A Stock Porsche 911 Violates NYC Stop Spreading the Noise Act
The owner of the stock Porsche 911 Carrera S received an $800 fine, and an unwelcome precedent has been set.
2024 is a strange time to be a Porsche enthusiast. On the one hand, Porsche is making some of the most incredible vehicles they have ever produced. Of course, there is the venerable 911, but beyond that Porsche is making excellent SUVs, sedans, and mid-engine sports cars. On the other hand, many of the most desirable Porsche models are difficult to get allocations for. Dealers are tacking on five-and-six-figure market adjustments. And naturally aspirated engines are being replaced with hybrids, and EVs. And now comes the New York City Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Transportation to make the world even more difficult for the Porsche enthusiast. Even if that enthusiast owns a stock Porsche 911 that is 14 years old.
As reported by Road & Track a man known as Jerry H owned a 2010 911 Carrera S. The 997.2 Porsche 911 is a brilliant sports car right out of the box and doesn’t need to be modified in any way to offer up a ton of fun. It seems like Jerry feels the same way as his Porsche is bone stock. But that didn’t save him from receiving an $800 fine for violating the Stop Spreading the Noise Act. That act targets any cars that exceed a sound level of 85 decibels. Apparently the lovely flat-six in the back of his Porsche hit 90.4 decibels while it was accelerating up to a traffic light before entering the Queens-Midtown Tunnel. That would trigger the $800 violation letter that he would receive in the mail a few weeks later. Yikes.
The Problem
For decades, one of the very first modifications that car enthusiasts make on their cars is to add an exhaust. I have done that myself many times on vehicles that I have owned. You probably have as well. But this is a stock Porsche 911 we are talking about. The Stop Spreading the Noise Act is designed to catch folks with an illegal vehicle, a modified vehicle, that is disturbing the peace in New York City. But that is not what we have here. Jerry assumed there must have been some sort of mistake, so he appealed. He provided an independent decibel test, and certified documents proving the 997.2 was stock. He lost. Twice. The city provided footage that showed the car hit a peak decibel level of 90.4 and stock exhaust or not, that was over the limit, so the heavy fine stood.
The Fine
An $800 fine for driving a stock Porsche is harsh. But that is not the worst of it. That $800 fine is for first time offenders. It increases for repeat offenders, with the top fine coming in at $2,500. To put that in perspective the maximum fine for speeding in New York is $600. That is for going more than 30 mph over the limit. Now the speeding fine also contains the possibility of jail time and points on your license. But still, from a monetary perspective, someone driving 100 mph would receive a lesser fine than someone driving a factory stock car at the speed limit. And this is just a Carrera S model. This is not a GT3 or GT3 RS, or any of those Porsche screamers.
The Ramifications
This fine and the fact that it was upheld sets a worrying precedent for car enthusiasts. Jerry was so concerned about racking up thousands in fines that he sold his 997.2 Carrera S for an Acura Integra Type S. Ouch. It seems like the government is really intent on forcing EVs on us. Not only are there mandates regarding how many EVs must be sold by a certain year, but noise acts like this are going to make it impossible for folks to enjoy cars that make any type of sound.
Images: Joe Kucinski; Porsche
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