The Porsche Boxster range has been crowned at the New York Auto Show by the debut of the new Boxster Spyder. Following the same formula as the previous Boxster Spyder, this new model strips things back to its purest form to deliver sheer enjoyment from open-top driving.
Exterior
Both front and rear styling are taken from the equally stunning Cayman GT4, but there is a lot more to the Boxster Spyder when you look a little closer. It sits 20mm lower than a regular Boxster thanks to its uprated sports suspension and rides on 20-inch lightweight alloy wheels. The most noticeable design element of the new car is the distinctive fabric roof that, when in place, stretches back to the rear haunches.
The roof weighs 11 kilograms less than the standard roof, is partially manually operated and stows away underneath the rear tonneau cover. In a nod to the original 718 Spyder from the 1960s, two streamlined bulges extend back along the rear cover from the head restraints helping further to differentiate the car from the rest of the Boxster range.
Interior
In keeping with the overall style of the car, the cabin is an exercise in stripped back performance. Heavily bolstered sports seats clearly expose their carbon fibre support structure and are upholstered in a blend of leather and Alcantara. Both headrests are monogrammed with the Spyder name. A small, alcantara covered steering wheel should feel near-perfect in most driver's hands. As part of the car's purist remit, standard specification does not include a radio nor air conditioning; however, both are available to order at no additional cost from the factory.
Mechanicals
At the core of the Boxster Spyder is a mid-mounted 3.8-litre flat six-cylinder engine that produces 375hp. That's good enough to see the two-seater reach 100km/h from rest in just 4.5 seconds and on to a top speed of 289km/h. Bringing that to a halt is a set of more powerful brakes taken from the 911 Carrera that should give the lightweight Spyder stopping power that is as impressive as its acceleration. Porsche is only offering the Boxster Spyder with a manual transmission, which will be welcomed by driving purists.
Despite the impressive levels of performance, the lightened design has helped in the somewhat reasonable fuel consumption figures. Porsche claims a combined cycle will return 9.9 litres/100km, a figure that isn't all that bad considering the car's potency.
Anything else?
The Boxster Spyder is set to be officially launched here in July and is already available to order, with prices expected to start at just over €112,000.