Porsche is celebrating the 25th birthday of its smallest and cheapest model. In 1996 the first two-seater roadster called the Boxster appeared, without which the proud sports car company would probably no longer exist today.
At the beginning of the 90s, gloomy clouds were gathering over the Stuttgart district of Zuffenhausen. For Germany's smallest independent car maker, Porsche, things turn out to be sticky. The dollar exchange rate plummeted, with the exception of the iconic 911 sports car, the models of the time, such as the fat 928, had their wheels flat at dealerships. There is not enough money for expensive new developments. There is a threat of bankruptcy and takeover by one of the major car companies. A small two-seater, of all things, turns the rotten rudder around, inspires fans in 1993 as a study of a roadster and comes in 1996 as a series model under the name Boxster. From then on things went uphill again, from then on he earned good money and provided the start-up financing for today's gold donkeys Cayenne, Macan and Panamera.
It was a smooth quarter of a century ago, and what feels like an eternity in the fast-moving world of technology. But in front of the factory museum, which has just been closed due to Corona, anything but a vintage car is parked. The 4,31 meter short, bright yellow roadster from the first Boxster generation has a particularly up-to-date look. Of course, from today's perspective, the headlights in bulging eyes look more cozy than sporty, the smooth skin lacks the visual aggressiveness that is so popular today and the inner workings do not have the technical feel of modern digital command posts. But all in all, there is a small, but still desirable roadster in the Stuttgart spring sun.
The appearance of the first Boxster has a good reason. Because of the shortage of money, Porsche is forced to reduce the production costs of the Boxster. The solution is called "identical parts", ie identical shapes with the new 911, which appeared one year after the Boxster. From the front, the icon and the little brother look like identical twins. The penny pinchers at Porsche are happy, many die-hard fans of the 911 are shocked. After all, they pay a good 20.000 marks more for their athlete than the buyers of the cheeky upstart. The similarity between the two athletes has now been accepted as a “family face” in the Porsche range.
The Boxster is still a classic mid-engine roadster whose predecessors include famous creations such as the Porsche 550 Spyder (1954), but also the VW-Porsche 914 (1969). Above all, however, it marks adherence to the dogma of the boxer engine. It is cooled by water instead of air, but it delivers the sound that has always characterized the long-running 911. The departure from the boxer engine in the 924, 944 and the flagship 928 was recognized as one of the reasons that led to the Porsche crisis at that time. Porsche boss Wendelin Wiedeking pulls the rip cord with the Boxster just in time. The boxer engine has been saved and is still an indispensable feature of the Boxster sports car, its coupé sister Cayman and of course the 911.
Reliving the driving experience of the 90s at the wheel of the first Boxster lacks the touch of nostalgia that otherwise accompanies trips to long-faded contemporary witnesses. The inimitable roadster feeling is too current. Of course, the accuracy of the steering no longer meets today's standard of the current Boxster, the pulling power of a rather modest 245 Newton meters, the sprint to 100 km / h in just under seven seconds or the top of at least 240 km / h are all typical Porsche values of 25 years ago. The upgrade in the engine compartment ensures that today's Boxster with 294 kW / 400 PS has almost twice as much power as its ancestor with 150 kW / 204 PS.
The bottom line, however, is that the generation comparison reveals that there are noticeable differences between then and now, but these are less than expected. The superior feeling of open-top driving overshadows everything. The "oldie" is more modest, its sound is powerful, but more subtle than the zeitgeist in 2021 dictates. Nothing roars or bubbles, all real notes. Of course, the first Boxster does not recognize any traffic signs, does not automatically keep its distance thanks to radar assistance, does not warn of an overtaking driver in the blind spot or cannot connect to the Internet. The digital revolution can be guessed at in the Boxster, but it has not yet reached today's pace
Porsche is honoring the jubilee with a special model of the Boxster GTS, with a few design extras and fixed equipment it costs 96.356 euros. The starting price for the first Boxster 25 years ago was just over 70.000 marks, or around 35.000 euros. Times change. But this also applies to sports cars such as the Boxster, but also the 911. Because the big end will come when combustion engines are really no longer approved. Attempts are being made to turn the Boxster into a Stromer. But batteries for a reasonable range do not really find space in the tight inner workings. In this respect, it is uncertain whether the King of the Curves will also experience his 50th birthday with a successor.
