Quote:
Originally Posted by 986_inquiry
what I don't get is the boxster is ~700 lbs heavier than the toyota MR2 yet they look so similar and are mid-engine RWD. If the Boxster was 700 lbs lighter it would be a beast! |
I used to autocross a Miata and had a few laps in this MR2 (weird sight lines from the cockpit). When you then step into the 986 the first thing you notice is that unlike the other two the 986 acutally feels like a full-sized car and not a tight fitting sardine can. Actually if I'm not mistaken from wheel to wheel the 986 is slightly longer than the 996 Carrera. And of course the cockpits themselves are identical. This may sound sort of weird but in that respect the 986 is kind of big for a traditional roadster.
One of advantage of the earlier 986's was weight. SCCA autox C-stock under ~2,800 lbs, in STR rules allow a drop of another 200 lbs which is just a whisker from a SpecBoxster at ~2,500. Which is why you don't see such a dramatic difference in lap times (and not just "seat of the pants" feel) from a 2.7. And this is before taking any serious lightweight measures that could be applied to a 2.5 like an Optima battery, light weight exhaust/headers, losing 2 cats, cut out the airbox and radio, light flywheel/race clutch, ultra light magnesium wheels and light rotors. Even now after nearly 17 years in bone stock form the 2.5's are practically in the mirrors of a base 987 over a lap.
Or in the case of the light weight Boxster Spyder a well prepared example (tires/suspension) from TC Kline without a single engine modification was able to outlap a modified
997 GT3 with nearly 130 HP advantage. Still the lightest water-cooled Porsche.