After everyone went gaga for the latest Porsche Cayman GT4, get ready for it to all happen again – but without a roof. Porsche has just revealed the latest Boxster Spyder at the New York Motor Show.

Anyone familiar with the last generation of Boxster Spyder will recognise its successor – it’s about a focus on performance with fewer fripperies. The fabric roof opens and closes by hand, and there’s no auto option on the transmission, only manual.

The suspension of the new car is 20mm lower than the regular Porsche Boxster, and firmer too. The brakes come from the 911 Carrera and the steering has been tweaked to be more direct. There’s also more power – the mid-mounted 3.8-litre flat six engine makes a thoroughly decent 370bhp.

That means a 0-100kph time of 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 290kph.

Styling wise, the Porsche Boxster Spyder takes the standard Boxster looks and adds elements that hark back to sports and race cars from the past. The streamlined bulges on the rear lid are a tribute to the 1960s 718 Spyder, for example. The front and rear are taken straight from the Cayman GT4.

Inside lightweight bucket seats with big side supports are prepared for the inevitable spirited cornering, and there’s a new steering wheel too. But there’s no radio or air-con as standard – this is a purist car! Although, if you like your purist to be accompanied by music and cold air, you can order them as a no-cost option.

Expect to see the new Porsche Boxster Spyder in the summer.

Porsche is beginning the 2015 convertible season by celebrating the world premiere of the new Boxster Spyder. This purist sports car will make its debut at the New York International Auto Show. The new top model in the open two-seater series retains the independent character of the previous Spyder, which has already attained cult status. For example, the classic fabric roof is still opened and closed by hand, and the sports car is only available with a manual transmission.

As a true original roadster, the Boxster Spyder offers a traditional sports-car driving experience but with contemporary performance. This means a firm sports suspension with a 20-mm lower ride height, brakes taken from the 911 Carrera, more direct steering, and a 3.8-liter six-cylinder engine with an output of 375 hp (276 kW). Drivers and passengers can thus look forward to a genuine sports-car experience with outstanding driving dynamics in the lightest yet most powerful Boxster there is. It only takes around 4.5 seconds for the Boxster Spyder to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h; the model’s top speed is 290 km/h. NEDC overall fuel consumption amounts to 9.9 l/100 km.

The distinctive design of the Boxster Spyder includes stylistic elements that recall the legendary sports and race cars from Porsche. For example, as a tribute to the 718 Spyder from the 1960s, the new Boxster Spyder has two prominent streamlined bulges that extend down along the long rear lid behind the headrests. The partially manually operated, lightweight top is suitable for everyday use and brings to mind roadsters from the past, while the fins that stretch back to the rear lend the vehicle’s silhouette its characteristic design. The front and rear end of the model were taken from the Cayman GT4.

More so than in any other Boxster, the interior of the new top model creates an atmosphere that elicits a feeling of pure driving pleasure. The driver and passenger sit in light sports bucket seats with large side supports, while the new steering wheel with a diameter of 360 mm helps ensure the mid-engine roadster can be driven precisely and with great agility.

In line with the model’s purist design neither a radio nor an air conditioner is included as standard equipment in order to reduce weight. However, both can be ordered ex-factory as optional equipment at no extra cost. In addition, the entire range of Boxster audio systems is available for customers to choose from as an option. The Porsche Communication Management (PCM) system with all of its special features can also be ordered as optional equipment, for example.

The new Boxster Spyder will be launched on the market in July and can already be ordered at dealerships. Prices in Germany start at 79,945 Euro(including sales tax and country-specific equipment features).

Porsche Boxster Spyder: fuel consumption urban 14.2 l/100 km; extra-urban 7.5 l/100 km; combined 9.9 l/100 km; CO2 emissions 230 g/km; efficiency class (Germany): G

With the debut of the next-generation Porsche Cayman and Boxster, the two models will receive more than just a new turbocharged flat-four engine -- they'll have new names as well. The mid-engined duo will be known as the 718 Cayman and the 718 Boxster, with Porsche adopting the historical name first carried by the 1957 718 race car, a descendant of the 550 Spyder.

"Whether it was at the 12-hour race in Sebring in 1960 or the European Hill Climb Championship which ran between 1958 and 1961, the Porsche 718 prevailed against numerous competitors with its powerful and efficient flat-four cylinder engine," the company said in a statement. "The 718 took first place twice between 1959 and 1960 at the legendary Italian Targa Florio race in Sicily. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1958, the 718 RSK with its 142-hp four-cylinder engine achieved a significant class victory."

The coupe and roadster will now have more in common with each other, with Porsche bringing them closer together stylistically and mechanically -- even though they didn't start out that way. And the automaker is taking the opportunity to reshuffle the pricing, too; Zuffenhausen wants to position the Boxster just above the Cayman in price to present a clearer price ladder for buyers.

Perhaps even bigger news than the name change, the upcoming 718s will be powered by a new turbochaged flat-four engines -- a development which former chief executive Matthias Muller has hinted at in the recent past -- with the engines expected to displace 2.0 and 2.5 liters (though the displacement figures have not been confirmed). Muller has also indicated that the powerplants could spread to the rest of the range, with the Macan possibly being the next in line to receive the new boxer engines.

As for output, Muller has suggested that the top version of the new boxer engine could produce up to 395 hp, which would make it an easy choice for the Macan should Porsche decide to go in that direction.

The 2017 Porsche 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman are scheduled to debut in 2016, so get your naturally aspirated mid-engined Porsches while you still can.

Porsche's new mid-engine soft tops may be missing a couple of cylinders but they make up for it by being the most powerful standard production Boxsters in the range's 20-year history.
When the 718 Boxster and 718 Boxster S make their global debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March, they will do so with new names and totally new four- instead of six-cylinder engines. But before ardent Boxster fans start taking down their posters and researching the merits of a BMW Z4 instead, both cars boast more power, acceleration and torque as well as greater efficiency.
Thanks to very liberal use of turbocharging, Porsche had built a 2-litre flat-four engine that can deliver 300hp and for the S variant, a 2.5-litre unit that can output 350hp, that's a 35hp increase compared with both outgoing models and a 13 per cent increase in fuel efficiency.

In terms of acceleration, the Boxster goes from 0-100 kilometres per hour in 4.7 seconds and the S can do it in 4.2 seconds.
As well as the engines, the chassis set-up has received some serious attention so that the car, regardless of engine size, offers more than just handling and poise. For example the Active Suspension Management system can drop the car's ride height by 10 millimetres or by 20 millimetres for serious performance but it can also be set for comfortable, long-distance touring.
For this reason, the cabin has also taken a step up in terms of comfort. The Porsche Communication Management system is standard for instance.
Porsche is as much a cult as it is a car company. Its fans are devoted followers, but they are also traditionalists that expect certain elements of each model -- be it the iconic 911's engine position or the Boxster's cylinder count to remain unchanged.
Unfortunately, tougher and tougher fuel economy and emissions rules mean that even the best automotive recipes need to be adjusted for the planet's future health. And this is why as well as removing cylinders, the company has added the term ‘718' to the cars' names. This is to remind ardent fans that Porsche used to build incredible race cars with flat four-cylinder engines and that it's simply reviving a tradition.
As for external aesthetics, the new cars are the best looking in the Boxster's 20-year history. Their lines are sharper, more dynamic, giving the vehicles a much wider stance. In short, they finally have their own, clearly defined personality without straying too far from the traditional Porsche design DNA.