Porsche is taking its time bringing the 718 Boxster
Spyder to the market, but probably no one will mind the delay if the mid-engine
roadster gets the much-anticipated flat-six power plant. With the reveal of the
718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport at Daytona last week, enthusiasts’ hopes of Porsche
launching a road-going 718 model powered by a naturally-aspirated flat-six
engine received a welcome boost. That’s because the new 718 Cayman GT4
Clubsport racer features a 3.8-liter flat-six producing 419 hp and 425 Nm)of torque.
However, the road-going 718 Cayman GT4 and 718
Boxster Spyder are not likely to feature the same engine, as most reports hint
that they will get a detuned version of the 4.0-liter flat-six that powers the
911 GT3. The six-cylinder engine is rumored to deliver around 425 hp — still a
great amount of power for a Porsche 718, and an increase of 50 hp compared to
the previous Boxster Spyder. Purists will be glad to know that the prototypes
we’ve seen so far featured a manual transmission, though a PDK option is very
likely to be available as an option.
Porsche
doesn’t bother camouflaging the 718 Boxster Spyder that much, so we can easily
discern the speedster-like soft top and the unique rear lid that sports a
double bubble design. Other clues that this is no ordinary 718 Boxster include
the aggressive-looking bumpers with big air intakes at the front and a huge
diffuser at the rear, as well as the lightweight wheels. Expect the 718 Boxster
Spyder and the 718 Cayman GT4 to debut this year, though no exact date or venue
has been provided.
