Quote:
Originally Posted by particlewave
The 986 is a fun car, but a future classic? I think not.  |
I have to agree. Think about all the times that "classic" has been used.
It's nearly always a situation where a car company made something great and then the company went into decline and made a bunch of inferior or bland cars. See Mustang, a huge number of Mercs, the Bangle era BMWs.
Whether something is a classic often depends not on the car itself but what comes after. Look at the 993 for instance, the handling wasn't anything to write home about and neither was the power, older water-cooled 911's provide much better feed back, 993 is expensive to maintain and repair (unless you're a wrencher). Despite a gang busters U.S. economy the car was nowhere near being a hit. Barely 2,600 sold in the entire U.S. in its final year. Those are bankruptcy numbers.
But after the 993 the Carrera got bigger and its bodywork became more aero dynamic = more boring, ditto for the engine, more power but with less nostalgia. The Carrera took its first step towards becoming the Grand Touring that the 997 and 991 are today. The 993 instantly gets a promotion by default.
The Boxster has pretty much maintained its original dimensions over the last 17 years, it hasn't morphed into a different sports car category like the Carrera has. And the Boxster has simply become better performing even if not everyone likes the styling changes. So how does the 986 become a classic when each new generation improves while maintaining its core identity?
p.s.
I have to disagree that the Boxster is only a slighty above average as sports car. The average sports car is not even really a sports car. Head down to your local track or AX no matter what state you're in, and you'll see the same five or six sports cars despite the market pushing dozens of "sporty"cars. The Boxsters have been bar-setting in the roadster category. I don't think the average owner who might contemplate putting crappy all season tires on the Boxster really understands just how capable these cars are. For instance, take a nearly 20 year old 2.5 Boxster and match it up against a base 987.1 and some random Japanese, German or American "sporty car" with similar output. That old Boxster is going to be on the tail of every other car on the track. It's lightweight, and can be made near Boxster Spec racing weight with some completely streetable tweaks, the engine is responsive, the brakes are excellent and the handling is legit. You don't get all those ingredients in the average 'sporty' car. not even close. Too many commercial and profit considerations that diminsh their cars.
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