Spy Shots: Porsche working on Boxster Speedster?
by Noah Joseph on Apr 28th 2009 at 7:27PM 
The Speedster variants Porsche made out of its 911 range in the '80s and '90s went down as one of the most iconic in the company's history. But with the Boxster already in the line-up, making a 911 Speedster today would make about as much sense as, um.... mounting a flat six behind the rear axle. So what are they preparing instead? Well, if these spy shots are any indication, some sort of Boxster-based Speedster.The mule captured in these photos is wearing an extensive amount of camouflage around the rear deck and roof, but sources suggest that underneath the disguise, this particular Boxster is wearing a more shapely rear hood, with Speedster-style moldings running from a pair of roll hoops aft of the seats down to the rear bumper. A chopped-down windscreen is also part of the package, while power is tipped to come from the 299hp version of the 3.4-liter six found in the Boxster S Porsche Design Edition 2. Hopefully, the chop-top Boxster could be getting ready for a debut at the automaker's home-market Frankfurt Motor Show in September.
[Source: Auto Express]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Gladis 7:31PM (4/28/2009)
Better than that Camero POS
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Tango 7:36PM (4/28/2009)
will buy if
aj121489 7:40PM (4/28/2009)
First of all, it's Camaro, not Camero. Second, this article has absolutely nothing to do with the Camaro so why are you even bothering? And I would prepare to get ranked down to half a star in the next 5 minutes because I think you're one of about 10 people that doesn't like that Camaro
swimstarguy 9:33PM (4/28/2009)
I don't like the camaro.
I think it looks fine and is plenty fast.
It's just not my kind of car. I think it's too heavy and big.
mike 7:53PM (4/28/2009)
question. what exactly is the difference between a convertible and a speedster? is it just a convertible without a roof?
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sub 8:03PM (4/28/2009)
I double that question.
What's the dif. between a Cabrio and a Speedster?
aj121489 9:29PM (4/28/2009)
I can't give you an official (or good one at that) answer, but from the pics I googled of the 911 Speedsters and from what I read somewhere, a speedster has a lower windshield. Basically. It does make it look more aggressive and they do all have that bigger cover on the back for the top, but that's about all I can tell ya
tankd0g 9:49PM (4/28/2009)
I think a speedster is not actually a convertible but an open coupe with an available cover.
BoxerFanatic 10:36PM (4/28/2009)
Cabriolet is a convertible, usually that stores it's folding roof onboard, but really is pretty much just synonymous with convertible. Not necessarily a sports car, or even based from a coupe with two doors. Mostly just reference to the folding roof.
A roadster used to be a car, pretty much exclusively a sports car (two seats with a handling specialized design), without an attached roof, but with a removable roof. A machine more specifically designed for enjoyment of the road in a sporting automobile.
Speedster, one would figure, would be a roadster, minimalistic, handling sports car, with a minimal roof, with an extra dose of speed hardware over it's base offering. Also, usually incorporating some aero touches from the race-track, such as the cut-down windshield, lower top, and fairings to lower drag, without regard for the more civilized features of the other versions of the car. Comfort compromised for performance, rather than the other way around.
It will be interesting to see how they do that with the Boxster, and still meet safety regs, which didn't hinder Porsche, or other companies in the past.
naggs 12:04AM (4/29/2009)
i would expect a folding hardtop from that picture, that would also make more sense than somehow chopping the roof boxter
Tohe 4:46AM (4/29/2009)
Think of James Dean.
artso06 7:55PM (4/28/2009)
Anyone else finding it a hard time to believe this is a speedster?
Not sure when the next boxster is scheduled but i know it is coming up fast. And to have a tarp buttoned onto a canvas that is clearly supported by a structure underneath (conforms to window to well) is a little odd and doesn't scream speedster. And plenty of roadsters have there "Lumps" as the article says with the top up
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John Aubrey 8:21PM (4/28/2009)
It doesn't look like much of a difference then the standard Boxster. The difference is going to be hidden behind the seats where that extra top cloth is going down the back of the car. I don't think it's a big deal, unless they throw in a new engine.
http://www.idcow.net/idcow/products/mst2124_002.jpg
those little bumps on the back of the car.
P.V. 9:17PM (4/28/2009)
Interesting. Very interesting.
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Kaveh 9:50PM (4/28/2009)
Interesting, looks like it has room behind the seats, with the top up. I like the chopped top look.
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Reality-Check 10:21PM (4/28/2009)
Targa Cayman, possibly???...
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Aloysius Vampa 7:35AM (4/29/2009)
That... would be really cool.
LloydChiro 10:00AM (4/29/2009)
Maybe they are finally putting the GT3 engine in the 987 chassis.
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autoblog 10:09AM (4/29/2009)
I agree with naggs, I think this has as much chance of being a retractable hardtop convertible as it does a speedster.
I hope it's a retractable hardtop, because that's the one thing that is sorely missing from the Boxster. After 11 years messing with the fabric roof on my Boxster, I'm positive that my next convertible will be a retractable hard top.
I realize canvas saves weight, but $50k for a car with a fabric roof seems a bit out-of-character for this price range and for where the market has moved over the past decade. Pretty much every convertible on the market has gone to a retractable hardtop as standard or optional equipment (BMW 3-series and new Z4, Mazda MX-5 Miata, Mercedes SLK and SL550, Chrysler Sebring, Volkswagen EOS, Pontiac G6, Volvo C70, Lexus IS, Ferrari California, and the departing Lexus SC 430 and Cadillac XLR.)
The Boxster is a nice looking vehicle with the top down, but I think the Cayman is far more attractive when comparing the two with the top up. If Porsche could somehow replicate the Cayman look in a retractable hardtop convertible, it would be an impossible-to-resist vehicle.
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BoxerFanatic 11:16AM (4/29/2009)
That would be the ANTITHESIS of a speedster.
A folding hard top is heavier, and more complicated than a soft top, and usually takes up MORE space, not less, especially when powered. Miata barely makes it work as an un-powered version, and the space considerations are larger even for that.
It is possible that might be a direction they would go, but it would not be a "speedster" that way. Actually it would be a more posh Boxster, not a less posh Boxster.
A speedster would have a simpler, possibly manual-operation soft top, with a lower height, and a longer line for better aero with the top up, and fairings with the top down, and a lower windshield header height. None of those things would make for a posh, more comfortable car. They all would be for better aerodynamics, and a sportier, harder-core character.
A speedster version would be stripped of luxury bits, but have most or all of the sport bits, and a smooth, effective aero kit. Cayman S's engine. 6-speed or PDK with LSD, PASM, SportChrono, lower ride height, maybe even Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB).
But it might have no, or very limited leather. GT3-like shell seats. Base or no stereo, certainly no NAV.
A speedster is a refinement of a sports car, almost to the point of a race car, but still street drivable and legal. It is not a bucks-up high-feature new trim line with a nice new folding hard roof, for the people who just don't like the thin fabric roof. That would be something other than a BoxSpeedster.