into the smell we’re all familiar with. My newer 993 which does not leak oil nor water doesn’t have this ‘smell’. Seriously!!!

I think it has to do with the adhesive (Wurth?) or other interior materials used.

For me it is not smell, I call it scent! Been wondering about that as well. Opposed to “regular” cars which lose their “smell” in months, the scent of our P-cars just becomes richer.

I like to smell the heat coming off the motor. The burning oil smell means me and the car both had a good time.

* Source: Aircooled 911 interior smell – What’s the source?

What Is the True Source of the Air-Cooled Scent?

In the end, the true source of that unique air-cooled scent remains a mystery. But I also thought, “Maybe it’s okay not to know.” It’s probably a blend of engine oil, leather seats, the driver’s sweat, romance, and memories of all the journeys shared—a scent filled with so many stories.

That said, if I ever get the chance to meet someone from Porsche, I’d love to ask them about the true origin of the air-cooled 911’s scent, haha.