[Perfectlap]

^I think the Production 986 was pretty close to the concept, but only if you went with all the options. Porsche as is their way, nickel and dimed the 2.5 launch car by selling it with small ho hum wheels, no aero and a chintzy bare bones interior. If you wanted a look closer to the '93 concept car, which Tequipment options easily delivered, you had to fork over some big cash.
A 1997 (or 96 in Europe) 2.5 Boxster today can be upgraded inside and out and it will still look current, just like the concept car and would still be a head-turner. And if you pick your options wisely, in terms of weight, you can get the total weight of the 2.5 launch car to within striking distance of spec racer @~2,500 lbs. So the complaints about low power seem hollow once your at the actual track doing some actual high performance driving. Even 21 years later a 2.5 at that weight can stay in the mirrors of a 2008 987.1 sold 12 years later. Which tells you that maybe the engineers didn't have it completely worng in selling the 1997-99 Boxster with a 2.5 engine. Especially in those days when a "really fast" car like the M3 was still in the 250 HP neighbohrhood.

And I agree lineage is all inter-related at Porsche. Except that's not how Porsche's marekting department sells it. They figured out that creating a new legend could hep push sales by inventing a mystique about "upgrading" from a midengine car to a rear engine car. It's perhaps one of the most brilliant upselling strategies ever devised by a company.