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I’m not here to claim that the 986 Porsche Boxster gets overlooked in terms of the Porsche world in general, but it maybe isn’t the first model you run to when you dial-up Porsche in your thoughts. It was a wildly successful model when it launched in the late-1990s, as it brought back memories of the 914 and got people in the door of the Porsche brand without paying 911 prices. The base Boxster in 1997 started right under $40,000, while the base 993 started at around $65,000. As the years went on the 986 became just a used car, although a used Porsche, but still didn’t get much love from the collector crowd unless it was a really special example. Today, this still holds largely holds true but they are starting to come along slowly. Let’s look at this 2002 Boxster S, as it’s a great color and has just 47,000 miles. Is it worth the premium?
Have you ever wondered what a 986 Porsche Boxster would look like as a Cayman? Well, here we go. What we have today is a 2002 Porsche Boxster S with a Z-Art Zeintop hardtop. Normally, the 986 Boxster hardtop mirrored the shape of the soft top, but the aftermarket Zeintop added a hatch component that actually looks really nice. Naturally this isn’t something you pop on in 10 minutes, but once everything is bolted up, it seems to look pretty slick.
Sometimes just for fun I go back and look at concept cars for production models just to see how much had to be changed for whatever reason. The first-generation Porsche Boxster is an interesting example of what started as a really progressive design with some homages to years past, only to be changed significantly because of production requirements and cost control. Go look at the working 1993 concept, and the exterior had shades of 550 Spyder while the interior had some really wild features such as little three-fan blades as blower fans. I totally get why something like that didn’t make production as it would have been extremely expensive to produce, and even more expensive to fix after they broke twenty minutes after leaving the dealer lot from someone sticking something in them. What ended up in production is a design that was still fresh for the mid-1990s, but an interior that was watered-down considerably. Still, it is tough for more to argue about this Boxster as this car literally saved Porsche from dire financial straits, along with the Cayenne.
Now that we are nearly almost 25 years from the launch of the Boxster in 1996, are these becoming classics that will be looked at the same way we now look at the 914? Tough to say.
A few weeks I took a look at one of the most jarring Porsche interiors I have run across with a 1999 911 up for sale in San Diego. It wasn’t so much that the Jade Green was all that ugly, but rather the Burl Wood that was plastered everywhere clashed so much with the Jade and the rest of the interior. Add in the fact that the car is automatic, has 166,000 miles and isn’t priced all that well, you can probably guess what it is still for sale. Most of you in the comments seemed to agree with my thoughts on that 996 as well judging by the reaction that it got. Although one commenter (Thanks JonnyA) passed along another late ’90s Porsche with a green interior that still has loads of green leather, but isn’t nearly as gaudy or off-putting. This 1997 Boxster up for sale outside of Dallas features Nephrite Green leather and even better, has just 8,900 miles. Is this a better option if you still want an inexpensive Porsche with a wild interior?
While the Porsche 986 Boxster might have been the car that saved Porsche with its massive popularity, the 987-derived Cayman was what made the mid-engine design popular with track enthusiasts. Especially in more potent “S” form, the Cayman is a giant killer with sublime vehicle dynamics and plenty of punch even without a turbo. The 987 refresh in 2005 fixed many of the perceived visual faults of the 986 Boxster design with a slant towards a more aggressive look. The Coupe added a smooth, flowing hatchback line to the 997-inspired exterior, creating a lightweight, 7/8ths scale mid-engine 911. That it was less expensive than the traditional flat-6 lineup didn’t hurt, either. It was, and remains, a hit.
It was no surprise then that immediately these Caymans became popular with track enthusiasts and racers alike, spawning their own race series in the PCA. But you don’t need to fork over $100,000 for one of the rare Napleton Interseries cars to have a lot of fun at the track, as Kachel Motor Company proves with this duo of Cayman S racers:
