Porsche Boxster Spyder 3.4

The car being reviewed here is the 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder. From my initial walkaround prominent on the new design alterations was the twin fairings on the rear deck lid which extended all the way back to the end of the car, giving it a silhouette reminiscent of the megadollar Porsche Carrera GT.

Porsche roadster's are purpose built, so in their quest for lightness, Porsche engineers tossed out the binacle over the instruments, the cupholders and the powertap mechanism. They even decided to get rid of the sound system and the air conditioning unit in their effort to lighten the car, by what turned out to be 176 lbs ( 80 kgs ). In addition to hitting the delete button, I noticed Porsche also substituted lighter materials where possible. For example the doors are Aluminium skinned saving 33lbs, and the carbon fibre bucket seats reduce weight by 26 lbs. The striking 10 spoke wheels were about 11 lbs lighter than the other 19 inch wheels in the Porsche arsenal..which improves overall and unsprung weight...Win-win !

So what does the equivalent of removing your mates weight do the performance of the Boxster Spyder ?,....frankly it will tempt you to do wicked, wicked things !! Not only is the Boxster Spyder significantly lighter than the Boxster S, but it also offers an additional 10 hp. The 320 hp I drove of course included the standard 6 speed manual gearbox...and is enough to persuade you to put your foot on the throttle and stay on it. And the spohisticated Boxster engine is more torque-er than you have any right that you expect it to be.

The 0 - 60 mph acceleration time of 4.6s was impressive, but as I drove through the winding country roads, I was even more astounded by the Spyder's uncanny balance, its ability to respond immediately to every flick of the wheel and input of the throttle or brake. In my view this is a car that will make you feel like a better driver than you probably are, and I loved that ego boost ! It might be naive and obvious to talk about price, but I couldn't help think that at approx £ 39, 500...that's a modern day bargain. Overall I am hard pressed to think of a more satisfying open Sports Car experience offered anywhere...this car is plain terrific !