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Porsche Boxster S roadster amounts to a speedy special issue
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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ROANOKE, Tex. -- At Texas Motor Speedway near Fort Worth, the trick for beating the clock during hot laps on a serpentine in-field course is to rush into the final turn but resist braking until an instant before cranking the steering wheel right to turn toward the corner.
That gutsy maneuver retards tires only a moment before the nose veers to the right, which disrupts traction on rear drive wheels so the tail slips out to the left and the car initiates a controlled slide in smooth arching streak right through the apex of the curve.
Key for recovery at the end of the curve is vehicle control through the arc because you need the nose pointed property down the straight that follows in order to maximize track speed.
Cut the wheel too sharply and the tail swings wide, sending the vehicle spinning. Cut too timidly and the nose will never make the necessary line through the turn.
It also helps to have a vehicle perfectly balanced with weight evenly distributed on front and back wheels so you can maintain acute control through throttle and steering adjustments during the essentially uncontrolled maneuver of a deliberate lateral skid at high speed.
The vehicle used for these hot laps has that perfect poise, thanks to the placement of its powerful engine in mid-ship position immediately in front of the rear axle.
But it also carries the hardware of a serious performance car: A sport-tuned independent suspension, quick-to-respond rack and pinion steering mechanism, big ventilated disc brakes in front and back, a tight-to-shift six-speed manual gearbox and twin-cam aluminum engine arranged with six horizontally-opposed cylinders.
It's a Porsche in souped-up S edition of the Boxster two-seat roadster convertible.
How fast will it go?
Well, a stopwatch won't reach six seconds before this Boxster's speedometer swings past the notch of sixty miles an hour, which is almost a second faster than the base Boxster achieves with a smaller six-cylinder engine.
For fast work you'll need a test track, like the high-speed oval at Texas Motor Speedway, to push the S to its limit, which is a hair above 160 miles per hour.
Such a rate suggests racer power, and Boxster comes with a pedigree of Porsche's prowess in mid-engine racers that traces back four decades to the 550 Spyder. Its shape even evokes faint images of that slick Spyder, although the S acts more like a thoroughbred sports car designed to run on real-world streets rather than hard-to-access race tracks.
To explain the contraction of its name, Boxster combines the concept of a smooth and efficient boxer engine, whereby one piston stands in direct opposition to another like a boxer, with the excitement of a racy roadster.
Boxster reached America as a 1997 model representing the first entirely new product in almost two decades from Germany's fabled automaker. Following the introductory edition, the roadster collected an engine upgrade plus the more powerful S edition.
The engine in Boxster S receives a wider bore than what's found in the standard Boxster plant, which increases the displacement from 2.7 liters to 3.2 liters.
Add a dual-resonance air intake system plus an electronic drive-by-wire throttle and the power increases substantially, rising from 217 hp at 6500 rpm on the standard plant to 250 hp at 6260 rpm for the S.
Increasing the size of the engine also boosts the available torque. It grows from 192 lb-ft at 4500 rpm for Boxster to 225 lb-ft at 4500 rpm on the S.
More torque on hand at lower engine speeds translates to a smoother flow of power when using the lesser gears, such as when you're steering down city streets or crawling through a parking lot.
A quick-to-shift six-speed manual serves as the standard transmission on Boxster S, although Porsche's intuitive Tiptronic five-speed automatic is also available with manual shifting features through thumb switches mounted on the steering wheel.
The base Boxster, by contrast, shows a five-speed manual yet also offers the Tiptronic optionally.
With its wide track and low stance in roly-poly shape that ripples over wheelwells and exaggerates a slinky nose and bulging tail, Boxster looks like it cheats the wind.
Although both versions utilize the same exterior design, Boxster S shows subtle differences for the external design, such as a third air intake at the prow and a second tailpipe exhaust outlet at the rear.
Also, S rolls on unique wheels mounted in front of brake calipers painted red. The stock low-profile Z-rated tires measure to 17 inches but 18s are available.
To control speed, a number of dynamic mechanical systems drawn from Porsche's racing experience have been applied to the firm chassis, whose major components are forged from lightweight aluminum for weight efficiency.
The extended wheelbase and broad wheel track set up a stable platform balanced by the mid-ship engine placement.
By shifting the engine's weight off the front steering wheels, response time for turning improves. Add a rigid chassis with aluminum suspension components plus a track that's wider in back, and in Boxster these systems produce a car of uncanny agility.
Big race-inspired aluminum disc brakes work magically to rein Boxster's speed, and a number of features for active safety show up, including the rack and pinion steering system, four-wheel anti-lock brake controls and even the fast-to-accelerate throttle -- all working with an alert driver to keep the Boxster clear of harm's way.
Boxster S for 2001 adds as optional equipment the Porsche Stability Management (PSM), which employs a computer to check lateral wheel slippage.
Inside a cozy cockpit, sensual curves extend to every detail, from graphics of crisp black-on-white analog instruments to the slinky shape of door handles and toggle switches. Seats feel like they were sculpted strictly for your own body, due to firm bolsters and customized tuning with power tilt adjustments and easy-to-move manual controls for vertical and forward positions.
Boxster's power-folding convertible top stows behind the rear seat without cheating space in the rear trunk. One dashboard button and a single latch will initiate the act. An optional wind guard snaps in place between seatbacks to block wind buffeting when zooming along with the top down.
Window stickers currently tally to $42,100 for Boxster and begin at $50,200 for Boxster S.
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 2001 PORSCHE BOXSTER S Specs |
| Description: |
Compact 2-seat, roadster convertible |
| Model Options: |
Compact 2-seat, roadster convertible |
| Wheelbase: |
95.2 inches |
| Overall Length: |
171.0 inches |
| Engine Size: |
DOHC 2.7-L H6, DOHC 3.2-L H6 |
| Transmission: |
2.7-L: Manual/5, Auto/5 Tiptronic, 3.2-L: Manual/6, Auto/5 Tiptronic |
| Drive: |
Rear |
| Braking: |
Power 4-disc/ABS/PSM opt. |
| Airbags: |
2 (front) + 2 (side) |
| Performance: |
0-62 mph (100 kph): 2.7-L M/5: 6.6 seconds, 2.7-L A/5: 7.4 seconds, 3.2-L M/5: 5.9 seconds, 3.2-L A/5: 6.5 seconds |
| Top Speed: |
Top track speed: 2.7-L M/5: 155 mph, 2.7-L A/5: 152 mph, 3.2-L M/5: 161 mph, 3.2-L A/5: 158 mph |
| Gas Mileage: |
2.7-L M/5: 19/27 mpg, 2.7-L A/5: 17/25 mpg, 3.2-L M/5: 18/26 mpg, 3.2-L A/5: 17/24 mpg |
| Price: |
Boxster: $ 42,100, Boxster S: $ 50,200 |
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