A QUESTION OF SPORT

rom the start of 997 Carrera and 997 Carrera S production, Porsche offered its then new Sport Chrono Package Plus option to buyers visiting main dealer showrooms. The most obvious giveaway to the technology’s inclusion on a 911 is what, at first glance, looks like an analogue clock built into a housing atop the dashboard. As discovered during the course of conversation with Porsche owners over the years, it’s clear many fail to realise that the stopwatch housing can pivot, allowing positioning of straight ahead, facing the driver or facing the passenger, the latter with a driving instructor in mind. As many if you will know, however, the early incarnation of the device wasn’t a clock at all. It was, in fact, a stopwatch with analogue and digital elements to it, designed to record lap times. It’s operated via a stalk on the steering column and is integrated with the 997’s early Porsche Communication Management (PCM) system. Indeed, the dash-mounted stopwatch can be complemented by a digital readout in the instrument binnacle, while there’s a menu within PCM to analyse the saved data. For example, you can scrutinise recorded lap time and distances, including the number of laps completed, verify your fastest