986 BOXSTER: 25 YEARS
The Boxster now feels almost as integral to the Porsche model range as the 911, and it’s certainly not short of reference points in Stuttgart’s back catalogue, but when the mid-engined roadster was launched 25 years ago, it was still pretty radical. It switched Porsche’s affordable sports car strategy from a front- to mid-engined layout, influenced the upcoming watercooled 911 and, oh yes, helped save the entire company too.
The Boxster’s silver anniversary is a chance to rediscover what made the 986 first-generation cars so fantastic to drive (page 34), and learn more about the 986’s development first-hand from both Grant Larson, who designed the concept and production car under the guidance of his boss Harm Lagaay, and from period R&D boss Horst Marchant who pitched the idea of an affordable mid-engined model in the first place.
Porsche found itself in a parlous situation in the late 1980s, as sales fell from around 40,000 units a year to just 15,000 in
