Porsche Boxster Spyder
I love Porsches. I own one. But, the Porsche Boxster isn’t exactly one of my favorite cars….until now. The new Boxster Spyder is quite impressive and, in my opinion, a great looking car. Serious effort was put into weight savings, better handling, better acceleration, and better braking. Think of it as the Boxster version of the amazing GT3.
Let’s first talk about the looks. It’s the best looking Boxster ever. It gets some cues from the 550 Spyder (which is where it gets its name) and the Carrera GT, both amazing looking cars. ‘Nuf said.
Now to the important parts.
Weight
Porsche removed anything that was not “necessary” (it still has electric windows….they must not weigh very much) in order to reduce the already light-weight Boxster by 176 pounds resulting in a curb weight of just over 2,800 pounds. With 320hp this results in under 9 lbs. per horsepower. That’s less than a Lotus Exige S! To do this, Porsche removed the air conditioning (-26 lbs.) and radio (-6.6 lbs.). Then, they added aluminum doors (-33 lbs.), new lightweight sport seats (-26 lbs.), and the lightest alloy wheels Porsche supplies (for the size). Another item that was removed was door handles. Yep….that’s right, door handles. Now what you have is a red strap on each side that you pull. Race car anyone?
Handling
Porsche added a stiffer suspension, a mechanically locking differential, large lateral stabilizers at the front and back, and shock absorbers tuned for hard
Porsche Boxster Spyder
compression and rebound. Since I haven’t driven the car, I’ll have to take their word for it. But, based on my previous Porsche experiences, I would guess that this car grips the tarmac like eggs to a frying pan, or spandex to Oprah…..well, you get the point.
Performance
The 320 horsepower, 2,800 pound curb weight and, with the help of PDK (Porsche’s dual-clutch transmission), the Sport Chrono Package, and launch control produce 4.7 second 0-60 times. Wow…..that sounds like fun!
In conclusion, who needs air conditioning when you have a drop-dead gorgeous drop top? Who needs a radio when you have a Porsche flat-six wailing at over 7,000 RPM? I don’t. This is no secretary’s car. This is a pure sports car. Porsche, I can now start to think about forgiving you for the Cayenne and Panamera.
