Porsche Boxster started its life as an entry-level model, created to get more people interested in the brand. It was never less of a Porsche, though, it was always quick and handled just like a Porsche would. Over the years it was upgraded with more power, got a coupe version and brought way more people in than the company could have hoped for.
With the advent of electric cars and Porsche’s first EV venture Taycan becoming a runaway success - it was just a question of time before electric Boxster makes an appearance. The rumors were aplenty, the test vehicles were spotted putting miles on at the Nurburgring - but always disguised, always trying to hide the future from us.
Well - no more. A YouTube user going by a name DrGumoLunatic was very lucky (or well informed) and thanks to her or his ninja-like reflexes managed to capture a good quality video of nearly undisguised electric Porsche Boxster - here it is:
It may be a short video but it shows everything we wanted to know - we can clearly see the influences from the Mission R prototype. Gone are the softly shaped headlights replaced with the new narrow and “squinty” ones reminiscent of the upcoming Macan EV and first introduced by Taycan.
Front bumper is much taller with huge air scoops on the sides. The next notable difference is the lack of air intakes on the sides of the car but that actually is possibly a clever camo - it looks like there is a piece of black plastic taped over where usually the vents are. Once the car passes by we notice the piece de resistance - fake exhaust pipe. This time Porsche engineers did a slightly better job at trying to fool the onlookers than they did with the Macan EV but still failed miserably - the result is actually quite the opposite from what they intended.
You won’t find any vents in what used to be an engine cover - now it covers access to the battery pack and an electric motor and possibly a small trunk. We see the familiar design of rear lights - narrow and wrapping the car from side to side. There is an extendable rear wing hiding just above the lights and it looks like it extends or slides backwards rather than lifting - interesting.
The electric Boxster was originally planned for 2025 but this test car looks very much like a late pre-production model, possibly a production-intent vehicle. That would mean Porsche is planning a surprise launch much earlier, it's unclear at this stage how much the development of Boxster is affected by software issues the entire VW Group is facing. Maybe the latest announcement from the VW CEO about the software fixes has more depth to it?
It’s a tantalizing prospect - an electric Boxster with Taycan’s drivetrain, well - half of it at least. Boxster will most likely remain rear-wheel driven and the battery pack is placed behind the rear seats rather than under the floor. It makes the car handle just as a mid-engined car should and it keeps the center of gravity low. I can just imagine - 350kW of power from Taycan Plus, roof down and Col De La Bonette in the French Alps - if you never heard of it, grab a cup of your favorite drink and put YouTube on.
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