After the 911 (GT3 RS) and the Cayman (GT4) kept everybody busy talking about them the time has now come for the Boxster to grab our attention. Meet the 2016 Porsche Boxster Spyder, a car that has Zuffenhausen’s “less is more” core philosophy written all over it.
We’ll obviously start with the roof, which is fully automatic... only if you use the Boxster Spyder configurator. In the real world, the roof mechanism is a hybrid - the first step is automatic, but some manual labor is required afterwards.
Is the 2016 Porsche Boxster Spyder top easy to operate? The answer comes in the first clip below, which shows the operation being performed at the New York Auto Show where the retro-inspired Boxster has made its debut.
As for what that nod to the past specifically refers to, the two buttresses behind the headrests remind of the 1960s 718 Spyder. However, not everything about the Boxster Spyder’s styling comes from the past. For instance, the front and rear aprons are taken from the Cayman GT4. Before you make the “lazy Porsche designers” joke, take a good look at the thing - to our eyes, its appearance is bewildering.
When it comes to the minimalist approach we used in the intro, you should know Porsche builds the Boxster Spyder without a radio or air conditioning. Fret not, you can add these as no-cost options, being able to dip into the full range of Boxster entertainment systems. As for the rest of the Boxster Spyder’s cabin, the main novelty is a 360-mm sports steering wheel.
Just like the Cayman GT4 (385 hp), the Boxster Spyder borrows the 911 Carrera S’ 3.8-liter flat-six (400 hp), but this has been further downtuned to 375 hp. The 0 to 60 MPH sprint takes 4.3 seconds (0-100 km/h in 4.5s) while that canvas roof can hold its own up to 180 mph (290 km/h) and perhaps beyond that.
The Carrera S has also donated its brakes to this Boxster, while the standard sports suspension lowers the car by 0.8 inches (20mm).
The 2016 Boxster Spyder goes on sale later this year, with an MSRP of $82,100, plus a $995 destination charge. If you’re reading this from Europe, make that EUR69,945, including 19 percent VAT.
Porsche has even made a bespoke commercial for the second iteration of the Boxster Spyder (you can read about the first Boxster Spyder here). And this ad is a damn good one, so you can find it below, together with the NY unveiling clip. Man, this one rides low.
In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist. Full profile
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