Auto Blitz: Porsche Boxster

Showing posts with label Porsche Boxster. Show all posts

New Nissan 370Z and GT-R Ads Poke Some Fun at German Sports Car Rivals

A new and rather aggressive advertising campaign regarding the Nissan 370Z and GT-R sports cars has kicked off in Britain. The company launched a series of poster and print adverts highlighting the fact that both sports cars are better in terms of performance yet cost less than their equivalent German rivals.

And mind you, Nissan isn't being polite as the automaker is using tongue-in-cheek phrases in the ads such as "The Winner Hans Down," "The Germans Came Off Wurst," "Kaisers Chiefed" and "Deutschland Deutschland Über-Rated".

To further frustrate its German adversaries, the Japanese company took an Audi TTS bearing the slogan "More expensive, slower and less powerful than a Nissan 370Z" around the streets of London. It was joined by a Porsche Cayman adorned with the words "I dream of being as fast as a Nissan 370Z". Ouch...

Once again, our spy photographers have snagged the brand new iteration of Porsche's Boxster model during testing in Germany.

The prototype version seen here continues to be under camouflage, though to a lesser extent than previous. According to our spies, the new model appeared to be slightly longer and wider than the current version, something that should benefit the roadster's interior space.

As with most Porsches, the exterior looks of the new Boxster will be a subtle evolution over the previous model. However, bigger changes are expected in the interior that will most likely take styling cues from the Panamera.

Porsche engineers were caught on film recently testing the next generation of the Boxster roadster that is due to be revealed at a major international motor show sometime next year.

Just like the upcoming successor to today's 911 (see the spy shots here), the Boxster prototype looks no different from the current model, but that shouldn't come to as a surprise to Porschephiles that are used to the company's evolutionary approach to design.

The new Boxster will share many parts with the next 911 while the German engineers will most likely try to further reduce the car's weight to improve handling as well as to boost fuel efficiency.

Porsche is offering (at least in Europe) buyers a new choice of individualization options for the Boxster roadster and Cayman coupe with the release of two equipment (Comfort and Infotainment) and two design packages (Design and Design Sport) that add a host of bits and bobbles to the two cars.

Starting with the Comfort Package, it includes climate control, bi-xenon headlights with dynamic cornering lights, cruise control, rain sensor and an embossed Porsche crest on the headrests. The package also adds a wind-deflector on the Boxster and Boxster S models.

Get a taste of Porsche's lightest and quickest version of the Boxster to date in this official video that contains both driving and static footage of the new model. Dubbed the Boxster Spyder, it does away with the standard model's folding roof and is powered by a tweaked 3.4-liter boxer engine producing 320 horsepower, enough to propel the 1,275 kg (2,810 lbs) sports car from standstill to 100km/h (62mph) in just 4.8 seconds.

The new Porsche, which made its world debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show this week, will enter the market in February 2010 as the third version in the Boxster range, after the Boxster and Boxster S models.

VIDEO: Meet the New Porsche Boxster Spyder

Here's the first official video of the newest member of the Porsche Boxster family, the Spyder (click here for details and photos), that was revealed ahead of its world debut at the Los Angeles Motor Show in December. Weighing in at just 1,275 kg or 2,811 lb, the Spyder is the lightest model through-out the entire range of Porsche cars. Power comes from upgraded version of the 3.4-liter boxer six-cylinder engine used in the Boxster S, tuned to deliver 320 horsepower. Make the jump to watch Stuttgart's latest achievement in action.

Porsche Boxster Spyder: New Lightweight Model Unveiled Ahead of LA Auto Show

Porsche has released the first photos of a new, lightweight version of it mid-engined Boxster roadster called the Spyder that is scheduled to make its world debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in December. Following a similar formula to the iconic 550 Spyder of the 1950s, the new model replaces the standard Boxster's retractable soft-top and all its associated mechanics with a simple and lightweight rag top that hooks up onto the windshield and the rear end of the car providing basic protection from the elements of nature.

The Spyder also gets a new 'double bubble' rear deck while other cosmetic tweaks include the re-trimmed front bumper and side air-vents, the new alloy wheel design and the larger fixed rear spoiler.

Almost everything about the third model in the Boxster family after the standard and 'S' versions is about shedding weight. Gone are the regular Boxster's daytime running lights and fog lamps while the interior has been stripped out of any unnecessary features such as the air condition and audio system (though they are available optionally). The cabin also gets a pair of race-like door pulls and lightweight carbon-fiber seats.

Together, these weigh saving measures help shed 80 kg (176 lbs) off the Boxster S with the Spyder model tipping the scales at 1,275 kg (2,810 lbs).

The new model also gets a tuned version of Porsche's 3.4-litre flat six boxer engine with direct fuel injection that produces 320 horsepower, 10HP more than in the Boxster S.

Equipped with the Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) twin-clutch transmission and the Sports Chrono Package, the Spyder can go from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in 4.8 seconds (Boxster S: 5.0 seconds) and reach a top speed of 166 mph (267 km/h) with the roof removed.

The Boxster Spyder is scheduled for a worldwide launch in February 2010 with the base price in the Euro countries set at €53,100 (US $78,400). In Germany, if you add taxes and national specifications, the Spyder will retail for €63,404 or about 12 percent more than a Boxster S.

VIDEO: 15 Year Old Swipes Dad's Porsche Boxster, Plunges 70 Feet Over a Cliff...

You've heard the story before: teen steals dad's sports car for a joy ride and it usually ends up in a crash or even worse, someone meets the death reaper face to face. In this case, an unnamed 15-year-old teen who swiped his dad's Porsche Boxster and took his 12-year-old cousin for a dicey joy ride at Porter Ranch in Los Angeles, California, had more lives than an alley cat and more luck than a Leprechaun wearing horse shoes and walking in an Irish field full of four leaf clovers on St Patrick's day...

The 15-year-old behind the wheel of the Boxster (and not the 911 Cabriolet as ABC's reporter wrongly states) lost control of the vehicle along Sesnon Boulevard crashing through a fence and flying off the road plunging around 70 feet (about 22 meters) over the edge of a construction site.

Miraculously, the Boxster did not flip over during landing (sic...) as it came settled upright on its four wheels. What's even more astounding is that the two boys walked out of the roadster virtually unscathed!

"Miracles still happen, that's the best way I can put it," told ABC news Eric Hansen from the Los Angeles Police department. "Firemen were saying that they've never seen that deep of a droPop without fatalities, and they were able to walk out of it."

According to the report, the two young "daredevils" are off the hook at this point as authorities are not likely to press charges. Hopefully, the parents won't be as forgiving...

Hat tip to Marcus! Via: ABC7

Malignant Rumors: VW Planning to Reshape Porsche's Model Portfolio, Drop Cayenne and Panamera?

The biggest of the boardroom battles between VW and Porsche may be over, but that hasn't done much to stop the usual rumors from making the rounds. First, Germany's Autobild reported that VW CEO Martin Winterkorn was pushing for a couple of volume vehicles - a baby Boxster and junior Cayenne - and a third, Panamera-based, model. More recently, however, Car magazine is claiming that VW Chairman Ferdinand Piech wants to take the Porsche brand in another direction, pushing it back to its roots.

How? By killing off the Cayenne and Panamera once they have run through their respective life cycles, the argument being that VW AG produces more than enough sedans and SUVs already.

The big questions are: 1) How would people feel if Porsche aced its controversial (if popular) Cayenne and the new Panamera, and instead concentrated on strictly building sports cars? and2) What sort of lineup would we be looking at?

After all, a baby Boxster would be right in line with the old Porsche philosophy, and a larger GT would help make use of the Panamera's platform if the humpback saloon did indeed bite the dust. Of course, no one but the suits within the company know what's really going on, but it's always fun to speculate.

By Phil Alex

Phil Alex was born in Rhode Island in 1985. He graduated with degrees in Finance and German from Wofford College in 2007 and has had an obsession with cars and travel. Currently he resides near Japan's international airport in Narita. He makes no apologies for his articles and welcomes all feedback, as long as it is adamantly worded. If for any reason you are inclined to vent some more, check out more of his posts on the Examiner here.

TechArt Trickle-Treats Porsche Boxster and Cayman Facelift Models

Just weeks away from the bi-annual Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany, Porsche tuning specialist TechArt is unveiling the first of several new upgrades to come for the facelifted versions of the Boxster roadster and Caymane coupe models. Included in the initial package are two different Aerokits, daytime running lights, a set of sport springs, as well as carbon interior packages that subtly transform the looks of the two Porsche models.

TechArt's aero kits that are said to optimize the Boxster and Cayman's drag coefficients comprise of a front spoiler with a spoiler lip that match the body's color and new LED daytime running lights, rear wing, side sills and a new rear apron with an integrated diffuser that houses the twin tailpiped of the more sonorous sport exhaust system.

The bodykit can be rounded off with 19- and 20-inch alloy wheels available in various designs and colors while additional upgrades include TechArt's sport springs and a lowering kit that reduced the ride height by up to 30 mm.

For the interior, TechArt offerings include a variety of options ranging from a full leather treatment with contrasting seams and decorative carbon fiber trim to aluminum sport pedals, a three-spoke sport steering wheel and illuminated entry sills with individual logos.