987 owners...no offence

[pierre shags]

"Today I parked my white 1998 boxster next to a similar white 2009 987...
more agressive lines, lower, so much sleeker, sexier... the 986, of course"
edbelton

Aesthetic preferences are personal, of course, but I think the word 'aggressive' could be more objectively applied to the 987. Aggressive should be applied primarily to cars that look fast.

Wider and thinner tires do look fast and increase the size of the 'shoulders' and 'hips' of the car. This makes the 987 less smooth and rounded, but more muscular - definitely more aggressive looking.

The taller, tapered side vent looks more like supercars that are really fast; the little round one of the 986 looks like a throwback to some slower time. The vent is more angular; sharp edges look more aggressive than rounded ones and this has been the design trend for the last ten years. So yes the 987 looks more modern than classic. The line of the front & rear bumpers below the plates where it turns under is smooth on the 986 but has a definite crease on the 987 - muscle car looking if you must - but aggressive.

"I must say there is not a single point of the 986 I preferred...986 headlights looking "more Porsche" I have to roll on the floor laughing." says Kurt the Quick, and for once we agree.

The first thing that distinguished the two models for me was the vent, the second was the squatty L-shaped headlights of the 986. For aesthetics the 986 lost me right there. They are - I hope strong language won't get me kicked off the list - UGLY. They mess up the beautiful clean lines of the hood and fenders typical of all new Porsches - a real mistake.

[pothole]

Originally Posted by pierre shags

The first thing that distinguished the two models for me was the vent, the second was the squatty L-shaped headlights of the 986. For aesthetics the 986 lost me right there. They are - I hope strong language won't get me kicked off the list - UGLY. They mess up the beautiful clean lines of the hood and fenders typical of all new Porsches - a real mistake.

Hmm, speaking of objectivity...the fact is that the 986 lights, like them or loathe them, actually integrate more smoothly and neatly with the bodywork than the 987's units. Look at shut lines and intersections around the light units, the hood, the fender/wing and the front bumper on a 986:



Now look at the 987. Just inside the headlight unit, it's all very busy/messy/clumsy where the fender, hood, bumper intersect (I'm particularly talking about the awkward looking slither of fender that extends down to meet the bumper):



I do agree that the 987 looks more "aggressive". But for my money the 986 is so much cleaner, lither and prettier - it's a clever update of what it is to be Porsche. The 987 is relatively unsubtle. That said, I do very much like the rear end of the new gen 2 987:



My perfect Box would probably be front 3/4 of the 986 with the 987.2 rear 1/4. Actually my perfect Box is the original concept:





Stunning. Shame neither the 986 nor the 987 is as pretty. But the 986 comes a lot closer.

[chaudanova]

Cool pics! always love seeing that original concept boxster...

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by pothole

Hmm, speaking of objectivity...the fact is that the 986 lights, like them or loathe them, actually integrate more smoothly and neatly with the bodywork than the 987's units. Look at shut lines and intersections around the light units, the hood, the fender/wing and the front bumper on a 986:



Now look at the 987. Just inside the headlight unit, it's all very busy/messy/clumsy where the fender, hood, bumper intersect (I'm particularly talking about the awkward looking slither of fender that extends down to meet the bumper):



I do agree that the 987 looks more "aggressive". But for my money the 986 is so much cleaner, lither and prettier - it's a clever update of what it is to be Porsche. The 987 is relatively unsubtle. That said, I do very much like the rear end of the new gen 2 987:



My perfect Box would probably be front 3/4 of the 986 with the 987.2 rear 1/4. Actually my perfect Box is the original concept:





Stunning. Shame neither the 986 nor the 987 is as pretty. But the 986 comes a lot closer.

I agree, the concept car is by far the best looking Boxster. Note how much further forward the driver sits than in the production cars, more exotic proportions, like a Lamoborghini. The concept is a much smaller car than the production car too. Maybe the new rumored "baby Boxster" will bring things closer to the original concept.

[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.

[Quickurt]

Originally Posted by pierre shags

"I must say there is not a single point of the 986 I preferred...986 headlights looking "more Porsche" I have to roll on the floor laughing." says Kurt the Quick, and for once we agree.

Damn!!

Pick me off the floor and get out those smelling salts!!

Back in the day of early exotics and only sealed beam round headlights, all exotic, or "aero" designs had faired in covers over the sealed beams like the 987. 356's were somewhat of a trend setter in this design concept and hence the 987 lights are very close to truly "Classic Porsche."
The first gen 911 ('66 thru '73) had the trim ring of the clear fairings but, for a while, the cover lenses were illegal in US.

[Quickurt]

Pothole,

Clint Eastwood fan, I reckon?

[Quickurt]

To be honest, I think the different cut in lines on the 987 will give Porsche the ability to do several updated versions of the same body, far more cost effectively.
While some of those lines are cleaner on the 986, they limit slight modifications to make minor distinctions from year to year. I personally love the 987-2 front end for 2010, and it is a straight bolt on replacement for my 2006.
A bit of a close look and you will see minor shape differences everywhere on the new bumper cover, enough that we had to look very carefully and then check the parts department to make sure it is the same headlights for 2010.
This would have been very hard to pull off on the 986.

[pothole]

I'm not convinced the 987 design is physically more amenable to tweaks and facelifts. For proof of how flexible the 986 design is, just look at the 996 Turbo front end, which is effectively a variation on the 986 design but very different to look at.

Moreover, even if it is true, it wouldn't make the 987 a better design to look at. OK, it might be desirable in commercial terms in the sense of allowing Porsche to easily update the design and offer what looks like a "new" model.

But the best designs almost always last longer without the need for frequent facelifts. Indeed, when a car gets an early facelift, that's usually in response to a poorly received / failed design.

[jacabean]

this is the best looking porsche ever

[Pat]

^^^correct answer^^^

[Boxtaboy]

Originally Posted by jacabean

this is the best looking porsche ever

Sorry, but that looks like a Franken-Porsche to me...part Cayman, trying to look like a 911, trying to look like a Carrera GT, but not one of any of em.

[tonycarreon]

Originally Posted by jacabean

this is the best looking porsche ever

It looks like a Porsche for a snorks character...



not that I don't like parts of it...

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by jacabean

this is the best looking porsche ever

That's not a Porsche.

[Lil bastard]

Originally Posted by Quickurt

To be honest, I think the different cut in lines on the 987 will give Porsche the ability to do several updated versions of the same body, far more cost effectively.
While some of those lines are cleaner on the 986, they limit slight modifications to make minor distinctions from year to year. I personally love the 987-2 front end for 2010, and it is a straight bolt on replacement for my 2006.
A bit of a close look and you will see minor shape differences everywhere on the new bumper cover, enough that we had to look very carefully and then check the parts department to make sure it is the same headlights for 2010.
This would have been very hard to pull off on the 986.

I understand what you're saying, but what I hear is: "I get the ugly duck now so some lucky bast*rd down the line can get the really good looking and refined one..." And of course that's a supposition that the 987 will get 'better'.

IMHO, if you look back through the years, rarely is an initial car design ever improved or bettered. The freshness and momentum of an initial design captures the attention whereas future 'refinements' lack that type of 'POP'.

The 986 was new, fresh and (having not been seen before) WOW... while the 987 is just another Boxster. You can argue about the degree and value of the changes, but not about it being just another Boxster. It's definitely different. Better? Meaner? Better looking? These are all subjective.

Once in a while a model does definitely improve over it's initial design, take the the Toyota MR2. Back in the mid-80's, it was chiseled and odd looking. The 3rd Gen of the mid-90's was definitely better design-wise. Then, Toyota tried cashing in on it's reputation and success by simply naming a totally new design (the mid-engine whatever) as an MR2. This little trick never succeeded and the last MR2 fell with a THUD! Had Toyota simply introduced it as a new car, it's history may have been much different, which begs the question: How much can the design vary from the original concept and still be a Boxster?

Cheers!