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Porsche Testing 2017 Boxster, 2016 911 Together on Nurburgring, See Handling Comparison

Both the upcoming 2016 Porsche 911 and the still-in-development 2017 Boxster have been on our lips on a weekly basis recently, with plenty of spyshots and unofficial sources slowly revealing the sportscars to us.
Porsche Testing 2017 Boxster and 2016 911 Together on Nurburgring 1 photo
Photo: screenshot from Youtube
And yet here’s one thing we haven’t done - a comparison. Naturally. Nobody has even driven any of these sportscars yet, so how could you possibly pit them against each other?

Well, the only way to do that is if you happen to work for Porsche and we’re here to give you just that. Porsche engineers were recently spotted testing the cars together on the Nurburgring and it’s not difficult to notice the handling difference.

The video below focused on the 2017 Boxster, probably the S model, but its first 15 seconds shows this running together with a 911, most likely a Turbo S.

Sure, anybody who's into cars and has passed a certain age, understands the difference between the handling of a 911 and that of a Boxster. Then again, seeing the two devouring a few Green Hell corners together is always a delicious pass time.

You can clearly see how the engine at the back on the 911 influences the handling, whereas the mid-engined Boxster shows the all-neutral character it has built its reputation on.

Despite their different layouts, the two share more than it might seem

The mid-cycle revamps for the two Zuffenhausen machines may arrive a year apart, but the turbocharged engines these refreshes bring are strongly connected.

The six-cylinder heart of the 911 shares its basic architecture with the flat-four in the Boxster. However, the 911 Carrera and Carrera S will be powered by two versions of a 3-liter heart, while the Boxster and the Boxster S will be animated by a 2-liter and a 2.5-liter engine, respectively.

More importantly, Porsche seems to be willing to enlarge the performance gap between its two sportscar model lines. While the 911 will get a 20 hp power bump, the Boxster’s power is expected to go down by 15 or 25 hp, depending on the model.

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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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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.
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