Why…Why do I always get the press releases on automotive shoes? It never fails! First it was, of all things, the Nike meant to look like a DeLorean, complete with the taillight-colored sole. Then it was the Ferrari shoe, with the same red and yellow trim that practically every Ferrari since the Testarossa was required to be painted. Now, Porsche Design has a new running shoe called the Bounce S4. To Porsche Design’s credit, at least they make their own shoes, instead of farming it out like the other two did, but even reading the marketing blurbs make me feel slightly ill. “This running shoe blends luxury with ultra-lightweight performance. Exclusive BOUNCE™ technology, featuring a carbon baseplate, provides serious cushioning, with a smooth flexing suspension system that transfers vertical impact into forward propulsion. An engineered, futuristic upper with allover seamless construction delivers even flex and a glove-like fit.” After fitting my frame inside a Boxter, “a glove-like fit” must be referencing the latex gloves a proctologist uses.
On the plus side for a running shoe, Porsche’s experience with air cooling should pay off in spades, by keeping your feet nice and cool in most climates. What isn’t mentioned is that if your gait is anything less than spot-on-perfect that you’ll end up losing traction and ending up in the grass for no apparent reason. And in reality, the Bounce S4 is like a more common New Balance that is not only significantly cheaper (maybe $100 for the NB’s while the Porsches cost $550 and are limited to 1000 pairs worldwide), but do just about the same thing. Sounds kind of like the VW Beetle.
(Source: WorldCarFans)
Oh heck Bryan ! These barely scratch the surface of Tooldom . You really wanna be a tool ? Go spend the $650 it’ll cost you to buy the hair dryer Ferrari has on offer . Or hows about $3,500 for Ferrari’s limited edition [ cough ] 128 page book ? $2500 for a pair of Bugatti labeled sunglasses perhaps ? Or maybe your tastes lean more towards a $45,000 Aston Martin wrist watch ?
Seriously …. there is no limits when it comes to MMtB [ More Money than Brains ] Automotive Tooldom
I thought I was sick enough before I read that. Now I really need to puke.
Apologies ! Good thing I didn’t mention the $100k plus Bugatti labeled wrist watch . Oh wait . Damn ! I just did 😉
Errr … have a Friday drink on me … sounds like you’ll need one !
This is probably the most affordable Porsche at the dealership, when viewed abstractly enough.
Nice looking shoes, but yeesh, $500? No thanks. The line about perfect gait killed me.
It is a pretty interesting looking shoe – although if New Balance has a shoe with the same thin sole / suspension setup, I’d probably be a bit more interested since they’d deliver it at a more reasonable price.
Porsche cars can be ordered in any color you ask for, literally. I wonder if the same is true for these shoes?