Vehicle
The 2016 Spyder is ultimate Porsche Boxster: faster and lighter with the engine of a 911, the aerodynamics of a Cayman GT4 — oh, and an eye-watering price.
Signature feature
Putting the cloth roof on the previous Porsche Boxster Spyder was about as easy as solving a Rubik's Cube with your hands tied behind your back. Reading between the lines, Porsche is saying the roof on this second-gen Spyder will be a little easier. It's meant to be driven in the sunshine.
In photos: Porsche rebirths Boxster Spyder
What else is new?
The double-dome rear engine cover is reminiscent of the old 911 Speedster and the 718 Spyder of the 1960s. The front and rear bumpers are taken from the hardcore Cayman GT4, and the brakes are off a 911. Sport suspension lowers the car by 20mm, and combined with a quicker steering rack and a toy-sized steering wheel, it should ensure nimble handling. Overall, the car is around 30 kg lighter than the already featherweight Boxster GTS.
Under the hood
All of that's great, but what the Boxster needed most was more power. Now it's got it thanks to a 3.8-litre flat-six engine. In the Spyder, it makes 375 horsepower at 6,700 rpm and 310 lb-ft of torque. If you're a dab hand at Porsche's six-speed manual, you'll be able to get the Spyder from 0-100 km/h in as little as 4.5 seconds.
When can we buy it and for how much?
Porsche says the Spyder will be available from late summer for $93,700. Throw a few options at it, and you're looking at a $100,000 Boxster, before tax. That's 911 money, or very nearly Jaguar F-Type V-8 money.
Cool quotient
3 stars (out of 5)
Every car journalists at the New York auto show is daydreaming about blasting around SoCal in the new Spyder.
Bernhard Maier, Porsche sales and marketing, @NYAutoShow: "The Boxster Spyder is a true original roadster." #NYIAS pic.twitter.com/P8jYBzPc1I
— Porsche Newsroom (@PorscheNewsroom) April 1, 2015
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