Porsche Boxster
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The Boxster, internally known as the 986/987 and/or 986 Boxster/987 Boxster is a mid-engined roadster built by Porsche. Introduced in late 1996 as a 1997 model, it is Porsche's smallest and least expensive vehicle, taking over from the 968. Early models were powered by a 201 horsepower 2.5 litre flat six-cylinder engine, although a 2.7 litre, 217 horsepower engine took over in the base model in 2000 and a Boxster S variant powered by a 3.2 litre, 250 horsepower engine became available in 2000. In 2003 a minor update gave the Boxster's 2.7-liter engine 225 horsepower and the Boxster S's 3.2-liter engine 258 horsepower. Engine output was increased again in 2005, to 240 and 280 horsepower respectively, and for 2007, the Boxster S will receive the 3.4L 295hp engine, which it will share with the new Porsche Cayman S.
Production began at the former Porsche 928 facility at Stuttgart in 1996, although a Valmet facility in Uusikaupunki, Finland also builds units under contract to Porsche in order to help meet demand. It was Porsche's biggest volume seller from its introduction in model year 1997 until the company introduced the Cayenne SUV in model year 2003.
The Boxster's name is a combination of the word 'boxer', referring to the vehicle's horizontally-opposed or "boxer" engine, and the word 'roadster', referring to the vehicle's convertible top.
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[edit] 986
The styling of the Boxster is owed to former "Style Porsche" department head Harm Lagaay. His Boxster design study and the production Boxster stimulated a commercial turnaround for Porsche after several difficult years of falling sales. The first generation of the Boxster (internally known as the 986) whose visual appearance was heavily inspired by the Porsche Spyder and Speedster. The Boxster features two models; the standard model with a 201 bhp (150 kW), 2.5 L flat six cylinder engine (enlarged to 2.7 L and 217 bhp (162 kW) in 2000 and 225 bhp (168 kW) in 2003), and the model Boxster S with an enlarged 3.2 L engine producing 252 bhp (186 kW) with its debut in 2000 (enlarged to 260 bhp (192 kW) in 2003). The model received a minor facelift in 2003. The plastic window was replaced by a glass window and the model got a different exhaustpipe and modified airintake.
[edit] 987
The second generation of the Boxster (internally known as the 987) made its debut at the 2004 Paris Motor Show alongside the new 911 (997). The car became available for model year 2005.
The appearance of the car remains very similar to the previous generation. The most obvious styling change is the headlights which now have a profile similar to those of the Carrera GT, Porsche's midengined supercar. The intake vents on the sides of the Boxster are now larger, with more pronounced horizontal slats. The wheel arches have been enlarged to allow wheels up to 19 inches in diameter, a first for the Boxster series. The most signifiacnt updates from the 986 series are with the vastly improved interior, which now has a more coherent circular theme evident at the instrument cluster and cooling vents. Porsche claims that the 987 Boxster is 80% new compared to its predecessor, despite almost being twins from the outside. The base engine is a 2.7 L 176 kW (240 hp) flat-6, with the Boxster S getting a 3.2 L 206 kW (280 hp) engine. The Cayman series is based off the 987.
For the 2007 model year the base Boxster has received a revised engine featuring VarioCam Plus to provide a 5 hp boost (245 hp; the same as the Cayman). While the Boxster S engine was upgraded from 3.2l to 3.4l resulting in 15 more hp (295 hp; the same as the Cayman S). These upgrades made the Boxster series and the Cayman series equivalent in terms of horsepower.
[edit] Awards
In 1998, after a year of marketplace acceptance in the United States, the original Boxster was the recipient of many awards, including those listed:
Car & Driver / One of the 10 Best Cars of 1997
Automobile / Automobile of the Year
Motor / 1997 Performance Car of the Year
Autocar / Best Roadster in the World
Motorweek / 1997 Drivers Choice for Best Sports Car
Philadelphia Inquirer / Best Sports Car of the Decade
Newsweek / One of the Best New Products of 1997
Business Week / One of the Best New Products of 1997
American Marketing Association / Best New Product of 1997
Automobile Journalists of Canada / 1997 Car of the Year
Automobile Journalists of Canada / Best Design of 1997
The Boxster has been on Car and Driver magazine's annual Ten Best list seven times, from 1998 through 2003 and in 2006.
The Boxster S (986s) was rated as one of the top ten Porsches of all time by Excellence magazine.
[edit] References
- "Into the Sunshine: 2005 Porsche Boxster Revealed", an article in the "News" section on page four of the 10 May 2004 issue of AutoWeek
[edit] External links
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: |
- Official Porsche website
- AutoGuideWiki.com
- Porsche Boxster FAQ
- Porsche Boxster Buyer's Tips
- Porsche Boxster Forum
- Porsche Pete's Boxster Board
- Biggest Porsche Boxster Forum (UK)
- The BoxsterTech Wiki
- Porsche Boxster 987 photo gallery
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