Porsche Boxster Spyder details

It's a cut-down, lightweight Boxster with more punch that gets its inspiration from the classic 550 Spyder of the 1950s.  The newcomer is called the Boxster Spyder and will be revealed early next month at the Los Angeles Auto Show before first-quarter sales in 2010.

The bad news? Less, once again, costs more at Porsche and the Spyder will be priced above the $141,900 currently charged for the 3.4-liter Boxster S.  But the company says supplies will be limited and the car is aimed at people who want maximum droptop driving enjoyment.

"It's fun. That's exactly the reason for this car," says Michael Winkler, managing director of Porsche Cars Australia.  "It's lighter, quicker and more radical. It's the sort of car you will see more from Porsche in the future.  It is intended to be driven with the top down. It's a hobby car. Very emotional and intended to re-invigorate small sports cars and put some relevance back into them."

European sources have hinted at a Porsche speedster for several months but many believed it would be based on the 911, not the Boxster. Now come the details.  The most significant change is the weight. The Spyder hits the scales at 1275kg, the lightest model in the Porsche line-up and 80kg below the Boxster S.  The engine is a tuned version of the regulation flat-six design, with 3.4 litres, direct fuel injection and 238kW, up 7.5kW from the Boxster S.

Porsche says it will jump to 100km/h in 4.8 seconds, run to 276 km/h without the roof — which would flap at top speed — and returns economy of 9.3L/100km with the PDK double-clutch gearbox.

The biggest physical change is the cutdown windscreen and the softtop roof, which is a complete departure from the Boxster and intended to be stored more than used.  Porsche says the car has better cornering grip with a lower centre of gravity, as well as improved braking.

The Spyder becomes the third model in the Boxster line, although it is never going to be a big seller.  "It's intentended as a halo product for the Boxster and Cayman range," says Winkler.  "We're only looking to sell 20 or 30 cars. Maybe 40 at the outside.

The Spyder will land sometime between March and May.  Winkler hints there will be more to come on the sports car front, although he stops short of confirming anything for the Cayman.

"You will definitely see us going more edgy with sports cars. The reason we've done the Cayenne and Panamera is that the business case with those products allows us to focus more on the core values with our sports car," he says.  "Thanks to Cayenne and Panamera we don't need high volumes to make the business case for cars like the Boxster Spyder."