Is the Boxster the unloved stepchild?

[Perfectlap]

My understanding is that Porsche do not report Cayman and Boxster sales separately, they are lump together as 987 or now 981.
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Porsche limited engine options for the Boxster and Cayman because they fear the mid engine threat. I cant think of another brand that went out of their way to develop a deliberately less powerful engine for a new model. Inexplicably tall first gear to create a bigger gap on 0-60 times? The really funny thing is that if you were to randomly pull a part off the Boxster you're much more likely to be holding a part number beginning with 996 than 986. If it had the 3.6 it would essentially have been a 99-04 Carrera roadster with superior handling. And the inevitable time sheets would have upended the whole narrative that rear engine is superior. So the 2.5 was the only option to avoid explaining why the Boxster was faster than the mushy 993 Carrera being sold at the time of the Boxster launch.