A Boxster in pink? Barbie’s car. But: the colour isn’t really pink, and a Boxster has long ceased to be just a woman’s car – whatever that’s supposed to mean.
So we try to see the colour without thinking about gender. Because whoever understands the Porsche myth understands it – man or woman. Though no one really understands it anyway. There are still plenty of makers building electric cars, SUVs, saloons and sports cars. And yet Porsche does something different: it manages to make even a pink convertible with a four-cylinder engine into something special. The colour isn’t pink – and it certainly isn’t feminine. In Porsche-speak it’s called Sternrubin Neo. Ruby, so actually red, even if to a male brain the colour is and remains pink. But above all it’s a classic: a reinterpretation of ruby red, the paintwork worn by the legendary Porsche 964 Carrera RS.
The Origins of a Mythical Silhouette
If a small child draws a Porsche, they draw the 964 – a third-generation 911. For it was the 964 that defined the icon’s lines. Under the influence of 1980s trends, with the 964 the 911 shed its delicate features and became a masculine machine. It all culminated in the brutal 964 Turbo with its wide hips. At a time when turbochargers were still a barely controllable matter – and not a half-hearted excuse for less displacement. And then there was the 964 Carrera RS, the ultimate weapon for track and everyday life. Yes, there were faster cars on the circuit and better ones on the road. But of all the cars of that era, none proclaimed its status as loudly as this one.
Today, several models in the Porsche catalogue pay tribute to the 964 by reviving its colour – among them the 718 Boxster. But apart from the crest on the bonnet and the ignition switch to the left of the wheel: what does a modern convertible actually have in common with the iconic ancestor? It doesn’t even have the flat-six any more. Even Porsche seems to have no better answer, for the marketing people can hardly explain what links all the “real” Porsches. For decades it was the longitudinally mounted flat-six that gave the cars from Zuffenhausen their unmistakable character. So much so that for the “Porsche purists” one thing was certain: anything without six cylinders was uninteresting.
A Change of Status
But when the Boxster and Cayman came with a four-cylinder mid-engine, that argument suddenly no longer held. The commercial and critical success of the four-cylinder Boxster and Cayman rehabilitated what the purists had rejected for decades. In fact, in recent years these former insider tips have gone from cheap, overlooked cars to sought-after classics. Partly because the purists remembered that even the 356 and the 550 Spyder – including James Dean’s – were powered by small flat-four boxers. Hollywood’s rebel probably did more for Porsche’s image than all marketing activities combined.
Mythical 718s
With the Boxster Spyder RS and the Cayman GT4 RS, Porsche has proved that it can build real sports cars beyond the 911. Rarely before had Porsche built a car so balanced, so agile and so pleasant to drive. Not least thanks to these two special models, the 718s have become coveted objects. And yet, for all its perfection, the Boxster lacks something. Because whenever a new model is unveiled in Zuffenhausen, the engineers, product specialists and marketing experts explain what makes it a real Porsche. And no matter which of the countless details is highlighted: in the end everything leads back to the 911. Ultimately, every Porsche that isn’t a 911 is only a homage to the 911. No more, no less.
Technical Data
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo flat-four, 300 hp and 380 Nm · Drivetrain: rear-wheel drive, 6-speed manual or 7-speed dual-clutch · Body: convertible, 2 doors, 2 seats · Dimensions: length × width × height 4.38 × 1.80 × 1.28 m, weight 1,335 kg · Performance: 0–100 km/h in 4.7 s, top speed 275 km/h · Consumption: 9.0–9.7 l/100 km, 203–220 g CO₂/km · Price: from CHF 85,400.
This article appeared in MEN issue 1/24 (May 2024).
