Replacing the Boxster and Cayman with the 718… Boxster and Cayman brought the end of the musicals and pure six-cylinder opposites to new supercharged four-cylinder units — to lower emissions, says Porsche, but with better performance.
It was definitely a controversial change. But for the top versions of the brand's two most affordable sports cars, everything remains as before, and even better than we could have expected. The German brand is preparing successors for the Boxster Spyder and Cayman GT4, and what we will find behind the occupants could not come from the noblest of the varieties.
The new Boxster Spyder and Cayman GT4 will use the same thruster as the latest 911 GT3 . For the forgotten, this is a fantastic flat-six, with 4.0 liters of capacity, naturally aspirated, translating into 500 hp at a whopping 8250 rpm.
A Boxster and Cayman with 500 hp?
Let's cool down. In the Porsche hierarchy, we couldn't have an apprentice Cayman GT4 capable of surpassing the master 911 GT3. That's why both the new Boxster Spyder and the Cayman GT4 will resort to a “decaffeinated” version of the GT3's mega-driver.
With the recent 718 Boxster and Cayman GTS delivering 365 hp — close to the 375 and 385 hp of the previous Spyder and GT4, respectively — it's to be expected that, for the first time, we'll see both models breaking the 400 hp barrier. Rumors point to values in the region of 425 - 430 hp, being precisely halfway between the GTS and the 911 GT3.
The bet on a naturally aspirated engine is… natural, according to Andreas Preuninger, the GT development director at Porsche. It wouldn't be a complicated task to pull another 50 or 60 hp out of the GTS's four-cylinder turbo opposed engine, but Preuninger claims that naturally aspirated engines are not only one of the main differentiators of these machines, but also manage to “achieve throttle response. and immediacy a little better with a high revving atmospheric engine than with any type of turbo.”
Focused on driving experience
The focus on enthusiastic driving, even more than getting lap times, is why the new Boxster Spyder and Cayman GT4 will offer a six-speed manual transmission as standard. . For those looking for the tenths of a second lost by manual action, they can opt for the seven-speed PDK (dual clutch).
The war on pounds will also be part of the development of the two new models. Spyder will do without the electric hood and will use the well-known “tent” style hood from previous iterations. More pounds will be lost thanks to the loss of soundproofing material in the cabin and equipment such as air conditioning or radio. As has happened with other similar proposals of the brand, these equipments can be replaced at the customer's request.
There is no date set for the launch of the new Porsche Boxster Spyder and Cayman GT4, but everything points to them appearing in the first half of 2018.