Porsche’s long-held tradition of favouring cautious evolutionary adjustments over revolutionary changes is strongly reflected in the new Boxster. Pictured here officially for the first time, Zuffenhausen’s new mid-engined rival to the Audi TT, BMW Z4 and Mercedes SLK is planned make its world debut alongside the equally new 911 at the Paris Motor Show later this month. UK deliveries are set to get underway by the end of the year.
Despite its familiar appearance, Porsche claims the second-generation Boxster, codenamed 987, is effectively a brand-new car. Up to 80 per cent of its components have been either heavily revised or completely replaced, although company officials admit many of the car’s crucial hard points have been carried over from the first-generation model.
Two models will be on offer from the start: a base Boxster running a 237bhp 2.7-litre version of the venerable flat-six engine, and a sportier Boxster S with a 276bhp 3.2-litre unit.
You’ll need to look hard to spot the differences between old and new cars. The exterior clearly resembles that of the first-generation Boxster, launched in 1996, but every body panel has been altered.
At the front there are larger air ducts and the leading corners of the bonnet are rounded off. Oval headlamps replace the familiar teardrop-shaped units – a move Porsche hopes will silence critics who say the Boxster looks too similar to the 911. The indicators continue to be integrated in the headlamp assemblies, with separate fog lamps mounted on the bumper. The wheelarches protrude more than before, and are accentuated by more-prominent side sills underneath the reshaped doors. There are pull-out door handles, new mirror housings and the side-mounted air intakes have been redesigned for improved cooling. The tail lamps are more angular than before and wrap further around. The central exhaust has been retained: the standard car gets a single oval pipe and the S twin rounded flutes. Further changes are concentrated on the cloth hood, which has been reshaped and refined to reduce wind noise.
The Boxster has hardly changed in size. At 4329mm in length, 1801mm in width and 1295mm in height, it is a mere 9mm longer, 20mm wider and 5mm higher than before. Refinements in the design of the underbody, which receives flat panelling across a larger area than before, have reduced the drag co-efficient from 0.31 to 0.29. Other changes include a modification to the rear spoiler to increase downforce. It deploys at speeds above 120km/h (75mph), extends 5mm further than before and the upper lip has been re-shaped to provide greater drag. Porsche’s aerodynamicists have also reduced lift.
Both versions of Porsche’s water-cooled, four-valve-per-cylinder, flat-six engine, have received revisions to the intake manifold, combustion chambers and exhaust system for incremental increases in output and to comply with EU4 and LEV emission regulations.
