SuperBoxster

By Leonard Turner

Worth the wait: the inevitable S finally explodes onto the scene!

Inevitability has many faces. On the negative side there are death and taxes. On the plus side, there is a fine comfort to knowing that any Porsche not yet so endowed may provide the substrate from which a "Super" will be created. Since the first one in 1952, each has been different and exciting. Now there will be a new one. The S version of the Boxster has actually been waiting in the wings for nearly a year. Now that demand for the original Boxster is under control and with some additional competition looming from Honda and Audi, Porsche's marketing mavens have released the S - proving once again that Porsche can make a great car better.

Engine development engineer Jürgen Kapfer smiles happily, flexes his right biceps, and sends a fist into the air with a triumphant flair. He is responding to the observation that the new Boxster S seems more than amply endowed with the engine designer's Holy Grail, torque. We've spent a day probing that trait in the hills of Northern Italy and have come back to Ancona satisfied that the Boxster S does exactly what its designers intended: it offers more of everything that has made Porsche's roadster so hugely successful.

Torque, the glorious product of the enlarged 3.2 engine - both bore and stroke have been increased in the S - peaks at 225 ft lbs at 4500 rpm, well above its predecessor's 181 at the same revs. More important, 85 percent of it is available from 2000 rpm, imparting a grand guttiness to the car from right off the line. Horsepower is up to 252 from the original car's 201, increasing the top speed to 161 mph. Finding an unusual stretch of straight road, we take on a line of slower traffic, including a newish Corvette that has somehow found its way across the water, and blow by them with an adolescent sense of invulnerability. They seem to know that resistance is futile. Adrenalin flows, and another stranger chemical seems to be present as well - Zuffendorfins?

Besides the 22 percent increase in displacement, the new engine is sporting unique pistons and cylinder heads. The new intake manifold is now a two-stage resonant design, with rev controlled valves altering the effective length of the manifold at 3000 and again at 5000 rpm, benefiting both low and high speed cylinder charge. A second-generation VarioCam drives the 24 valves. The crankshaft is directly from the 911 Carrera, and runs on seven main bearings with a layshaft running through a separate bearing system. The generous 996 also shares its oil pumps, belt drive and timing chains with its new compatriot.

A small "F1" is cast into the metal of the engine case; Fortschritt (progress) proclaims Herr Kapfer. Or, perhaps it refers to the crossflow system - for more even engine cooling - with integrated ducts (call it no additional external hoses) like those used on Formula One engines. In either case, there is now a third water radiator up front to cool the engine and its oil, and a third opening in the nose to provide the air for this project (all the radiators are for water; no oil goes to the front of the Boxster).

The half dozen spark plugs continue to draw fire from their own individual coils triggered by a solid state distributor. Motor management electronics have been upgraded from the Motronic 5.2 of the original Boxster to Motronic ME 7.2 which the new car shares with the 911 Carrera 4; this permits E-gas electronic throttle butterfly control, further enhancing the management of the engine charge. This part of the new Boxster's performance is invisible; there is no sense of any intermediary between the accelerator and the response of the engine, just the usual mechanical accelerator feel.

Everything else is grandly obvious. Send some fire to the plugs and the engine readily lights off with a sound reminiscent of the 996; close your eyes and you might think you are sitting in the senior car's seat. Departure from the line can only be termed authoritative; the previously lauded torque is quickly and seemingly permanently available. There is no confusing the newer car with the previous Boxster; this is a whole new game. Acceleration to 60 with the six-speed is now in the sub six-second range, a full second quicker than the original, granting the car (and sometimes the driver!) a whole new personality.

Arguably best of all is the tractability of this combination - with the early-rising, late-setting torque curve of the 3.2, satisfying power is almost always available, no waiting, even without shifting. With the Porsche there is no searching for a torque peak so far up the rev scale as to aurally suggest impending mechanical suicide (an approach currently being espoused by another manufacturer). It's always gratifying to be a bit faster than the other guy, but much more so if you can do it without appearing to try too hard.

Introducing this muscle to the asphalt is the job of the new six-speed manual replacing the five-speed of the original Boxster. The shift pattern is a double H, with reverse spring-loaded and to the left of first. Shifting, quite light and accurate, continues to be by cable. The clutch is hydraulic, and a dual-mass flywheel is again used. The power thus arrives at the 17-inch wheels, mounting 205/50 ZR tires on 7-inch front rims and 255/40s on the 8.5 rears. Somewhat similar in appearance to the current 996 wheel, they are unique to this car. Some will like the look of this wheel a great deal, others will prefer the optional familiar 18-inch wheel (7.5 front, 9 rear, mounting 225/40s and 265/35s respectively). The latter combination seems - predictably - to offer somewhat better handling at the expense of a little ride comfort.

Snugged inside the wheels are four of the dramatic clues to the identity of the Boxster S: huge four-piston monobloc brake calipers painted a flaming red. Far from being a mere styling cue, these units (which are now hugging internally vented, cross-drilled rotors) are the same size as those on the marginally heavier 996. Not surprisingly they passed Porsche's killer brake test: 25 consecutive .8 g decelerations from 145 to 62 mph, with no perceptible increase in pedal pressure. On the twisty roads that once comprised part of the legendary Mille Miglia, accelerating, braking, and turning repeatedly at a rate calculated to qualify the hapless passenger for the Olympic cookie toss, they are a necessary pleasure.

Distinguished from the side by the new wheels and their big red calipers, from the front by the extra radiator opening (which probably accounts for the minuscule loss of slipperiness (Cd of .32 instead of .31), the new S is identified from the rear by its titanium colored badge and the sonically reworked exhaust system, now terminating in two round outlets. Visually distinctive, yes, but lacking in the impact of the unique oval outlet of the original Boxster, with its reference to the early Porsche spyders and the 904. Not a good trade.

The very tall will be glad to know that the new top with its interior lining costs only a negligible 5mm of headroom - it still seems limo-like - while providing the same easy action and good looks of the original. The new top also conceals some of the operating mechanism and gives a significant decrease in road/wind noise; polite and other conversation has become easier while reeling off the miles. The seats offer an excellent compromise between ease of entry and butt holding, and are adequate for any driving not mandating the addition of a six-point harness and head restraints. Sport seats are available in a package that includes leather-covered seats, center console, and rollbar.

The new standard suspension incorporates firmer shocks and a change in springs on the modified MacPherson system of the original car, along with a new rear axle design with longer control arms and larger wheel bearings to enhance high speed and cornering stability. The optional sports suspension is even more business-like, with firmer springs and shocks, heavier stabilizer bars, and a body lowered by 10mm. Drive it before you buy it; the non-optioned car with the newly standard 17-inch wheels is plenty firm and stable as delivered, and more might wind up feeling like overkill, especially if your Boxster S is to be used on long trips. Other worthy options to consider are the superb five-speed Tiptronic transmission, traction control, Litronic headlights, and the aluminum hardtop. A variety of trim and sound packages are available, but you should know that the S will come in with a number of previous options as standard features.

Rounding a sharp mountainous switchback just a bit wide provides an alarmingly frontal view of a bus; it appears illegally large, about the size of a small house. Perspective does that. The S responds graciously to the request to dive for the inside of the corner, but it leaves us with some thoughts. In a crash, big cars do disproportionate damage to small cars, SUVs do a job on big and small cars, and so on. Small car people therefore need all the help they can get.

Agility, provided by the features described above, is a major ally. Driver attentiveness and competence are of course paramount. But in point of no return situations - at least those involving somewhat smaller opposing forces than mountain busses-- there is significant solace offered by the integral roll bars, the reinforced windscreen frame (said to offer same stability as a coupe), and the occupant compartment protection offered by energy transference technology and heat treated boron steel reinforcements. The four-airbag system is designed to offer protection with the top down, and utilizes an argon/helium pressurized gas system. The pyrotechnic part of the package operates mainly as a trigger rather than a primary gas producer, which could eliminate airbag associated burns. Good things all, but avoidance is still always the prime directive.

The US Boxster S will continue to come with leather seating surfaces, but with added leather trim on the door handles, shift lever, and brake handle. The previously optional gray-faced instruments are now standard, along with the three-spoke steering wheel. This combination, along with the less shiny finish on black parts, produces a better-looking interior with good balance of light and dark surfaces. No reflection problems were noted in the windshield. On balance, a good interior to live with. The steering wheel is adjustable fore and aft, and the seats are now height adjustable. All US cars will be equipped with infrared, remote-controlled central locking and an interior surveillance (read motion detecting) system which works even with the top down, previously available only on the 911.

Niggling quality control issues, which plagued earlier Boxsters perhaps more than other new Porsche models, are recognized by the factory and are said to have been corrected; only time will tell. This notwithstanding, the Boxster was, and is, an exciting package. Visually, it has few peers (although Porsche desperately needs to address the necessity of providing more frontal visual distinction between this car and the 996). Its good looks and balanced performance helped pull the factory out of its financial swamp; they had to hit a home run with this car, and they did. The 44 percent new components that have been melded into the S version can only add to this success story, for both factory and driver.

This newest of a long line of Porsche "S" models will be manufactured in both Zuffenhausen and Finland, and is set to go on sale in Germany in early October, and in the States in late October or early November. Neither prices nor options on US cars have been announced, but in Germany there is said to be a price differential of 12,000 DM between this and the normal Boxster, which will continue in production in upgraded form.

The Boxster S was inevitable, coming after three years of production of the 2.5-liter car. Not all changes, though, carry positive momentum. We all know cars that have simply gotten fatter, more option laden and expensive as they evolved, the original spark of genius that made them great extinguished.  Not so the S.  It is simply a great car made even better.

Upgraded "Basic" Boxster for 2000

Porsche will boost the performance of its base model Boxster for model year 2000, increasing displacement from 2.5 to 2.7 liters.  Horsepower goes from 201 to 217 and maximum torque from 181 to 192 ft lbs.   Porsche claims a zero to 62-mph time of 6.6 seconds for the 2.7 liter car, compared to 6.9 seconds for the earlier version; and a higher top speed of 155 mph versus 149 in its predecessor.

Like the Boxster S, the 2000 Boxster motor features a new engine management system with an electronic accelerator (E-Gas) and a two-stage tuned intake system which provides marked improvement in the torque curve, particularly in the lower and upper engine speed ranges.

In response to criticism of the Boxster's spartan interior, the appearance of the 2000 Boxster's passenger compartment has been improved.  Th center console, fittings of the dashboard and door trim panels are treated in a soft touch grain finish.  Leather is used to cover the steering wheel rim, shift lever, hand brake lever and inner door handles

SECRET WEAPON: TIPTRONIC S

This device has abilities that are understood by few outside the factory.

Aside from the short-lived 909, few items in Porsche production seem to have gotten as little attention as the Tiptronic transmission. This wonderful device has abilities that are probably understood by few outside the factory, but can be a satisfying companion to any driver willing to investigate the possibilities.

In the "automatic" position, the five speeds are controlled by one of five interchangeable computer maps. Selection is made by the driver's current driving style related to accelerator use, with aggressive action being rewarded by later upshifts and enhanced performance. Multiple gear downshifts, say from fifth to second, are easily and near instantly attainable.

Beyond the maps and their complex interaction of variables, this box downshifts when brakes are applied. It recognizes hills and holds lower gears in this condition, maintains the current gear in curves (where upshifting can be highly undesirable), and likewise continues the current gear with sudden lifting off the accelerator (as in preparation for a curve). In the slipperies, it upshifts for the sake of stability.

New with the Boxster S Tipper is the ability to instantly engage the manual operation of the box at any time while running in the automatic mode. This is accomplished by operating either of the thumb-operated, steering wheel located microswitches. The box continues in manual operation for at least eight seconds, longer if the car is in an overrun situation, such as needing engine braking in a downhill run. The driver may then either move into the manual mode or let the box return to its prior status.

Running the Tiptronic in manual mode is almost exactly like driving a clutch-operated transmission, except that the command to shift comes from the thumb and not the foot, and potentially fatal downshift over-revs are prevented. Not a bad idea.

So why isn't the Tiptronic universally loved? Three reasons.

1. Tradition. Sports cars should have manual gearboxes. Preferably cranky, delicate boxes that only the owner/true believer can successfully operate. Perhaps also a leaky top, poor heat, no air conditioning. Maybe even a wooden chassis.

2. Machismo. Strongly related to #1. Those who can, drive six (or five, eight, or nine) speed manual transmissions. Those who can't cut it, poor inept souls, are relegated to the automatic and the sympathetic (or, if they're faster, hostile) head shaking of their superiors.

3. Torque converter. While allowing power-on shifts without quite the brutality of an electric clutch automatic, this device does use up a little of the engine's power. Those who live only by 0-60, quarter-mile, and top speed figures find it hard to give up that fraction of available performance, perhaps forgetting that in many of life's endeavors, getting 90 percent of your potential performance 100 percent of the time beats getting 100 percent only 60 percent of the time.

Now if it only had six speeds, like the manual box ...

—Leonard Turner

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: BOXSTER S

This article originally appeared in the September 1999 issue of Panorama magazine. Reprinted with permission.