A Little Story About Our Eldest Daughter

Our eldest daughter is almost four, and she has a remarkably observant nature. Her kindergarten teacher has told us, “Even when she draws, she pays close attention to the details and tries to look carefully at everything and reproduce it.”

I’m the opposite: I’m more of a big-picture person who thinks, “Forget the details—if you’ve got the general idea, that’s good enough.” I’m reminded every day just how different my daughter and I are.

She calls Porsche “Porshi” (her cute pronunciation of the name). Ever since she was old enough to notice the world around her, I’ve pointed out cars to her whenever we’re out together: “That’s a Porsche,” or “This is a Porsche.” Lately, no matter which Porsche model we pass—a Panamera, Cayenne, Cayman, Macan, 911, or Boxster—she’s started calling out excitedly, “Look! A Porshi!” (Porsche)

Then We Spotted a First-Generation Cayenne…

I didn’t see a Porsche until I was 30 (I must have passed plenty before then, but they never registered). Even after I started getting interested in cars, I couldn’t identify a Porsche at a glance. (Even now, when a car approaches at night with its headlights on, I sometimes can’t tell whether it’s a Mercedes-Benz or a Porsche.)

Then yesterday, a first-generation Cayenne came toward us. It looks quite different from today’s Porsches, and it’s an SUV rather than a two-seat sports car. I thought that unless you knew the Cayenne existed, you might not even realize it was a Porsche…

As we passed, my daughter said:

“Look! A Porshi!”

Amazing. Even at three, she’s not to be underestimated. I was impressed that she could recognize a Porsche—and it also struck me just how remarkable Porsche’s designers are to have created a design so distinctive that even a three-year-old can pick it out. It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately.