Porsche preps bargain basement Boxster. Possibly

Newswheel staff :: 24 January 2006 :: Filed under Mid / rear engine sportscar, Roadster, Porsche, Porsche Boxster, Europe & UK, US

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"Elemental" low-cost roadster on the cards?

Could Porsche be planning a cheap-as-chips, stripped-out roadster based on the Boxster platform? The internet is abuzz with reports that US rag Road & Track has outted just such a story. But don’t get too excited, it’s just R&T shooting the breeze…

The reasoning is simple enough. Such a car would allow Porsche to pinch sales from the likes of Mazda’s MX-5 and GM’s Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky models, as well as giving the cheaper models in Audi’s TT range something to think about.

So far, so great. But if you read the vanishingly short story in R&T’s Ampersand section, it’s obvious that the so-called Speedster is nothing more than one journo’s wishlist. Even so, we’d take issue with R&T’s suggestion that cost savings could be made courtesy of fitting VW’s four-pot direct injection turbo lump, as found in the latest  Golf GTI. Ummm, no thanks. It’s an effective enough unit, but hardly the most characterful engine in town. In fact, we suspect the basic Boxster is already about as cheap as Porsche can go while making good money and keeping true to its roots. There’s certainly no other sports car that comes close in terms of heritage and overall engineering integrity (sorry Lotus fans, but the crappy bought-in engines in the Elise simply don’t cut it).

Linkage:
4Car
Pistonheads
Road & Track