Porsche 718 Boxster

If you are like me your mouth is still wide opened. It all sounds simple, the Porsche Boxster and Cayman are being rebranded as the 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman for the 2016 model year. We’ll get into why the rename in a moment, but something much bigger just happened.

The Boxster will no longer be the entry level model for the marquee. The 718 Boxster will have the same power output levels as the 718 Cayman. Because of this Porsche is raising the price point so that it will sit above the Cayman just as the 911 Carrera Cabriolet costs more than the coupe.

So, why all the fuss of changing the name? Porsche has told us that the new cars will use a turbocharged four-cylinder engine. The most recent Porsche to use that number of cylinders is the Le Mans winning 919 Hybrid. That car however adds the hybrid system and uses a 2.0-liter turbocharged V4.

It is believed that 718 models will use a turbocharged flat-four engine and rumor has the power plants being offered in 2.5-liter and 1.6-liter forms depending on if you go with the S model or standard. We now know that the Boxster will no longer be detuned.

The 718 number was last used for the successor of the legendary 550 Spyder. The flat-four powered machine managed many victories including a class win at the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1958. This also would appear to give us a hint to the fact that the new 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman will use a flat-four engine.

A few lingering questions still remain. For example, will there now be a 718 Boxster GT4 as well as a 718 Cayman GT4? Will Porsche add a lower priced sports car model to fill in the price range under the Cayman? We don’t yet know the answers but should early in 2016.