Chesapeake Region
Unpimp The Auto
Aaron Miller
Fans may remember the highly popular Volkswagen ad campaign of the early aughts featuring a very Euro looking VW technician facing off against clueless owners of heavily (and tastelessly) modified Japanese cars which culminated with the catchphrase, “Un-pimp zee auto, say what?” The owner invariably responded with, “What??” And the car was immediately destroyed in an ingenious way before the pitch for a new Volkswagen took over. (Editor: I couldn’t remember the commercial, so here it is https://www.youtube.com/ watch? v=e1MNEqCr748 ) There was a time when I would salivate over potential modifications to our Porsches, and scheme about how to make it better, faster, stronger, or more potent. Now? I can say a bit of maturity has seeped in, coupled with the experience of living with aftermarket modifications which may make something better, but they likely made two things worse. In a recent Patter article, I detailed our search and subsequent purchase of a beautiful, completely stock, 2003 996 C4S. And while I had (and still have) zero desire to modify the car, the sole area requiring immediate attention was the stereo. I’m sure the purists will decree a 911 doesn’t need a stereo, and just roll on the right pedal if you want a symphony, but then I’m sure they also discount the need to take an important phone call, or wanted to listen to something besides the two CDs in the glove box. After a few weeks of ownership, we collectively agreed we needed Bluetooth functionality, and we wanted navigation.
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