The Old(986) and the New(718)

[Pnut]

While I respect the 718's better overall engineering and performance, appearance wise, there is no angle in which I feel it beats the 986.

[Auf los!]

I received a beautiful slipcased book about the 718 from Porsche in the mail today.

I'm sorry, but when you've had a naturally-aspirated flat-6, you're not going to settle for a flat-4 with turbo lag. I think Porsche has made a big mistake, and that makes me very sad.

[husker boxster]

I don't care for the 'square jaw' of the 718's front bumper, but from a side view I think the 718 is sexy. Great flowing lines. 3/4 rear view is good too. It just needs to taper in at the front bumper.

[rah rah 986]

Originally Posted by husker boxster

I don't care for the 'square jaw' of the 718's front bumper, but from a side view I think the 718 is sexy. Great flowing lines. 3/4 rear view is good too. It just needs to taper in at the front bumper.

I don't see a side view of the 718 in these photos. But, from the rear I prefer the look of the 986. To me, it's classic. As is the single tailpipe. Over the years, the single tailpipe has been replaced with twin pipes. While I think the twin pipes are sharp, I like the single pipe. It was novel and innovative for its day. It gave the appearance of a rocket, ready to take off!

[navair]

I agree, it shows how the 986 is a timeless beauty, all compound curves )

[husker boxster]

[QUOTE=rah rah 986;506170]I don't see a side view of the 718 in these photos./QUOTE]

Ask and ye shall receive!

[lkchris]

Originally Posted by Auf los!

I received a beautiful slipcased book about the 718 from Porsche in the mail today.

I'm sorry, but when you've had a naturally-aspirated flat-6, you're not going to settle for a flat-4 with turbo lag. I think Porsche has made a big mistake, and that makes me very sad.

Porsche is forced into this "mistake" by current emissions and consumption laws. It's smaller and turbocharged for every manufacturer in Germany.

[rexcramer]

Maybe the white has something to do with it but, the newer car looks much wider in the pics. I like the way it looks with the exception of the rear badges. I like the Porsche moniker on the tail but, do we really need to know it's a 718 Boxster S also. I like the larger rear lights on the early version better. And I have never disliked the fried egg headlights or the amber side markers. As much as I like the N/A 6 sound of mine, I will be happy to drive a 20 year old 718 in 2036, God willing. :dance:

[thstone]

Originally Posted by lkchris

Porsche is forced into this "mistake" by current emissions and consumption laws. It's smaller and turbocharged for every manufacturer in Germany.

Yes and no.

Everything in engineering is a tradeoff. It bothers me that the automotive press seems to simply accept that turbo's were the only possible solution to the problem.

If I were in charge of engineering at Porsche, I'd have thrown out 600 lbs of what I consider to be useless weight in a Boxster. This weight reduction alone would have yielded +3 to +4 mpg - the same as the mpg improvement between the 986 and 718 models.

986 manual mpg: 17 city/24 highway
718 manual mpg: 20 city/26 highway

[Ben006]

Originally Posted by thstone

Yes and no.

Everything in engineering is a tradeoff. It bothers me that the automotive press seems to simply accept that turbo's were the only possible solution to the problem.

If I were in charge of engineering at Porsche, I'd have thrown out 600 lbs of what I consider to be useless weight in a Boxster. This weight reduction alone would have yielded +3 to +4 mpg - the same as the mpg improvement between the 986 and 718 models.

986 manual mpg: 17 city/24 highway
718 manual mpg: 20 city/26 highway

Even Lotus don't follow that spirit anymore.

From a sports car enthusiast point of view, sure, you can remove 600lbs off of a boxster and make it better for you.
From an average Porsche customer point of view, it won't!

And the boxster is already not that heavy compared to most cars.