Jay Leno Celebrates 25 Years of Porsche Boxster by Driving His First One

He was peeved by the fact that he asked to see the engine and was told you couldn't do that because of where it is. And so, Leno never cared much about the Boxster. He never drove one until shooting this episode of the popular show in his garage.

So there's this mid-engine sports car that some of your Porsche-loving friends say is better than a 911. But you never drive one, and on the 25th birthday of the car, you get to play with two similar-looking models, one old and the other new. Can you imagine that?

Leno is pretty kind to the older Boxster, saying that it's aged well. And while we couldn't agree with him at first due to the runny egg headlights and the chromed wheels, the more we looked at it, the more value we saw.

This newer model is the "Boxster 25 Years," and it's meant to look like the concept, borrowing the Neodyme copper-like accents and GT Silver Metallic paint with a bright red leather interior. They're making 1,250 of them globally, and they're based on the spec of the 718 Boxster GTS 4.0 model powered by a 394-hp naturally aspirated 4.0-liter six-cylinder boxer engine.

Leno asks if it's the same one found in the 911 but is told Porsche actually makes two separate 4.0-liter engines at this time. It's pretty funny to see the car buff not know that much about what he's reviewing for once.

Although they're about the same size and shape, that first-gen is severely down on power. The early models had a 2.5-liter flat-6 producing just 201 horsepower. By comparison, the 394-hp modern model is quite the sprinter, able to reach 60 mph (96 kph) in 3.8 seconds with the PDK gearbox and standard Sport Chrono package.

Are you sold on the idea of a brand-new Boxster that looks like it was made in the 1990s? Well, the bad news is that prices for this edition start at $98,600, excluding $1,350 for delivery, processing, and handling. But they could be worth more money with time, as most limited-edition Porsche do.