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.
Tag: 2011
Like many I was filled with excitement and anticipation when it was announced that BMW would release a M-package 1-series. We were all pretty sure it wouldn’t be called the M1, since that name was taken, but regardless of what it was called there was plenty to be excited about. The 3-series was getting too big and seemed a significant departure from the iconic E30 M3, which was for me, though I didn’t really know it at the time, THE CAR to capture my attention and it elicited “ooohhs” and “aaahhhs” whenever we passed the local BMW dealer. I only saw it from afar so I can’t say exactly what color it was, though I know it was bright – something along the lines of Zinnoberrot I’d guess. Of course the 1M isn’t quite to the E30’s stature, at least not yet, but it was smaller and better proportioned than its siblings and that definitely was a step in the right direction. But whereas the E30 possesses a litheness to its design, the 1M is all muscle and with 335 hp it packs plenty of punch to backup that sculpted appearance. There is an Alpine White 1M that runs around where I live and for a white car it’s pretty darn sexy, but ultimately I come back to that first M3 and look for something a little brighter like this Valencia Orange 2011 BMW 1M Coupe, located in Illinois, with 32,250 miles on it.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2011 BMW 1M on eBay
3 CommentsLast week, in my feature of a 911 GT2, I mentioned off hand that from its inception the GT2 has been the ultimate 911 – right up until the release of the GT2 RS, a car that took all of the insanity of the GT2 and decided it was not insane enough. Lo and behold, I then came across one such beast up for sale. Here we have a triple Black 2011 Porsche 911 GT2 RS, located in California, with 5,781 miles on it. Weighing not much more than 3000 lbs and with power raised to 620 hp along with 516 lb-ft of torque the GT2 RS rivals any supercar and even dips its toes into hypercar territory. Yet it remains a functional machine that, while not an everyday cruiser, still doesn’t require its owners to suffer quite as many sacrifices to comfort and usability as certain Italian rivals might necessitate. It is one of the quickest cars Porsche has ever produced and, look at that, it also has a good ‘ol trusty 6-speed manual transmission, a reality that surely we will not see in future iterations of the GT2 (assuming one actually comes to pass).
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2011 Porsche 911 GT2 RS on eBay
2 CommentsEven though it’s been with us for more than a decade, I still can’t wrap my head around the Porsche Cayenne. For a company that started as a manufacturer of light weight sports cars based around Volkswagen architecture, this heavy beast seems out of place in the lineup of a sports car manufacturer. However, it’s been a hot seller and has provided Porsche an infusion of cash which will allow the sports car business to go on and on. The first generation Cayenne came in many varieties, including a GTS model with a 6-speed manual gearbox. This wasn’t the natural choice for the soccer mom, but for those who wanted a bit of fun in large truck format, there were few choices at the time. With the debut of the second generation Cayenne, the manual option was eliminated from the GTS model, but you could still row your own with a “base” model with the V6. This 2011 Cayenne for sale in Oregon is equipped as such and is a decidedly unorthodox choice if you’re in the market for a used SUV.