The Porsche Boxster has been with us for nearly twenty years now and while it initially was derided as being somewhat soft Porsche gradually applied corrections and enhancements, most notably releasing the Boxster S, and at this point the Boxster makes for an excellent open-top performer. Even still the Boxster has never really been Porsche’s go to performance car. Much of that has been reserved, quite naturally, for the 911, but also for the Cayman, which debuted around half way through the Boxster’s current life. The Boxster has first and foremost been a roadster. Following along in that tradition the release of the Boxster Spyder was long overdue. The traditional roadster was meant to be a relatively simple machine. Granted, with the passage of time that formula has shifted toward higher degrees of refinement, but there remains within the ethos of any open-top two-seater that basic sense of sacrificing practicality in the name of oneness between driver, machine, and environment. In that manner, in producing the Spyder Porsche scrapped more than 100 pounds from the Boxster S through a variety of weight saving measures, most visibly through the sacrifice of the standard convertible top for what really is little more than a sun shade. Additional savings were found through aluminum doors and lighter wheels along with a host of deletions from the interior, including the use of carbon-fiber sport seats. All together we are left with one of the lightest cars in the Porsche lineup, but still with plenty of power to compliment that lighter weight. The example we see here is a Carrera White 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder, located in Texas, with Red leather interior and 10,244 miles on it.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder on eBay
Year: 2011
Model: Boxster Spyder
Engine: 3.4 liter flat-6
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Mileage: 10,244 mi
Price: $74,900 Buy It Now
The Porsche Boxster Spyder is one of my favorite road cars ever produced. Yes, I own a dealership specializing in Ferraris, and am an enthusiastic owner of Ferraris as well, but I love Porsches as well, and have always had a soft spot for the Spyder ever since I owned one a few years ago. The Boxster Spyder is emphatically NOT a regular Boxster, and is one of the most engaging and rewarding cars that has ever existed.
The Boxster Spyder was released near the end of the 987 model lifecycle, as the lightest Boxster ever made up to that point, and was only produced in 2011 and very early in 2012. Only a few hundred Spyders were thought to be produced for the US market, and the cars sold out quickly when they were released. The most noticeable change to the regular Boxster was the deletion of the power soft top, replaced with a two-piece canvas/carbon fiber “sunshade”. The 3.4 liter flat-6 engine was uprated to 320 hp. The suspension was lowered 10mm and specially tuned for the Spyder, and lightweight Spyder-only wheels were specified. Numerous other mechanical and cosmetic changes to the normal Boxster complete the package, making the Spyder a very special and distinct model.
This particular 2011 Boxster Spyder is finished in classic Carrara White, the launch color for the Spyder, with a very rare and desirable Boxster Red full leather interior. However, most importantly, this car has the combination of the two extremely desirable and rare options that really define the Boxster Spyder as it was envisioned by Porsche: the 6-speed manual transmission and the carbon fiber full bucket seats. (Most Spyders were specified by dealers with the PDK transmission and the regular Boxster sport seats.)
Having only covered 10,244 miles since new, and having only one owner since new, this incredible example of a Spyder is barely broken in. The original window sticker, all service records, books, manuals, tools, etc. are present. I have driven the car, and it is exactly what a great Boxster Spyder should be: the engine sounds amazing, the steering is tight and accurate, the suspension is incredible with a very sharp turn-in, and the brakes are typical modern Porsche brakes, powerful and confident. And, finally, the car was just brought up to date on all servicing by a Porsche dealership.
Many “Top 10” lists of the best Porsches ever made include the Boxster Spyder, and it is not surprising. Values of these cars have maintained their level since new, and examples with the 6-speed manual and bucket seats will especially maintain their desirability into the future. I look forward to discussing this wonderful Boxster Spyder with you. Please contact Michael Foertsch at michael@mbrandonmotorcars.com or 832-617-0494.
This particular Spyder comes equipped with the 6-speed manual transmission rather than PDK, which is sure to be an attractive option to many buyers. It also looks like the owner selected to have the radio and A/C reinstalled and I’m not sure whether those additions will be greeted was as much fanfare in what was to be a no-frills machine. This will still be a significantly lightened Boxster over the standard Boxster S, but for my money I’d rather the car came without either. As we’d expect from a fairly new car the condition appears quite good though we can’t really consider 10,244 miles to be all that low. We don’t come across the Spyder all that often so I don’t have a sure sense about where they are selling, but the asking price here is quite a bit above the $62K list price for which these sold as new. While there should be good demand for the Spyder I don’t know that we can expect them to be selling at these sorts of prices at this time. But if the price can be worked out, then this remains one of the best roadsters on the market.
-Rob
Rob, just to be clear, A/C and radio were options on the Boxster Spyder. They were not usually added on after the fact. Also, a lot of these cars have those two options.
@TM, yes, probably bad word choice on my part when I said reinstalled as I simply meant they had been selected as options. And you’re right about their prevalence as I don’t think I’ve come across a Spyder that had neither.