The New Porsche Boxster
By Fred Krasne
It’s hard to believe that 15 years have passed since the introduction of the Porsche Boxster. It has been a design classic, a powerful mid-engine sports car whose heritage was inspired by the Spyder 550 that placed Porsche on the racing map back in 1953 at the Panamericana races in Mexico, a grueling 2,200 mile road race through Mexico. The 550 was called the “giant killer” beating out other race cars with larger engines and winning it’s small displacement class.
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Perhaps the most famous of the first 90 Porsche 550’s built was James Dean’s “Little Bastard” numbered 130 which Dean fatally crashed on Sept. 30,1955 at the CA Rt. 46/41 Cholame Junction. He was scheduled to race it the next day at the Salinas Road race scheduled for Oct. 1-2. What made this vehicle unique was its light weight and mid-engine design that allowed this vehicle to be very nimble and durable on long road races. The New Boxster’s DNA comes from this early mid-engine racer and will be available in late June 2012. It also draws its design heritage from the famous Porsche Carrera GT mid- engined sports car produced between 2004-2007. Sports Car International named the Carrera GT number one on its list of Top Sports Cars of the 2000’s. With this heritage, the owner of the New Boxster will certainly enjoy its racing and handling qualities.
[2]I had the good fortune to go up to the Porsche Driving School for 3 days in early May to drive the new Porsche Boxster S on the Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, AL, about 20 minutes from downtown Birmingham. It is a challenging 2.38 mile, 16 turn, 80 feet of elevation roller coaster of a racetrack that challenges both driver and automobile alike. We compared it against our competitors the BMW Z4 35is, Mercedes Benz SLK350, and Audi TTS Roadster. With the mid-engine design and the best power to weight ratio, the BoxsterS outperformed them all by significant margins. One does not have to own a Porsche to enroll in the Porsche Driving School online at www.porschedrivingschool.com, and have an exciting and educational time learning how to drive a Porsche the way it is meant to be driven and learn why Porsche believes form follows function in the design and operation of its sports cars.
[3]The new Boxster was redesigned to look both like its predecessors and a forward looking design ethos. The long wheelbase and low, raked windshield are integral to forming the streched, wedge-shaped silhouette. The convertible top can either be raised or lowered in 9 seconds and at speeds up to 30 mph. The Boxster is 265 hp, will do 0-60 mph in 5.4 seconds, top speed of 162 mph, and gets 22 mpg city and 32 mpg highway. The Boxster S is 315 hp, will do 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds, top speed of 172 mph, and gets 21 mpg city and 30 mpg highway. With prices starting at $49,500 and $60,900 respectively, one can enjoy a world class sports car for the price of a mid-sized luxury sedan or luxury SUV, but have a lot more fun.
[4]The new Boxster is on sale now. For those who want to follow the belief Dr. Ferry Porsche had 60 years ago, “I couldn’t quite find the car I dreamed of, so I decided to build it myself.”, will be immensely satisfied with this newest member of the Porsche family.
Fred Krasne has sold luxury cars at dealerships in Washington, DC, Tampa and Sarasota, FL for over 20 years. He also has significant financial background and experience in the leasing industry, dating back to his time as VP of Marketing for a lease finance company.
Fred believes that his experience in working with busy, successful people has driven him to focus on providing the kind of service that satisfies their demanding life styles. His skill is in relating to the needs and wants of the client, and making sure that their vision of their perfect car can be easily realized, in a way that makes sense financially.
For concierge level service contact Fred Krasne at (941) 923-1700 or fkrasne@sunsetautogroup.com [5]. Suncoast Motorsports [6] is located at 5005 South Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34231.
The Porsche logo is copyrighted by Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Germany. The Porsche wordmark and Porsche crest are registered trademarks of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG. Dr. Ing. h.c. F.
Copyright © 2012 REAL Magazine
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