If a R Gruppe Boxster...

[DWBOX2000]

existed, what would it look like? What mods would be done? What name would the group have? Just for fun. I was watching chasing classic cars this morning which did a scene on the R Gruppe guys and was thinking if the 911 never existed and had chosen the 986, what would they have done?
Probably start with a spec boxster and go backwards.

[Qmulus]

I don't know/care what those guys would do, but I have been thinking about that myself. If I had room for more toys, I would build one of these.

I would probably start with an early base car, but using an S as a start would give you the better brakes and engine. Either would do. Basically, it would be a street legal spec Boxster with no cage, finished very nicely.

Suspension/chassis: Basically the full Tarrett spec Boxster kit Wihout the cage chassis flex will be noticable.

Brakes: Stock S with ABS, but NO PSM.

Wheels: "Square" setup 17x8.5 turbo twists or Fuchs wheels with very high performance, but streetable tires.

Engine: Performance tune, 987 airbox (factory system works great - I don't care for cone filters), underdrive pulley, no A/C, leave the rest alone. Lightweight street legal sport exhaust - even on a car like this I would hate exhaust drone.

Exterior: Stock or maybe GT3/Aerokit front bumper. No 991 conversions/etc. Should look factory. Litronics, but strip out the headlight washer system for weight. Fixed rear spoiler - maybe small ducktail spoiler integrated with fiberglass or carbon trunk lid or 987 Spyder-like integrated clamshell/trunk lid. NO skirts, or other add-ons. Ideally lids and doors and fenders would be carbon fiber for weight reduction. Must look like factory parts. No hood or trunk pins. No Dzus fasteners. NICE paint. Carbon panels should be painted. The undersides could be left as "naked" carbon, but exterior would be painted.

Remove the top and mechanism, but leave roll bar and color match to the car. Have a custom tonneau cover made. NO top.

Interior: Simple, simple, simple. No top means no need for windows. Custom smooth. but well made door panels with no visible fasteners. Simple door pull straps and latch pull. For seats I would have 996 GT3 seats or other simple, but nicely upholstered seats. Remove sound deadening, but leave carpet on the floor, possibly the center console area as well. Shifter can be fully visible (Numeric racing would be nice), but cover the cables Remove carpet and pad from rear firewall, but upholster with lightweight fabric (Alcantara?). Remove airbag system and install five-point harnesses. MAYBE leave a gutted climate control box with only heater/vent function and super simple, but factory looking controls (fan speed knob and cable adjuster for vent/temp doors. NO toggle switches - they are ugly. No sound system (use your phone and a bluetooth speaker if you must have music other than the engine. Nice three spoke fix steering wheel with no airbox. Leave column stalk controls. Simple pulls for trunk cables.

Dash. Either gut the existing dash to eliminate the airbag, speakers and center control stack, or ideally build a new carbon shell that is simple, but not a flat plate. Use stock or 996 cluster, with NO bezel, kind of like the 987 Spyder.

All in all, it would not be cheap, but it would be really fun. My guess is that it could easily cost $30k + the car to build. Seeing that a well built spec Boxster can be 2450lbs with a cage, fire suppression system, etc., I see no reason why you couldn't made this type of street Boxster at a similar weight. The one issue is that cages add a lot of structural rigidity and having that suspension might make for a noticeably flexy chassis. That kind of thing may lead to changes to make it more livable.

Sooo, that is my recipe. What is yours?

[PaulE]

I would like a 3.6 or 3.8 liter nicely built street legal, drivable engine, a limited slip differential and the bigger diameter Girodisc brake kit. I would have a nicely done custom interior with some great seats and leave the a/c and top in place. Nine8Six's upcoming infotainment system would be there for sure. I would upgrade the suspension to coilovers, but still want to be able to drive it on the street. 18 inch OZ Allegerita wheels in something close to the standard width and offset with max performance tires . The exterior would have Nine8Six's latest projection headlights and wheel center caps. The rear spoiler would still be one that still goes up and down but might be upgraded to the Cayman lip. And it would be RED!

[DWBOX2000]

Good stuff. I was thinking more lightning and customization. I would drill holes in the rear bumper, rs door panels, lighter seats, replace power windows with roll ups. Performance would probably be different pulley and the later air box. I guess the problem with the roll windows would be the movement the windows have when you pull the handle.
Maybe change the roll bar and center console. Lower a bit, a little stiffer suspension (struts and springs). I wouldn't get anything adjustable since a street car.
I striped the carpet and insulation out of my 911. Heard every noise, won't do that again.
I met a guy who had a 2002 box S and he told me he had the car reprogrammed. Is that possible?
Sorry just babbling. Waiting for coffee to kick in.

[thstone]

Originally Posted by DWBOX2000

I met a guy who had a 2002 box S and he told me he had the car reprogrammed. Is that possible?

Yes, Softronic offers ECU upgrades. The power increase is 5%-8% depending on engine and year. Of course, you can get a custom tune also but the power increases are likely limited to around 10% of stock.

Porsche 986 Boxster Performance Software Tuning Flash

[DWBOX2000]

Thanks Stone. Always helpful.

[DWBOX2000]

That's a lot of $ for only 10hp. I suppose it's only a piece before you get to any real gain.

[PaulE]

Originally Posted by DWBOX2000

That's a lot of $ for only 10hp. I suppose it's only a piece before you get to any real gain.

There are a lot of threads about programming, throttle body and intake plenum and exhaust changes and how much HP they add to an otherwise internally stock engine. Some of those gains are in peak HP only at peak rpm and the power, torque and driveability suffer everywhere else below that peak, meaning you may never feel any gains on the street. I believe that was Jake Raby's experience when he used to post here. After reading a lot of those posts, I decided to just have an underdrive pulley installed and leave everything else stock. YMMV!

[DWBOX2000]

Thanks Paul. Did you notice a difference on the street?

[NewArt]

I have a UDP in my car for one reason only: I track my car and this makes for less stress on the peripherals (power steering pump, alternator, a/c, etc) . I can't say that this mod has added any appreciable power to the car.

[PaulE]

I can't say I noticed any more power with the UDP. Whenever I pick up my car up from being serviced it always feels like it has more power, regardless of what was done to it!