Introducing the new 718 Boxster

08/2/2016

Every legend has a beginning. Strictly speaking, the legend of the 718 began back in 1953 with a simple but audacious plan: to take the offensive. Not least on the racetrack.

A rousing statement of intent followed by action: with a four-cylinder horizontally-opposed engine with a consistent lightweight construction and a cornering performance never witnessed before. The 550 Spyder. A sports car that defied the motorsport standards of its time – because our engineers simply cannot be content with the status quo. 

So, in 1953, the first ever Porsche designed specifically for motor racing made its debut on starting grids around the world. And, in doing so, it paved the way for a series of pure-bred mid-engined race cars. From 1957, it was followed by the 718 RSK Spyder – a fundamentally revised version of the 550 A Spyder, the 718 RS 60 Spyder, the 718 W-RS Spyder and, ultimately, the 718 GTR – the coupé gracing the Spyder line-up.

Of course, every legend also begs a big question: what comes next? Our answer: we keep going, on the roads beyond the racetracks, writing a new chapter in the history of the legend. Right here, right now.

The new Boxster is the sequel that continues the 718 era. At its heart, a four-cylinder turbocharged horizontally-opposed engine beats with the same fighting spirit that delivered countless podium finishes. Its lightweight concept is the embodiment of our vast experience accumulated in endurance and hill-climbing events. In it lives the will to break with standards and to inspire conviction. So it is entirely appropriate that it, too, should bear these three digits in its name and carry the 718 legend forward.

The new 718 Boxster was made for the sport of it. It’s a mid-engined roadster that unites the sporting spirit of the legendary Porsche 718 with the sports car of tomorrow – and transfers it to the roads of today’s world. With one goal: to take the everyday out of every day.

Compared with the previous model, the result is a new, decidedly more striking design, an even sportier chassis setup and a host of new performance, comfort and assistance systems. And, of course, up to 350 units of turbocharged horsepower (257 kW) – despite a considerable reduction in fuel consumption. Only one question remains unanswered: What are you still waiting for?

The new 718 Boxster. For the sport of it. On sale 30 April 2016.

Fuel consumption* 718 Boxster: Urban in l/100 km (mpg) 9.9 (28.5)-9.0 (31.4); Extra-urban in l/100 km (mpg) 6.0 (47.1)-5.7 (49.6); Combined in l/100 km (mpg) 7.4 (38.2)-6.9 (40.9); CO2 emissions in g/km 168-158.