Why I'm Mad at Porsche
 

Here's the scenario - I was at AutoClub Speedway last Saturday for a DE in prep for the PCA Festival of Speed to be held at the same location in April. I am driving in the open passing group and everyone is very careful and courteous with their passing.

As the day progresses, I find that I am turning lap times just slightly faster than a few other guys in 5.0 Mustangs and Camaro SS's. In fact, I am faster than they are through the banking and the infield corners, but they freight train me on all of the straights. So, we're all passing each other 2-3 times per lap - they pass me on the straights and I get back by them in the corners.

Yes, its fun to be fastger than guys with over 400hp, but what peeves me about this situation is why the heck can't I buy a Boxster with a 350-400 hp engine? Why does the Boxster/Cayman get stuck with a max of 320-ish hp and the only way to get more is to move up to a 911?

What I feel is salt in my wounds is the fact that Porsche sells a sedan and friggin' SUV with huge horse power. They aren't even sports cars! WTF?

Porsche should quit messing around and sell a high powered Boxster/Cayman.

The answer's very simple: Because it would be better than the 911. And they just can't have that. Can you imagine what a Cayman GT3 would be? It would eclipse the 911. I wish it wasn't so, but there's no way Porsche AG would do it.

This is the way things have been for years... Hell, I even did the same thing with a 914!

Thats why we are bombarded with work and create engines that cost more than the cars they are installed into are even worth.

We created a 4.2 Flat Six well before Porsche, ours has been done for two years now on the 9a1 platform. :-)

Back in 2010, TC Kline's Boxster Spyder outplapped a modified 997 GT3 by nearly 1.5 seconds at a Laguna time trial with zero engine mods, only suspension and tires. I was also just watching the Spyder outlap an R8 with one of those 400+ HP engines that Porsche won't pony up. So maybe you don't have to get a Carrera afterall to go faster.


As for Porsche, the 981 Boxster S is already practically equal on the time sheets to the Carrera 991. I'm going to shoot one of the car magazines an email to put together a head to head battle.: 981 S Cayman and Boxster vs. 991 Cab and Coupe....same rubber. With zero involvement by Porsche of course.

Also, for 1996-1999 anything over 300 HP wasn't so common, even in the standard 911.
The Carrera didn't hit 350 HP even with the introduction of the 997 some six years later.
If you wanted that 350-400 HP Porsche wanted you to cough up the benjamins for the race engine. No love for the 'regular' Carreras.

But good on you for passing much more powerful cars in your 2.5. I think that's one reason why Boxster racing is popular. It keeps ordinary drivers from looking faster than they really are.

Has been done.. 981 Boxster S vs 991 carrera 2.

2012 Porsche 911 Carrera (991) vs. 2013 Porsche Boxster S - Showdown - CAR and DRIVER - YouTube

I do track days on a 317 lb. (that's 100 lb lighter than stock) 1997 Ducati SS motorcycle. Air cooled, carbs, 85 hp. Everyone passes me on the straights, but the fun is I can out-brake and out-corner nearly all of them. I could just by a 1000 cc I-4 with 175 hp, but my Ducati is so much fun. My message is: buy a Camaro or Mustang, or just drive the Boxster and enjoy it. Straightaways take no skill at all. Track days are not a race, they are all about fun!

Manolo pretty much summed it up.

Not a good comparison since the 981 had advantages that the 991 didn't.

I'm talking about equal options, equal rubber. x # lap race between the four.

Don't get mad, get even. When the 2.5 finally lets go, have Jake shoehorn a nice 4.0L in there with appropriate cooling and gearbox. Then you will have $150k performance for around $30k... Eric Oviatt built the prototype.

someone has a 4.0 L in a Boxster? I've seen this on a 996 and it looked like an extensive project.

The Raby 4.2 is in a 2010 Cayman "X".

Boom. That's how you do it right there. :-)

Power is like money, you can never get enough.

LS V8 Boxster Conversion From Renegade Hybrids! - YouTube

Oh... my... that made me :eek:

At 0:55, tell me we don't all do that every day :) That "on-ramp unleashing" is the best part of my day.

I see a 400 horse B4S in the future...

What about a 3.2S that's been re-sleeved to 3.6? Anyone heard/know of one?

Thats what we pioneered... My Gen3 engines can go 3.2-3.8 without issue and produce over 300RWHP even in my first stage of performance.

I did this first before anyone else, see pics of many of them here in the albums on our facebook page. www.facebook.com/fixabrokensix

This addresses the 24 modes of engine failure, produces a minimum of 50HP over stock (even my Stage 1 3.6 built from a 3.2 makes this today) and does so without any "conversion" necessary. We don't even have to flash the ECU for most of these combinations we have developed to produce ridiculous performance.

I bet he's got some serious tire bills :rolleyes:!