Boxster Origins
In 1948, the Type 356 had been Porsche’s first production automobile after they had incorporated as an auto firm and while they were awaiting approval from Allied forces to be able to return to their home factory in Zuffenhausen. The 356, born in a sawmill in Gmund, Austria, would go on to be Porsche’s automobile for 18 years, with over 78,000 examples produced before retirement of the series in 1965.
1951 Porsche wins its class in its first time at LeMans. They would repeat this feat in 1952 as well, beginning a long streak of Porsche wins in competition! Photo Rudolf Mailander collection, courtesy Revs Institute
The 356 retained its basic dimensions throughout its production life but details were tweaked in successive model iterations (A, B, C), varied model choices in each iteration, and improved engine output over the years from basically the same venerable four-cylinder engine.
Type 356/2 design specs. image courtesy Porsche Archives
Its most memorable model was the 356A Speedster, a car that in 1954 would take the U.S. by storm in the marketplace and on the track, becoming an iconic sports car for the ages. The 356A Speedster became the poster car for the 356 series!
1955 Porsche 356 Speedster The Speedster was a stripped version of the Cabriolet, designed for and marketed to the American market, employing a fitting American term for its name. image courtesy Porsche Archives
The rear-engine 911 series had entered the marketplace in 1963 as Porsche’s next model and was an immediate success for many reasons. It was larger, it (eventually) handled better, and it developed more power with its six-cylinder engine. Successive years and iterations of the 911 minimally changed the shape and dimensions of the original; Porsche had created another iconic rear-engine car that continues in production to this day!
1965-68 short wheelbase 911. image courtesy Porsche AG
Things soured in the 1980s after Porsche had strayed from its focus on rear-engine transport and developed several lines of front-engine sports cars, the first batch with four cylinders (the Types 924, then 944, then 968), and then with eight (the Type 928). An alliance with Audi had produced the short-lived mid-engine Type 914 in the 1970s. Using a Volkswagen power plant to motivate a Porsche produced an accounting success but a marketing disaster. The thought of putting Volkswagen components in a Porsche – sacrilege to Porsche diehards and purists! Still, 115,000 Type 914s would be sold during its production run.
Of course, these same naysayers blindly ignored the roots of Porsche, whose initial mid-engine design (356/1) had been termed a “VW sports car” by design staff. Secondly, the early engines in 1948 had been adapted from Volkswagen 1100cc engines, reworked the VW’s humble 25-horsepower units to produce a more sporty 40 BHP for the 356. Thirdly, the rear-engine 356/2 body was the second choice by engineering staff, who had first rejected the mid-engine 356/1 design as too impractical. As seen in the cutaway images below, it should be noted that the VW Beetle’s proven design from 1933 was a rear-engine as well… hmm… coincidence, or what?
1962 356B Porsche cutaway render. image courtesy Porsche Archives
1966 VW Type 1 Beetle cutaway render. image courtesy The Samba technical archives
Stepping Up
Porsche management in the 1980s were dealing with too many models that produced too few sales for each line to be profitable. As Horst Marchant, former Porsche design executive stated in a recent interview:
“The 924, the 928, and the 911…Porsche was not selling enough of any to stay solvent… that was the root cause for the problems at the company… we had to sell at least 30,000 units (each)… (but) our sales had collapsed to 15,000-20,000 units per year.”
Type 944 1982-89. This four cylinder model followed the 924 and preceded the 968. image courtesy Porsche AG
Type 928 1978-95, an eight cylinder luxury GT cruiser. image courtesy Porsche AG
Yet, as Porsche moved into the 1990s, they continued to deal with dwindling sales from too many models, but they would not give up on their signature model, the 911. A decision to phase out its front-engine sports cars by the mid-1990s was made, but an even more radical shift was needed to save the company.
Enter the Boxster
The Porsche 911 was already positioned as a luxury GT sports car with competition history and performance chops. It was fast, it was expensive, and it was safely ensconced in its class. A revolutionary concept needed to be launched that would yank the company’s sales out of the doldrums.
In 1991, Head of Design Harm Lagaaij directed his staff to produce examples of an “entry-level” Porsche that would cost less, introduce new and younger generations to Porsche, but also retain Porsche DNA in its execution. Grant Larson, who had come to Porsche Design in 1989 from a stint at Audi, produced a breakthrough concept that would start with sketches and be worked out on clay.
Porsche 986 concept drawing, front. image courtesy Porsche Archives
Porsche 986 concept drawing, rear. image courtesy Porsche Archives
Lagaaij, who had also joined Porsche in 1989, spoke about the Type 986’s deadlines:
“In 1992 we had already started working on the 986 (Boxster) and 996 (911), and we were looking for a new design theme… We set our minds on a deadline of January 1993, which was the Detroit (Auto) Show.”
This resulted in a do-or-die timeline: produce a show-ready physical car in 24 months from approved concept to finished floor model!
1991 986 Porsche Boxster in clay form. image courtesy Porsche Archives
For 1993, the Detroit Auto Show was allocating floor space at the Cobo Center according to the amount of a company’s sales. Porsche was a sales laggard compared to others, so it received a small space. And on this small space, tucked away in a corner and under wraps, was the surprise of that year’s show – the 986 Boxster!
The unveiling caused a huge stir among journalists and onlookers because the 986 Boxster was a radical new step from Porsche’s traditional rear-engine 911. Here was a mid-engine entry level sports car priced under $40,000. The Boxster stood out in traditional German silver paint with red interior. Plus, it was a gorgeous piece of kit!
1993 Porsche 986 concept unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show. image courtesy Porsche Archives
The Boxster evoked references to Porsche’s past: the 1957 718 Spyder, the 1955 Type 550, even as far back as the 1948 Type 356/1, all of which had been mid-engine speedsters. The 986 Boxster looked like a winner, and Autoweek named it their choice for “Best of Show” at the Detroit Auto Show.
Details
In an interview recorded at the Porsche Museum, Horst Marchant was asked “How did you come up with the name ‘Boxster’?” To this question, Marchant replied:
“We asked the gentlemen in the Design Group: ‘what do you call this car?’ and they talked about it among themselves. Then they said that they had combined the two words of ‘boxer’ engine (a flat plane configuration with opposing cylinders) with the word ‘speedster.’ And then they had put these two words together to make the word ‘Boxster.’”
The name was not only catchy, it was an apt description of the package. Marchant went on to say
“… and (to think that) we did this without having to hire any consultants. Once again we saved money!” (Marchant laughs)
The Boxster, as it turned out, would share design elements and parts with its sibling, the 996 Type 911, which would be introduced a year after the 986 Boxster became available for sale in 1997. The Boxster used the flat-six engine as did the rear-engine 911 but instead the Boxster design placed it amidships. The front ends of both cars were shared as well, including the doors, and these production decisions would produce tremendous cost savings for Porsche.
1996 Porsche 986 Boxster, which would go on sale a year before the introduction of the next generation of 911s, known as the 996. image courtesy Porsche AG
1997 Porsche 996. Note the similarities of the front end treatment to that of the 986. image courtesy Porsche AG
And, by introducing it a year earlier that the Series 996 911, the 986 Boxster would also serve as the spear point of the new design ethic of the company. It would thus take any “heat” coming from Porsche loyalists, who would soon bemoan the change from the classic air-cooled engines to the era of water-cooled in their beloved 911s.
Outcomes
The effect of the 986’s introduction on Porsche’s bottom line was distinctly positive and immediately noticed, as the Boxster exploited a market niche of younger, less affluent, prospective owners who wanted a Porsche that they could afford from Zuffenhausen. The $40,000 price point made that possible.
After the success of the 986, Porsche would again stick its design neck out in the 2000s by producing an SUV, a crossover, and a sports coupe, all of which were initially received with some trepidation but eventually delivered acceptance and copious sales.
The doubters would doubt, and the haters would hate, but from these design shifts and company changes, a newer, stronger, and better company emerged. Porsche’s Worldwide sales delivered 272,162 vehicles in 2020 and show continued steady growth. Porsche today stands tall as a successful global brand with several lines of car models and no longer depends solely on its venerable 911.
Evolution vs. Revolution
The Boxster design group had been tasked in 1991 with producing a radical concept to generate a new theme for Porsche and a new direction. While the 911 would continue to evolve in a logical step-wise fashion based on its heritage, the Boxster would try an old approach in a new way with its mid-engine platform, and thus produce a new and separate legacy.
In another Porsche Museum interview, Grant Larson commented that
“We always try to take the Boxster a few notches higher in every generation… and try to be a little bit revolutionary. Our goal is to always use the Boxster to take bigger developmental steps as far as design and styling.” Thus, the Boxster would serve as the pathfinder for new expressions.
The Road Beckons
Grant Larson also stated that “Porsche’s specialty is always to take something from their own past and reinterpret it for the future.” The Boxster certainly fulfilled this.
Employing this method, the Boxster conjured Porsche DNA from the company’s earliest beginnings: the 1948 356/1 mid-engine speedster has an ancestral link to the 986 concept in 1993 and the 718 Boxster 25 Year for 2021.
1993 Boxster 986 concept faces off its newest sibling, the 2021 718 Boxster. Note the distinct difference in size between the two models, separated by 25 years of continuous development. image courtesy Porsche Newsroom
2021 718 Boxster “25 Year” with its electric top raised. The brass color of the wheels, front air intake, and side air vent is painted what Porsche calls “Neodyme” in tribute to the tint found on the 1993 concept’s wheels, image courtesy Porsche Newsroom
Indeed, the 1993 986 concept and later generations of the model have continued the time-honored approach that Porsche invested in from its beginning: small, light, powerful, and fast sports cars.
2011 Boxster 987 Spyder front. Given a sportier suspension, upgraded engine, and a manual convertible top in true speedster fashion, the 987 Spyder gave speedster enthusiasts more grunt and a true analog experience that surpassed that of its more “sedate” sibling, the 987.2 Boxster S, which had access to an electric convertible top and more creature comforts. Still, the 987.2 was also a speedster… just a more luxo one! image courtesy Porsche AG
2015 981 Boxster Spyder as seen from the rear. The silhouette did not change that much, but the operation of the top was improved along with a few other details such as the door’s flank leading to the side intake. image courtesy Porsche AG
Cars are meant to be driven on roads that provide enjoyment and excitement, as well as transport people from points A to B. Porsche long ago figured out how to do both in each of their models, and from their earliest days captured the essence of what a speedster is:
a simple but powerful car meant for speed, fun, and adventure!
The Boxster is a speedster in the truest sense of the word. Long live the Boxster!
2021 Porsche 718 Boxster “25 Year”, ready for adventure!
Thanks to Porsche AG and its affiliate services for providing images that contributed to this episode. Modern speedsters look way different from their 20th-century siblings but still deliver that speedster mojo. Next post we’ll return to the speedster’s earliest decades and look at another speedster from that formative era.
In the next month I will have news about my upcoming book on classic speedsters. It is currently in edit stage, and I hope to bring it to print in time for Christmas 2021. Stay tuned!
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