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The 981 Is Out In Public Domain

daro911

PCGB Member
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http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/all-new-porsche-boxster-revealed/260873/pictures/all-new-porsche-boxster-revealed.aspx?im=481793
http://www.porsche.com/uk/


These are the first official pictures of the third-generation Porsche Boxster, ahead of its first public airing at the Geneva motor show in March.
Porsche says the Boxster will go on sale in the UK on April 28, flaunting a lightweight aluminium body and a roomier 911-style interior. It will have the choice of two upgraded versions of Porsche's classic horizontally-opposed six-cylinder engine, both boasting direct injection, slight power gains and impressive reductions in fuel consumption. The Boxster is priced from £37,589, and the Boxster S from £45,384.

The most dramatic change surrounds the new Boxster's styling, credited to designers working under Porsche design boss, Michael Mauer.

The new Boxster adopts a cab forward stance. Heavily sculptured flanks feature longer doors, larger wheel houses to accommodate wheels up to 20 inches in diameter, and a rear end reminiscent of the classic 911 ducktail.

Porsche confirmed the new Boxster has a longer wheelbase and wider tracks which allow for a roomier interior, which takes its cues from the new 911.
The new Boxster "" codenamed 981 "" comes with a fully automatic cloth hood, no longer requiring manual assistance. It stows behind the cabin in a fully exposed position, with no need for a tonneau cover.

Porsche hasn't revealed much detail on the new structure, but officials involved in a prototype ride event attended by Autocar indicate it weighs over 100kg less than the outgoing model's all-steel body. The base model should weigh less than 1300kg, despite offering more standard equipment.

The aluminium body is aligned to an all-new chassis boasting a longer wheelbase and significantly wider front track. The suspension retains MacPherson struts up front and a multi-link arrangement at the rear, supporting wheels up to 20 inches in diameter "" up from 19-inches previously. The bigger wheels can house larger brakes.

The steering is arguably the most significant change to the Boxster's mechanical make-up. Like the new 911, it eschews hydraulic assistance for a new electro-mechanical system developed in partnership with ZF.

Porsche has provided the 981 Boxster with a downsized base engine. Previously 2.9-litres, the new model adopts a comprehensively reworked horizontally-opposed 2.7-litre six-cylinder.

Despite this, the new base engine produces 10bhp more than its predecessor at 265bhp. Featuring fuel saving features such as automatic stop/start, brake energy recuperation and a thermal management system that dispenses with the gearbox oil cooler, it delivers a claimed 36.7mpg on the combined cycle "" a 15 per cent improvement.

The Boxster S retains the same 3.4-litre engine as the current model, revised for greater efficiency. Power climbs by 5bhp to 315bhp and consumption is boosted to a claimed 35.3mpg "" up from 30.1mpg.

The new Boxster will be offered with a six-speed manual as standard and an optional seven-speed PDK double clutch gearbox, featuring revised software for what Porsche calls "more rapid and smoother shifts". The PDK "˜box also has a so-called sailing feature that, like that seen on the 911, decouples the engine during periods of tailing throttle on downhill grades, cutting engine revs to just 700rpm for brief periods of added fuel saving.

With the optional PDK gearbox, the new Boxster will hit 62mph in a claimed 5.7sec with the Boxster S reaching the same benchmark in 5.0sec "" a reduction of 0.1sec and 0.2sec respectively. Further gains in straight line performance are promised with Porsche's optional Sport Chrono package, which brings dynamic gearbox mounts.

Further developments centre around the adoption of Porsche Torque Vectoring, providing the roadster with a mechanical differential, although it is only available on the Boxster S.

The Boxster features an Alcantara interior, 18in alloys, auto stop/start and Sports mode, remote control hood operation, audio CD with 7in colour touch-screen control, a universal audio interface offering MP3 connectivity and a three-year warranty.

The Boxster S adds 19in alloys, partial leather interior and Bi-Xenon headlights in addition to the power advantage of the larger 3.4-litre engine.


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That's more like it....although I still bemoan the changes made to the original Detroit show car once the Boxster went into production.......[:(]
 
For those who speak 'German Porsche' you can already play around with the 'Car Configurator' here: http://www.porsche.com/germany/modelstart/
 
Yup, Geoff Turral sent an email out this morning announcing it. More info here -> http://www.porsche.com/uk/
 
Good the 3.4 engine is retained for the S, despite the press saying it was going to be a 3.2. Bad the new 7- speed manual is not carried over from the 991. The only way to get 7- speed being PDK at 2k extra, not for me. Thats how they get the improved fuel consumption figures, not on the manual.
 
Looks Great. Can not wait to see it in the metal. The 2.7 has gone up by £972 without ticking any optional extras The 3.4 has gone up by £1,503 without ticking any optional extras Looks like a couple of new extras as standard hence the price increase 2.7 still only has alcantara seats though so guess a lot will be specced with leather. At the very least I expect people to want a wind deflector, heated seats & maybe a sound upgrade and possibly parking sensors. Also some may prefer met paint . By ticking quite a few extra boxes your 3.4 could reach 50k very easily. Tracy. Boxster RS.
 
ORIGINAL: CLIFFWILKINS Looks Great. Can not wait to see it in the metal. The 3.4 has gone up by £1,503 without ticking any optional extras By ticking quite a few extra boxes your 3.4 could reach 50k very easily. Tracy. Boxster RS.
Old model already easily reaches 50-58k today so all in all Porsche have done exceptionally well coming in so close to out going model
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It is bigger, but 100Kg lighter. Most weight reduction will be by use of lighter materials, which are normally more expensive (e.g. aluminium). So disregarding any small gains made by using smaller (lighter) parts that are better engineered, it means that to keep the same price point they will have to have made efficiencies elsewhere: for example better assembly/just-in-time/supplier deals and so on in order to keep a similar price point. It's unlikely they have reduced profit (perish the thought!) so the re-engineering of this model looks to have resulted in some big gains.
 
ORIGINAL: daro911
ORIGINAL: Mark Bennett It is bigger, but 100Kg lighter.
I thought I read it was 40kg lighter than 987 [&o]
Ah, interesting.... Yes, I had to search for it but the email from Porsche says 40Kg, but the Autocar article says: "Porsche hasn’t revealed much detail on the new structure, but officials involved in a [link=http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/AllCars/260341/]prototype ride event attended by Autocar[/link] indicate it weighs over 100kg less than the outgoing model’s all-steel body. The base model should weigh less than 1300kg, despite offering more standard equipment." Now I thought 100Kg was good, perhaps they made up for it by putting heavier stuff on the 100Kg lighter body! [:'(] If it's 40Kg then ignore 60% of what I said [:D] (Most people do as a matter of course :ROFLMAO: )
 
ORIGINAL: Mark Bennett
ORIGINAL: daro911
ORIGINAL: Mark Bennett It is bigger, but 100Kg lighter.
I thought I read it was 40kg lighter than 987 [&o]
Ah, interesting.... Yes, I had to search for it but the email from Porsche says 40Kg, but the Autocar article says: "Porsche hasn’t revealed much detail on the new structure, but officials involved in a [link=http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/AllCars/260341/]prototype ride event attended by Autocar[/link] indicate it weighs over 100kg less than the outgoing model’s all-steel body. The base model should weigh less than 1300kg, despite offering more standard equipment." Now I thought 100Kg was good, perhaps they made up for it by putting heavier stuff on the 100Kg lighter body! [:'(] If it's 40Kg then ignore 60% of what I said [:D] (Most people do as a matter of course :ROFLMAO: )
You could get to 100kg but only if you tick manual + PCCBs and don't start ticking anything which ways more such as heavier seats and 20" wheels etc Edit: It seems that most countries have the configurator up except the UK. Edit 2: Nothing like putting the squeeze on us Manual drivers, lower mpg and higher emissions with higher road tax.
 
ORIGINAL: spyderman Sorry Porsche - looks nice but I'm not going to buy one - just too wide.
That's odd because as far as I can find the width of the outgoing is 1801mm and the width of the new one is..........1801mm. Wider track at the front though.
 
ORIGINAL: tscaptain
ORIGINAL: spyderman Sorry Porsche - looks nice but I'm not going to buy one - just too wide.
That's odd because as far as I can find the width of the outgoing is 1801mm and the width of the new one is..........1801mm. Wider track at the front though.
From Porsche UK website 981 "S" is the same width as 987 but 35kg lighter and 13mm lower and still heavier and taller than my Spyder! Can't wait to see what the next Spyder will look like [8D]
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it looks bootiful to me but i am sure when i get my paws on the configurator a similarly specced car to mine will be nearer 60k than 50K!!still looks good value compared to a 100k 991 cab[:D]
 
ORIGINAL: chrisH Bad the new 7- speed manual is not carried over from the 991.
The 7th speed in 991 is for lowering fuel consumption, top speed is reached on 6th. As fuel can be bought in fuel stations there is no need for the 7th gear to mess your head. The Boxster's 6-speed manual is just perfect.
 
To clear the weight issue: 987mk2 / 981 Boxster manual 1335kg / 1310kg (-25kg) Boxster PDK 1365kg / 1340kg (-25kg) Boxster S manual 1355kg / 1320kg (-35kg) Boxster S PDK 1380kg / 1350kg (-30kg) Combined tech specs and photos in angles probably not seen anywhere else http://stuttcars.com/porsche-models/boxster/981
 
ORIGINAL: James Herne To clear the weight issue: 987mk2 / 981 Boxster manual 1335kg / 1310kg (-25kg) Boxster PDK 1365kg / 1340kg (-25kg) Boxster S manual 1355kg / 1320kg (-35kg) Boxster S PDK 1380kg / 1350kg (-30kg) Combined tech specs and photos in angles probably not seen anywhere else [link=http://stuttcars.com/porsche-models/boxster/981]http://stuttcars.com/porsche-models/boxster/981[/link]
So none of them approaching the 40kg quoted by Porsche, and the Autocar figure is waaaay out! [:D]
 

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