STOP PEOPLE PINCHING YOUR OLD PORSCHE
Porsche Classic offers anti-theft kit
Now that almost every old air-cooled Porsche is worth megabucks, anti-theft measures are more important than ever. Enter Porsche Classic and its new satellite monitoring system, designed for use in modern and vintage classics.
Porsche Classic says a key feature of the new Porsche Classic Vehicle Tracking System is an autonomous sensor package integrated at concealed points around the vehicle. This device communicates with a security network that covers the whole of Europe.
Tailored versions of the new system are suitable for all Porsche classic vehicles – from the 356 with its six-volt electrical system all the way up to the Carrera GT. The system consists of several components and its developers have defined several installation options for each Porsche model. In other words, even if a highly organised gang of thieves succeeds in stealing technical information, variations in transmitter location make it extremely difficult and above all timeconsuming to detect the device and possibly disable it. The time factor, of course, plays a crucial role for thieves in general, who want to minimise the time spent disabling any tracking devices.
What’s more, unplugging the battery won’t help. Equipped with its own battery, the system can detect if the car’s main electrical circuits are interrupted. As with GPS monitoring of new vehicles, an alarm is sent to the international security centre. The customer also receives a notification through the corresponding app. If the owner confirms unauthorised access when prompted, the authorities are informed and the hunt for the thieves begins.
“In future, the new tracking system will allow us to offer our customers anti-theft functionality that will trigger an alarm for tracking the vehicle if someone tries to steal it. In an ideal scenario, this intervention will stop the vehicle from disappearing right from the outset”, says Alexander Fabig, Head of Porsche Classic.
There is also the option to prevent the engine from being restarted via a wireless command, if the car is switched off in the meantime. The vehicle can then only be unlocked by employees of the security centre. Of course, the Porsche developers are aware that the gangs have access to state-of-the-art technology, such as jammers that block GPS signals. If jammers are detected, Porsche says an alarm notification is immediately sent out.
Only Porsche Centres are authorised to perform the installation of the new system. Depending on the model, that takes between one and four hours. The cost of the device is approximately €1000 or around £875 plus a service charge of €20 per month.
To complement the electronic solution, Porsche Classic is also making a mechanical shift lever lock available. This makes it virtually impossible for thieves to drive the car. This shift lever lock has been developed by the Berlin-based company Bear-lock. It is currently available for prospective Porsche modern classics, such as the 997 generation of the 911, the Boxster 986 and 987 series, the first Cayman (987) as well as the first and second Cayenne.