Porsche has released the first photos of a new, lightweight version of it mid-engined Boxster roadster called the Spyder that is scheduled to make its world debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in December. Following a similar formula to the iconic 550 Spyder of the 1950s, the new model replaces the standard Boxster's retractable soft-top and all its associated mechanics with a simple and lightweight rag top that hooks up onto the windshield and the rear end of the car providing basic protection from the elements of nature.The Spyder also gets a new 'double bubble' rear deck while other cosmetic tweaks include the re-trimmed front bumper and side air-vents, the new alloy wheel design and the larger fixed rear spoiler.
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lmost everything about the third model in the Boxster family after the standard and 'S' versions is about shedding weight. Gone are the regular Boxster's daytime running lights and fog lamps while the interior has been stripped out of any unnecessary features such as the air condition and audio system (though they are available optionally). The cabin also gets a pair of race-like door pulls and lightweight carbon-fiber seats.
Together, these weigh saving measures help shed 80 kg (176 lbs) off the Boxster S with the Spyder model tipping the scales at 1,275 kg (2,810 lbs).
The new model also gets a tuned version of Porsche's 3.4-litre flat six boxer engine with direct fuel injection that produces 320 horsepower, 10HP more than in the Boxster S.
Equipped with the Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) twin-clutch transmission and the Sports Chrono Package, the Spyder can go from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in 4.8 seconds (Boxster S: 5.0 seconds) and reach a top speed of 166 mph (267 km/h) with the roof removed.
The Boxster Spyder is scheduled for a worldwide launch in February 2010 with the base price in the Euro countries set at €53,100 (US $78,400). In Germany, if you add taxes and national specifications, the Spyder will retail for €63,404 or about 12 percent more than a Boxster S.
11 Comments:
Judging from how horrible that cloth top looks, you can tell that this is a car whose purpose is to be driven with the top off. And I like it. A lot.
Very well done, and in the Porsche legacy scheme of matters.
Very nice! Very nice!
looks like this car has no rear windscreen, even with the hood on. which is good in this case.
The best thing about the minimilist cloth top is that it will keep away the posers
That's not a top, it's a Bimini...a shade, so bald guys can keep from scorching their heads.
Jettison the damn thing and give it a light weight removable hardtop like the Miata. That would keep the spirit of the model and give it year round functional use. Of course one could save the shade and use it as a tonneau for parking and emergency use ... or to blow your nose
3Deuce27
Admittedly it's nice, pretty cool, etc... hell it's a Porsche! So 'nuff said.
BUT if feels more like a marketing ploy than anything else, especially as the 550 Spyder is once against pushed thru our eyes as if there is a connection of some kind. I mean all this effort, a bimini top, no a/c and so on and it only saves 173 lbs????
Maybe as a very specialized product in very low numbers, but i would guess that for it to be commercially viable, it would have to sell in greater numbers; which then leads me to think it is for the poseurs...
JORGE
Porsche 'uniqueness' is what is for sale here.
Doubtful that they will recover their investment, but it serves the purpose of keeping Porsche on the front page and for Porsche that is enough.
3Deuce27
I´ve been a fan of Porsche since I was a child. Recently I´ve visited the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart Zuffenhausen - it´s an absoulutly amazing concept which the founders created.
Porsche is sexy and I honestly think that this modell will be a success once the crisis, next year, is over. Of course, no one will be able to predict when the credit crunch will be over, but, I can see this Porsche being a great success! - No doubt about it!
3Deuce27 must be having a huge nose.
Ears! LOL!
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