The Porsche 986 Boxster is an Economy-Class Ticket to ‘50s Thrills
Credit: Porsche
13ᵗʰ of June, 1953. The low, early mist has since dissipated over the rubber-laden roads of La Sarthe. The morning birdsong is muffled by the ceaseless roar of V12s, V8s and straight-6s that have echoed long throughout the night. Journalist turned racer, Richard von Frankenberg, checks the clock in the pits - only a few hours remaining until 24 have passed. He is understandably nervous; just last week, his very same racecar failed to finish the 12 Heures d’Hyeres. He prepares himself for another gruelling stint behind the wheel.
Shortly afterwards, his teammate, Paul Frère, pulls up alongside the garage and hops out of the Porsche 550 that has reliably lapped the circuit since 2pm yesterday. Notes are swapped, the car refuelled and Von Frankenberg fires the tiny 110 bhp, 1488cc flat-four back into life. He sets off, already with a comfortable lead over his class rivals but with the knowledge that only one mistake can upturn the outcome.
As the final hours tick past, their plucky Porsche has proven to be a formidable competitor. Lightweight construction, excellent reliability and a unique rear mid-mounted engine have coalesced into a racecar far ahead of its closest competitors. As the chequered flag drops, their 550 triumphantly crosses the line, only to be followed in tow by another 550. A 1-2 class finish at the 1953 Le Mans 24 Hours is all Porsche could have dreamed of, and Von Frankenberg and Frère aptly drink their champagne.
Credit: porschesport.com. Frère and Von Frankenberg pictured centre.
43 years later, this is the spirit that the 1996 Porsche Boxster was designed to evoke. How did it do? Well, first some history.
The year is 1991 and things are looking nicht sehr gut in the Porsche boardroom. Sales of the 928 are dwindling, the 944 is not much longer for the world, and the 911 is slowly chugging away, having recently avoided the automotive axe.
It was clear to the execs that something new and radical was needed to rejuvenate the brand’s ageing line-up and bring in some much-needed Deutschmarks. In need of advice, Porsche turned to the king of high-volume and high-profits: Toyota. Their suggestion? Design a new platform that can be shared between different models. Hardly evocative of ‘50s racing but they decided to give it a go.
Porsche would design a new entry-level sports car sharing much of its guts with the soon-to-be-developed 996 generation 911. Sounds simple enough. But what was this new car going to look like? It needed to distance itself well away from the previous two decades of front engined 2+2s, without stepping on the toes of the hallowed rear-engined 911. Luckily for Porsche, their back-catalogue of race cars was the perfect place to find inspiration.
Credit: Alexander Migl
In 1993, a concept car debuted at the North American International Auto Show. With two seats, a mid-mounted engine and metallic silver paintwork, the Boxster (Boxer + Roadster, you do the maths) was a clear descendant of the 550. Its long rear deck housed an all-new, water cooled flat-six, which was to be shared with future 911s. Safe to say, the public loved it and the exterior would change little over the next few years until the final road-going iteration hit showrooms in 1996. Several design elements were shared with the 911 including the bonnet, doors and headlights. Ah yes, those headlights. It’s hard to avoid mentioning the pair of ‘fried eggs’ that rest upon the wings of Porsches of this era. Some love them, some hate them - all I can say is, you can’t see them from behind the wheel.
Performance was… adequate. The initial offering was a 2.5 litre flat-six, managing just 201 bhp. It seems the Boxster had consumed a few too many Currywurst as well - at 1250 kg it was about 50 kg heavier than a contemporary BMW Z3 (and 660 kg more than the 550!). However, its rivals at the time, the Mercedes SLK and aforementioned Z3, were no faster and only Mazda’s MX5 could match the Boxster when it came to handling and driver engagement. With time, things would only improve for Stuttgart’s roadster. An engine upgrade to 2.7 litres, and later 3.2 litres, provided the much-needed extra shove that the chassis was crying out for.
There’s no escaping the fact that, compared to cars on offer today, the Boxster is pretty slow. Today’s base 2023 Boxster will hit 60 mph in 5 seconds, about a second quicker than the fastest 986. But whilst the modern car has moved on in terms of outright speed, it has slowly drifted further away from the essence that the original car tried to capture. It is heavier, leather-lined and features PDK, PASM and PATV amongst other acronyms. Try explaining those to Von Frankenberg.
Unless you’re Jerry Seinfeld, nobody wants to drive a Porsche 550 on the street everyday. However, it’s the intangible elements of that car that can be found in the 986 Boxster, even if you need to search for them. The simple shape, the mid-engined two seat layout and the howl of a N/A boxer engine allow us to relive an era of simpler driving pleasures without the distraction of touchscreens and drift modes. As we move towards an EV dominated future, the Boxster included, this is a combination that we’re unlikely to see again.
What’s the good news? Today, the values of these cars are still sitting comfortably in four-figure territory. Whilst buyers must be wary of rust and the feared IMS bearing, there is no cheaper way to get behind the wheel of a flat-six Porsche. Yes, some people think it's ugly, and yes, some people will tell you it’s a sorry excuse for a Porsche. Just remember, the same things were said about the Porsche 356 in decades past. Look at the value of those now.
If you must have the best of the 986s, then the run-out, Special Edition model is the final evolution. It features a slight increase in power, metallic paint carried over from the Carrera GT and commands the highest price. Good luck finding one though - it was limited to just 1953 units. Does that number ring any bells?