Retromod?... Uhh... I'm going to go with a hard pass.

I can appreciate the work that went into it as well but there's not enough 356 in the transformation.

The more I see of these attempts to shoehorn an overweight Boxster into a Speedster party dress, the more I appreciate how perfect the original was.

I think old man Komenda himself may have been surprised at how well it turned out. His earlier Porsches were a little clumsy by comparison, and the later models gradually lost more and more of the magic with each successive generation.

The Speedster was the sweet spot. Maybe it was lucky happenstance, or maybe the designer had the fewest constraints and was free to draw the purest form.

Whatever it was, a lot of talented people have been trying to find that sweet spot again, but always seem to fall short, some by just a little, some by a lot.

Porsche should make a baby Boxster.  Lightweight with little options.  That would be a better platform in the future to convert. 

Make it in the VW Mexico plant. Porsche could tune the VW 1.4 turbo motor thats in the VW golf.  It's a sweet motor already at 140hp with maybe 180hp and 2500 lbs it would fly.  

It would have to have an optional 6 speed manual trans for me.  California alone would buy up much of the production.  

Marty's comment makes good sense, and maybe Porsche feels the same way.  I've heard rumors of them considering another 914-ish car, which fits Marty's description pretty closely.  Fingers are crossed.

Marty and Mitch make excellent points.  too have heard they are considering a 914 type revival.  

I love the simplicity of the Speedster. As for the Boxster, I have no complaints about it.  Not one. If they did release another 914 variant I would strongly consider buying one.

He-man car guys (thankfully) think of 6-cylinder Boxsters as "girl cars". I say "thankfully" because it keeps the cost down for the rest of us schlubs to buy them.

A size-tiny 4-cyl Porsche 914-ish car would be even more universally derided in he-man Porsche circles.

All the better.

Well, I'm still looking for a reasonably priced Cayman R...

Bob: IM S6 posted:

Well, I'm still looking for a reasonably priced Cayman R...

I'd love a low mile "S" with Sport Chrono and a 6-speed. I doubt I'll ever be able to afford an "R".

... but I'm a Cretin and would love an "S" with a blown motor so I could do a Renegade LS conversion on one.

If there’s a baby Porshee in the works, methinks it’s the marketing department that would be pushing it more than the inhouse car nuts at Zuffenhausen.

The Boxster started life as a low-cost alternative to bring average Joes to The Brand when 911 prices started getting out of reach for working stiffs. If memory serves, 911’s had reached about $60K. Well, what’s the entry level sticker on a Boxster now? And that’s without a radio or whitewalls.

The company has a long history of doing this - the 912, the 914, even the Speedster, sort of.

With digital sound piping to the cockpit now being used to cover the lack of a real exhaust note, and with the engine inaccessible anyway, the next baby Porshee could be powered by a two-cylinder Briggs and Stratton, and no one would be the wiser.

Stan Galat posted:

Bob: IM S6 posted:

Well, I'm still looking for a reasonably priced Cayman R...

I'd love a low mile "S" with Sport Chrono and a 6-speed. conversion on one.

I'd take that too, Stan.  Caymans are sweet handling cars.

Sacto Mitch posted:

 

The more I see of these attempts to shoehorn an overweight Boxster into a Speedster party dress, the more I appreciate how perfect the original was.

I think old man Komenda himself may have been surprised at how well it turned out. His earlier Porsches were a little clumsy by comparison, and the later models gradually lost more and more of the magic with each successive generation.

The Speedster was the sweet spot. Maybe it was lucky happenstance, or maybe the designer had the fewest constraints and was free to draw the purest form.

Whatever it was, a lot of talented people have been trying to find that sweet spot again, but always seem to fall short, some by just a little, some by a lot.

 

 

 

For me, Mitch, it's the whole pre-A and A series- coupe, cabriolet and speedster. The lines of the earlier cars weren't quite there (they almost look slightly bloated in comparison), and the B's were already moving away in the other direction from the simple, flowing lines of the pre A's and A's and becoming more modern. 

Stan Galat posted:

Bob: IM S6 posted:

Well, I'm still looking for a reasonably priced Cayman R...

I'd love a low mile "S" with Sport Chrono and a 6-speed. I doubt I'll ever be able to afford an "R".

... but I'm a Cretin and would love an "S" with a blown motor so I could do a Renegade LS conversion on one.

I've been keeping an eye on 2006-2008 Cayman S 6-speeds. Prices are good, and getting better. The 987.1 cars have a much larger and trouble-free IMS bearing.

The REALLY smart thing would be to get a 987.2, from 2009 and up. Direct injection and no intermediate shaft, means no IMS bearing to worry about at all.

There's a blue 2008 S on bring-a-trailer now with 3 days left, currently at $12,500. It's got 102K on the clock. It'll go to at least 18-20k if I'm right.

There's a white 2007 S with sport seats, Sport Chrono and PASM in North Jersey right now, 91K on the clock and asking $20k. Rennlist.

I'll be getting one when the time is right(and the money LOL).

Agreed, I owned 6 cylinder Boxster.  It's a glorious machine even if it's nosed down by the he-man's.  But a six cylinder boxer engine will never be seen again in a new entry level sports car.  It's doesn't mean that a true light weight Turbo 4 with the right look, & weight would not be cool. Especially for many new buyers and even some Porsche die hards that could hide it from there country club buds.  Under 40k with 4 year warranty and there would be a ton of buyers.  I'm just saying