Porsche road car customers will be offered a seat fitting service from 2021, thanks to the addition of bucket seat 3D printing technology to options lists for the 718 and 911. The manufacturing technology, which Porsche is carrying over from its motorsport programmes, will see the cushions and supports of the firm's existing bucket seat design be replaced by custom items. Like those that adorn the bucket seats of Porsche's race machines, they'll be shaped by the contours of each driver's body, improving comfort and - as a result - the connection to the car beneath.
For most drivers, Porsche's standard bucket seat design will already be pretty comfortable as they are, but 3D printing will allow for a level of personalisation not yet seen on the Stuttgart manufacturer's options lists. The process, which adds a breathable, polyurethane comfort layer to expanded polypropylene base, is also said to reduce the bucket seat's weight. And thanks to the use of a Racetex outer skin with a perforation pattern, climate control can be integrated, while three options for firmness should maximise personal comfort.
Before the seats reach market in 2021, Porsche will offer 40 buyers who use their cars on track the option of receiving prototype versions from May 2020. Feedback from these customers will then be used to further develop the technology before it's homologated for road use and offered on the company's sports cars via its Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur department. Along with the new materials, these chairs will get an extended range of colour options.
Porsche said it'll analyse market demand before deciding on final details such as pricing. Presumably, if there's lots of interest, the maker will be able to reduce the cost at the point of purchase. That seems likely, given the undying hunger for car customisation in the world of performance machinery and the obvious merits of motorsport tech like this. Because as many of us know, there's nothing quite like that seat of the pants connection to a properly sorted driver's machine.
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