1998 Porsche Boxster

The Porsche Boxster was birthed in the spirit of the iconic 550 Spyder of the mid-1950s and the legendary Speedster, and was named for its liquid-cooled boxer-type engine and roadster bodywork. Its design was rooted in a proposal by Grant Larson and Pinky Lai that won an internal competition at Porsche for a new sports car. The resulting Boxster Concept debuted to wide acclaim at the January 1993 North American International Auto Show in Detroit and the new model's production-bound exterior design, internally coded Typ 986, was finalized in March 1993. The styling of the new Typ 996 911 model influenced the Boxster's design, especially in the body sides and front end. Pilot-car production began in the second half of 1995 and actual production commenced in mid-1996.

Mounted mid-ship was Porsche's new M96 liquid-cooled flat-six engine, the first water-cooled, non-front engine from the Stuttgart company. The horizontally opposed, overhead cam six-cylinder unit displaced 219.7 cubic inches and with a compression ratio of 11.3:1, eight main bearings, and DME ignition fuel injection, it developed 201 horsepower at 6,000 RPM and 181 lbs-ft of torque at 4,500 RPM. The mid-engine configuration allowed for a low center of gravity, neutral handling characteristics, and near-perfect weight distribution. Zero-to-sixty mph was accomplished in as little as 6.9 seconds and approached 150 mph flat out, thanks to the 201 horsepower paired with a choice of a manual gearbox or Porsche's Tiptronic unit with manual capability. Disc brakes at all four corners provided the stopping power.

With a base starting price of nearly $40,000, the Boxster was priced in the neighborhood of other entry-level luxury-sports cars of the era.

The first generation of the Boxster Typ 986 was in production from 1996 through 2004. The second generation Typ 987 was produced from 2005 to 2012, and the third generation of the Boxster/Cayman (Typ 981) was built from 2012 to 2016. The fourth generation, the 718 Boxster/Cayman (982) was introduced in 2016.

by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2022