987 owners...no offence

[pothole]

What I think is incredible about the concept is that it's nearly 20 years old but you could almost stick it on a show stand today as a concept and it would look new and fresh. That kind of informs what I prefer about the 986. It's simpler and more timeless. It's aging really well, better than the 987, I reckon.

[blue2000s]

Great curves in this view

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/2009-11-04_1993_Porsche_Boxster_Concept.jpg

[pothole]

Brilliant. I also love the way they did the front shut line - how it starts on the bumper, carries right through in between the headlamp and turn-signal light in the main light cluster and then feeds seamlessly into the hood/bumper shutline. They carried this over onto the production 986, though slightly less dramatically, which is one reason why it's so resolved and clean. The 987 is a clutter of lines and intersections, some of which end rather abruptly. It's simply not as deft or resolved.

[JTP]

This is starting to sound like a Mustang vs Camaro debate except it's debating between the same car.
I remember when the concept car was introduced. I immediately fell in love with it. Same thing when I first saw a Boxster on the road in early '97, I knew I had to get one. I love my 986 but I can appreciate the new designs too. I really like the 987-2.
Atleast Porsche preserves the overall design of their cars from generation to generation. Not like alot of other companies where the same model is completely different from one year to the next.

[Overdrive]

Originally Posted by JTP

This is starting to sound like a Mustang vs Camaro debate except it's debating between the same car.
I remember when the concept car was introduced. I immediately fell in love with it. Same thing when I first saw a Boxster on the road in early '97, I knew I had to get one. I love my 986 but I can appreciate the new designs too. I really like the 987-2.
Atleast Porsche preserves the overall design of their cars from generation to generation. Not like alot of other companies where the same model is completely different from one year to the next.

Definitely agree, JTP, though I think a healthy debate is quite alright.

Overall, you're correct, and the design hasn't changed so severely that one can't recognize the car in an instant. There's things to appreciate in the design of both generations.

Another thing to keep in mind is the compromises designers have to make with new safety standards for bumpers and such, where hoodlines now have to be a certain distance from the front bumper because people like to walk in front of buses and get hit by the passing cars, it would seem. This also requires a slight change in the car's body design, as the rules were quite different even just 4 years ago, so that could explain some of the changes seen of recent.

[pothole]

Not to labour the point, but I spotted another interesting (well, to me!) difference that kind of speaks to my point, this time at the rear.

On the 986, look how the side shutline on the trunk / bootlid feeds seamlessly down into the rear light cluster and then curves elegantly around the bottom of the cluster and eventually into the shutline between the bumper and the rear wing / fender, it's all one continual, elegant sweep. Very clever, I reckon:



It echoes the front shutline I was talking about earlier, it's all part of what is a very resolved and, well, intellectually consistent design.

Now onto the same area on the 987. There's a slither of bumper that extends up to meet the wing / fender, in between the cluster and the hood / bootlid. The little shut lines it creates are a bit lost - they create unnecessary visual clutter. I would describe it as bad design:

[wanna986]

you have a good eye.

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by pothole

Not to labour the point, but I spotted another interesting (well, to me!) difference that kind of speaks to my point, this time at the rear.

On the 986, look how the side shutline on the trunk / bootlid feeds seamlessly down into the rear light cluster and then curves elegantly around the bottom of the cluster and eventually into the shutline between the bumper and the rear wing / fender, it's all one continual, elegant sweep. Very clever, I reckon:



It echoes the front shutline I was talking about earlier, it's all part of what is a very resolved and, well, intellectually consistent design.

Now onto the same area on the 987. There's a slither of bumper that extends up to meet the wing / fender, in between the cluster and the hood / bootlid. The little shut lines it creates are a bit lost - they create unnecessary visual clutter. I would describe it as bad design:

At least they're consistent