Porsche Boxster Spyder
November 6, 2009 by Anthony Crawford
Pure, light, and fast, made up the DNA code for the original Porsche 550 when it was first revealed to the public at the 1953 Paris Motor Show.
The 550 as it was initially known before the Spyder nameplate was added, was built with a single purpose in mind, to win races, and win it did, plenty of them too.
This super light Porsche, that’s 550 kilograms with 110 bhp, quickly earned the tag ‘giant killer’ after they repeatedly crushed more powerful opposition in the world’s most brutal endurance races, including a famous victory at the 1956 Targa Florio over the V12 Ferrari’s and the powerful Mercedes-Benz 300 SL’s.
Porsche will unveil the new Boxster Spyder at the upcoming Los Angeles Motor Show, which CarAdvice hopes to cover.
Sticking to tradition as much as is possible in this age of over safe, over lush, and overweight cars, the Boxster Spyder will tip the scales at just 1,275 kilograms. That’s lighter than many of today’s GT4 class racers, and positions the mid-engine roadster as the lightest car in the Porsche line-up.
With a design bias towards open air motoring, the Spyder looks more like the Carrera GT Supercar than its Boxster siblings.
In fact, with a combination of lightweight seats, door pulls, soft top, and extra low windows, the Spyder weighs a full 80 kilograms less than the Boxster S, and develops slightly more power from the same 3.4-litre flat- six boxer engine with Direct Fuel Injection.
Performance is impressive, with the Spyder accelerating from 0-100km/h in 4.8 seconds (with launch control) and toping out at a rapid 276km/h on the Autobahn – with the roof removed.
Gearshifts are via the Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) twin-clutch transmission which also assists the Spyder in achieving an outstanding fuel consumption (9.3L/100kms).
Introduction of the new Porsche Boxster Spyder to showrooms will commence worldwide in February 2010.
Print it: 
I love it and I want one. In fact, this is the first Porsche I’ve seen in a long time that I’ve actually wanted. It looks great and it’s nice to see them giving us a dedicated performance model that isn’t right at the top of the pricing ladder for once (I’m think GT2 and GT3). It’s also nice that it’s not conventional or necessarily pretty – you won’t get posers in this. Well, you might, but at least you’ll know that the car’s up to it.
I get so sick of people saying the Boxster isn’t a real Porsche because of course it is and it’s an excellent one at that. A Boxster S is easily as good as a base 911 Cabriolet and in some situations, much better. Hopefully this will help to stop people saying stupid things like that.
I would like to see one with the 2.9 litre engine and a manual gearbox though – that would be the one I’d have. I just think the smaller engine is better and you’d think that a manual would be imperative in a performance Porsche.
However, my main point is that I love it. I can’t wait to see it and drive it.
By the way CA, it’s BoxSter with an “s” in it.
Woohoo
I like it a lot
I like it, love in fact, but I love the Cayman S even more so I’d have that! :D
I love it because it is the first Porsche that i really could see myself driving. One question, how in the hell do they get it lighter than ur average small car? i know they have done all those weight saving measures but it has a convertible right, shouldnt that add weight.?
Part of it is ditching the eletric roof and replace it with a simpler and lighter manual operated roof, which by the way is really ugly when closed.
I don’t like the added hunches to the back, but the idea of a lighter and faster Boxster is spot on. My problem with Boxster is, it will never reach its full potential as Porsche can’t let Boxster have the same performance as the 911, which is a shame as a Cayman with a GT3 engine would be a deadly combination.
“Sticking to tradition as much as is possible in this age of over safe, over lush, and overweight cars, the Boxster Spyder will tip the scales at just 1,275 kilograms. That’s lighter than many of today’s GT4 class racers, and positions the mid-engine roadster as the lightest car in the Porsche line-up.”
im not convinced. 1275 is still a bit tubby compared to similar MR cars from recent years. exige/elise are not far off half that, and even the ZZW30 MR2/MRS was a good 200kg less than that too.
Aston Martin’s current GT4 racer (a class winning car at 24 Hours Nurburgring and Le Mans) based on the smaller Vantage weighs 1,350 kg (excluding fuel) so I stand by what I have written.
Lotus elise weights in at about 860 and the exige about 950. so not half.
Why exactly are so many new cars so HEAVY. My 1998 Mazda hatchback weighs in at 1,100kg.
I know this is bigger and convertible, so it’s not particularly relevant to the Boxster, but why are so many cars so heavy these days?
To pass safety tests and all the added junk in cars, like sat nav.
Have you noticed how small rear windows are getting and how big A pillars are becoming.
Nup..dont like it…HATE the wheels….the roof looks like a rich bald mans toupee
would much rather a standard boxster s with aftermarket wheels….
sorry let me clarify….the roof looks crap in another sits pictures…these pics dont have the roof on..
leftlanenews.com has it with roof up…..looks crap..
Looks great, I’d buy one in a flash if I had the dough!
Well when you leave skool and quit your paper round and get a job and learn to drive and save up for a long time then maybe you can have one, bless his little cotton socks.
hmm yes its a nice car, and you can’t complain with weight reduction and a power increase, but how many different models do porsche need in the range? boxster, cayman, carrera all with S models and then you’ve got the GT2/GT3/GT3RS… just seems like a model made to fill a gap that didnt exist
Give me a stripped out 2.9 6 speed manual Cayman in white with these wheels, seats and an LSD! Oh and air con. That’s it.
That would be a no b*lls*t drivers car.
JJ
Lose the windscreen and we’ll talk.