Aussie taste fattens Porsche

Porsche engineers have carved away at the basic Boxster to slash 80kgs off the bottom line before re-inventing it as the new Boxster Spyder, the ‘purist's form of the Porsche sports car’.

Weighing in at just 1275kg in its international trim the Spyder is the lightest car in the Porsche garage, an outcome which Porsche claims gives it the heart and soul of the legendary 550 Spyder — the car in which James Dean took his last ride on September 30, 1955.

However, Porsche Australia will be putting back in at least 15kg in deference to the Aussie love of comfort and cool air.  "Our cars will have a considerably higher standard specification level than those in other markets," Porsche Australia's Paul Ellis explains. "Air-conditioning will be standard as will the entertainment system. Our customers expect a richer mix in their cars."

Australian pricing hasn't been finalised yet with the 5 per cent tariff reduction still to be factored in to the mix before the car goes on sale next May, however it will carry an 8 per cent premium over the Boxster S and best estimates have the launch price for the 6-speed manual at around $145,000.

For that car comes with a seriously focussed sports attitude, a manual soft-top roof that encourages owners to leave it stashed away in the boot and a road presence that turns heads wherever it goes. The 3.4-litre flat six engine is tuned to Cayman output with 235kW and 370Nm which, in its lightest incarnation, can get the Syder from standstill to 100km/h in 4.8 seconds utilising the 7-speed PDK gearbox and Sports Plus engine mapping.

In the United States the same car — less the airconditioning, radio and a few other treats — will sell for $US61,200.  Porsche Australia expects to sell between 30 and 40 of the Spyders a year on what is conceded to be a short model run.

"The car is not a limited edition but, like the GT2, it is a special paying homage to the great Spyders of the past and there is no guarantee that there would be a Spyder version of the next generation of Boxster," Ellis says.