In the era of keyless start, it’s not uncommon for car manufacturers to place the ignition in unconventional locations. However, when the act of placing a key in an ignition barrel was the done thing, it was almost always placed on the right-hand side.Unless that car is a Porsche sports car, where you’d usually find the ignition housed to the left of the steering wheel. An unusual approach, but one with logical historical explanations, or so it is claimed in some quarters. It Was Born At Le Mans, Allegedly Porsche Newsroom As with so many great innovations in automotive history, the Porsche left-side ignition apparently came from the manufacturer chasing the most marginal of gains in motorsport. Specifically, European endurance racing, which often had a curious way of starting races.This was the "Le Mans Start". First seen at the 1925 24 Hours of Le Mans, this would see cars lined up diagonally at one side of the track in qualifying order, with their driver at the other. Drivers would then run across to their car, hop in, and go from there.The line often touted is that placing the key on the left side of the car allowed a slight competitive advantage in these starts. While a driver started the car with their left hand, they could use their right to get it in gear, saving a few seconds in the process.That would seem a good explanation, with the first left-sided ignition on a Porsche Le Mans-competing car a 1958 356 Carrera 1500. Only that trend didn’t immediately continue, with the next new Porsche race car to use a left-side key a 1967 907.From there, the following 908 and 917 utilized this same layout, along with a right-hand drive seating position and curiously, the gear selector on the right. Weight distribution for an advantage at the clockwise Circuit de la Sarthe was the easy explanation for that one. From 1970, the Le Mans start was canned to improve safety and reduce fatalities, rendering it a moot point.The trend would continue in many of its road cars. Even today, you'll find dozens of YouTube pages and websites claiming the Le Mans "freeing up the right hand" story as fact, and we'll grant you that it is a romantic explanation. However, there is a less exciting explanation for the original left-side placement. The Likely Real Reason It Started Porsche While the motorsport link is a sexy marketing line for the left-side ignition placement, the real reason for its initial introduction is likely grounded in the simple fact of production costs.In an article for the Wall Street Journal, Klaus Bischof, once curator of the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, is quoted as explaining the ignition placement of the 356 Carrera “saved a little bit of wire, a little bit of money… and maybe 200 grams”.For the road cars that followed the end of the Le Mans Start, though, the ignition placement is just an easy link to the legend of its origin, another tool in the arsenal of Porsche enthusiasts to explain at the next Cars & Coffee meet that they appear at with their 996 911 Carrera 4S. Which Current Porsche Models Have A Left-Side Ignition? Porsche 911 PorscheEvery version of the Porsche 911, from the original 901 through to the 992.2 of today, has had its ignition on the left side of the steering wheel. As its most successful model line in motorsport history, it’s sprinkled with nods to its success, and ignition placement is just one of those.That is, unless you have a right-hand drive car, which moves the ignition to the right of the wheel. There’s one for your next Porsche trivia night. Porsche Cayenne PorscheAlthough the Porsche Cayenne was the least traditional Porsche in every respect when it was first introduced in 2002, it did continue the tradition of having its ignition on the left side of the steering wheel. Even today, with a push-button start and an EV version, it remains located on the left side. Porsche Macan PorscheJust like the Cayenne, the Porsche Macan is far from a traditional Porsche and would surely be the model most likely to stick to conventional car layouts as it chases volumes of buyers to fund the manufacturer’s more niche projects. Yet, it sticks with the ignition on the left. Porsche Taycan PorscheNow the Porsche Taycan doesn’t even need an ignition. It could do what so many EVs today do, and simply turn on as the driver enters the vehicle. It keeps with tradition, though, and retains a push-button start located on the left of the steering wheel. Completely unnecessary, but rather cool. Other Unconventional, But Cool Ignitions Porsche isn’t the only car manufacturer to opt for an unconventional, but rather cool, ignition placement. Here are just a few of our favorite examples. Saab’s Center Console Ignition Bring A TrailerMuch of Saab’s marketing relied on its connection to fighter jets, despite ultimately being humble sedans and estates for the vast majority of its models. Several nods to aviation were present throughout its models, including the placement of the ignition in the center console of many cars.As well as being a playful nod to the layout of a jet cockpit, it also had a safety benefit by reducing the chances of a key hitting your knee in the event of an accident. Aston Martin’s Emotional Control Unit Aston Martin Why have a key when you can have an Emotional Control Unit? That was the marketing for an option on several Aston Martin models throughout the 2010s, anyway, which required the driver to place the crystal fob into the central dash-mounted ignition to start the car.Theatrical and fitting for the luxury brand, for sure, but a pricey option with an expensive replacement key. Maybe not a concern for new buyers, but certainly something to consider for models on the used market. Ferrari Luce Ferrari We haven’t even seen official images of the exterior of the Ferrari Luce yet, but we can say for certain that it has one of the most interesting start procedures of a modern car. Especially when you consider it’s an EV.In an interior reveal early in 2026, Ferrari showed off a rather striking way of starting the car. The key is styled as the iconic Ferrari logo, which must be placed next to the gear selector of the Luce. When that happens, it’s "drained" of its yellow color, with the selector illuminating yellow as if the color has flowed through to it. Neat. Lamborghini’s toggle switch cover Lamborghini What’s cooler than starting a supercar? Starting a fighter jet. You can thank toggle switches for that one.Lamborghini clearly agrees and decided its cars needed to be just as cool. Since the Aventador’s introduction in 2011, every new model has featured a red toggle switch cover above the engine start button, making the start procedure a real experience. Mercedes SLR Gear Selector Mercedes-Benz Before Lamborghini introduced toggle switches, though, the Mercedes SLR went even cooler. Not only did it have a toggle switch, it was placed on the top of the gear selector, really enhancing the pseudo-Top Gun vibe.We’ll start the petition right now for Mercedes to bring this back to future models.