If you can swallow the $11,400 premium over the Boxster S (MSRP: $62,100) and Cayman S (MSRP: $63,800), the new GTS versions of Porsche's base roadster and coupe models are the ones to gun for in the series, at least for now and until Porsche cooks up something even more sizzling.
The next-iteration of the Porsche Boxster and Cayman sports car will receive a four-cylinder boxer engine, Porsche CEO Matthias Müller disclosed. In an interview with Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport magazine published on March 20, the executive said future Porsche road cars will receive four-cylinder engines, just like the company’s 919 Hybrid endurance racer.
There's no doubt that the Boxster series has been a wild sales success for Porsche, and being in the market for three generations and more than 16 years, means that you can find many used examples at affordable prices.
Up until recent years, replica car builders looked at the Pontiac Fiero when it came to cloning mid-engined models, but it's getting harder and harder to find worthwhile vehicles on the market, be that because the last ones were manufactured back in 1988, or because most of them have already been transformed into other models.
Back in February, Porsche announced the development of three pure-electric prototypes based on the Boxster roadster, but aside from a single photo and the fact that the electric motors could produce up to 180kW/241HP, the Stuttgart-based automaker did not release any other details on the cars.
After the demonstration of the Boxster E at last week’s Michelin Challenge Bibendum in Berlin, the company decided to share more information on the test cars that are being used as part of the government-funded “Model Region Electro-Mobility Stuttgart” large-scale trial to study the everyday practicality of all-electric vehicles. Of the three Boxster E prototypes, two are rear-wheel drive and one is all-wheel drive.
These are some of the very first spy shots of the next generation Porsche Cayman sports coupe snagged while performing the usual tests on the track. As is the case with the current Cayman, the German firm’s entry-level coupe will be based on the Boxster, the third generation of which is currently undergoing development and has been covered extensively by Carscoop. The two models will share the same architecture, mechanical hardware including the engine range and suspension bits as well as interior parts.
The next iteration of the 911 series, codenamed 991, isn’t the only new model undergoing development by Porsche these days. The Stuttgart-based sports car maker is also busy testing a brand new generation of the Boxster, as these latest spy photos reveal.
In typical Porsche fashion, the third generation Boxster’s styling will be an evolution of the second generation model, which itself was an...evolution of the original drop-top, entry-level Porsche which debuted in 1996.
However, expect to see some styling influences from the Panamera at both ends of the car, as well as in the cabin. As you can see from the scoop pictures, the prototype model keeps the current version’s electrically operated cloth top.
In a German-language only press release and without much fanfare, Porsche announced the introduction of a trio of electric-powered Boxster E prototypes. Over the next few months, these pure-electric test vehicles will be trialed in and around the city of Stuttgart to provide feedback on the feasibility and usability of the concept in everyday use.
Porsche is keeping mum on most of the details surrounding the three prototype Boxster roadsters simply stating that the cars are equipped with two-electric motors that deliver up to 180kW or 241-horsepower, and are fed through a 29-kWh battery package.
Good news for Porsche owners in America who'd like to have their sports cars and SUV models tuned by Techart as the German company has finally opened a US headquarters in Irvine California. "The new subsidiary ensures a faster product supply to all its customers and sales partners," Techart said in a statement.
After the 911 Carrera Black Edition, Porsche today announced that it is launching a similar limited run version of the Boxster S as well. The new model will be produced in just 987 units, and aside from the upgrades in the styling and equipment departments, the Boxster S Black Edition also benefits from a small power boost.
As one would expect, almost every part of the body is finished in black, including the model lettering, mirror housings, rollover bars, air intake grilles and twin tailpipes. Black 19-inch wheels, shod in tires size 235/35 at the front and 265/35 at the rear, complete the exterior changes.
If you happen to own a first generation Porsche Boxster 986 and want to improve the roadster's looks - in the traditional sense of the word and not in the way some replica makers propose (i.e. this Boxster based Lamborghini), you may want to take a look at Hofele-Design's new Speed GT styling package.
We can sorta, kinda, try to understand the reasoning behind the transformation of a Pontiac Fiero into a supercar replica, but what happens when someone decides to use a Porsche Boxster S as a base to create a... Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster? We'll agree that a 2000 Boxster S is light-years better than any MR2 or Fiero, but who in their right mind would actually turn a Porsche into a replica of any sorts? And talking about 'sanity' -or rather its absence- the asking price for this Italianized Porsche is $45,000. More photos after the jump.
No manufacturer, not even performance orientated Porsche, can ignore the "green wave" that has hit the automotive industry. With hybrids and EVs becoming increasingly popular, it's clear that sports cars have to step it up a notch.
It doesn't really matter to pencil-pushing government officials that, in the real world, high performance vehicles aren't driven as much, so, in the overall scheme of things, they actually pollute a lot less than your suburban folk's Prius. They just want to see numbers.
A new and rather aggressive advertising campaign regarding the Nissan 370Z and GT-R sports cars has kicked off in Britain. The company launched a series of poster and print adverts highlighting the fact that both sports cars are better in terms of performance yet cost less than their equivalent German rivals.
And mind you, Nissan isn't being polite as the automaker is using tongue-in-cheek phrases in the ads such as "The Winner Hans Down," "The Germans Came Off Wurst," "Kaisers Chiefed" and "Deutschland Deutschland Über-Rated".
To further frustrate its German adversaries, the Japanese company took an Audi TTS bearing the slogan "More expensive, slower and less powerful than a Nissan 370Z" around the streets of London. It was joined by a Porsche Cayman adorned with the words "I dream of being as fast as a Nissan 370Z". Ouch...
The second generation Porsche Boxster that's due sometime in 2011 will feature a new base model equipped with a fuel efficient four-cylinder engine according to a report from UK's Autocar magazine citing company insiders. The last 4-cylinder Porsche was the 1990s 968 which was the final model in an evolving line that started in the mid-1970s with the introduction of the 924 and continued with the 944. But unlike the 968 that was equipped with one of the largest four bangers ever to be offered in a production car with a displacement of 3.0-liters, the next-generation Boxster's straight-four is expected to be quite smaller, featuring a displacement of 2.0 to 2.4-liters.
The report states that the entry-level Boxster's petrol unit will most likely be turbocharged delivering an output of over 200HP. Not exactly the kind of power you'd expect from a Porsche but company insiders insist that the new Boxster will be significantly lighter than the current model thus compensating for the smaller output.
The million dollar question is of course whether Porsche will develop the engine in-house from scratch or if the German sports carmaker will take advantage of its tie-up with the VW - Audi Group using the company's 2.0 TFSI unit as a base - just as it did with the Cayenne and the ill-fated 924.
Either way, the main reason that Porsche is looking into the development of a smaller engine for the Boxster and quite possibly for the Cayman replacement has to do with the stricter CO2 emission regulations that are going in force in several key markets around the world.
After the demonstration of the Boxster E at last week’s Michelin Challenge Bibendum in Berlin, the company decided to share more information on the test cars that are being used as part of the government-funded “Model Region Electro-Mobility Stuttgart” large-scale trial to study the everyday practicality of all-electric vehicles. Of the three Boxster E prototypes, two are rear-wheel drive and one is all-wheel drive.
In typical Porsche fashion, the third generation Boxster’s styling will be an evolution of the second generation model, which itself was an...evolution of the original drop-top, entry-level Porsche which debuted in 1996.
As one would expect, almost every part of the body is finished in black, including the model lettering, mirror housings, rollover bars, air intake grilles and twin tailpipes. Black 19-inch wheels, shod in tires size 235/35 at the front and 265/35 at the rear, complete the exterior changes.
And mind you, Nissan isn't being polite as the automaker is using tongue-in-cheek phrases in the ads such as "The Winner Hans Down," "The Germans Came Off Wurst," "Kaisers Chiefed" and "Deutschland Deutschland Über-Rated".
Following on from the revamped 911 that was unveiled earlier this year, Porsche is now readying the facelifted variants of the Cayman coupe and Boxster roadster. Both models are due to make their first public appearance at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 19. However, our spy photographers managed to scoop a virtually undisguised Cayman roaming the streets of Germany providing us with an early view of Porsche's entry-level coupe that will compete against the new Nissan 370Z and BMW Z4.
In true evolutionary-Porsche-style, you'll probably need a microscope to spot the differences between the forthcoming and the outgoing model. That said, the most distinguishable change on the 2009 Cayman concerns the newly-shaped rear tail lights that are combined with a reversed license plate holder (...) and a slightly different lower air vents. Up front, Porsche's lazy designers reprofiled the Cayman's headlamps and added a set of LED daytime running lights. While they were at it, they also restyled the air-vents by removing the body-colored rods.
The second generation Porsche Boxster that's due sometime in 2011 will feature a new base model equipped with a fuel efficient four-cylinder engine according to a report from UK's Autocar magazine citing company insiders. The last 4-cylinder Porsche was the 1990s 968 which was the final model in an evolving line that started in the mid-1970s with the introduction of the 924 and continued with the 944. But unlike the 968 that was equipped with one of the largest four bangers ever to be offered in a production car with a displacement of 3.0-liters, the next-generation Boxster's straight-four is expected to be quite smaller, featuring a displacement of 2.0 to 2.4-liters.
The report states that the entry-level Boxster's petrol unit will most likely be turbocharged delivering an output of over 200HP. Not exactly the kind of power you'd expect from a Porsche but company insiders insist that the new Boxster will be significantly lighter than the current model thus compensating for the smaller output.
If we are to believe a report from the Dutch car site 'Autoweek', these are the first official photos of the facelifted Porsche Boxster and Cayman models, both of which are due to be unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November according to Carscoop's sources. The site claims that these pictures were sent to them by an anonymous reader who accidentally happened to stumbled upon them on Porsche's online car configurator. -Continued
We did however configure a Boxster adding the same rear diffuser and front spoiler lip as well as the different alloys. We also download the pictures so you can see the similarities for yourself -see below. The only differences between the allegedly official Boxster and Cayman facelift models with their current siblings are the egg-shaped headlights (we thought Porsche was done with those...), the dual exhaust pipes, the sharpet looking LED lights on the front bumper and the slightly different tail lamps.
Via: Autoweek.nl
