Rare Air: Project 987.2 Boxster Spyder

Throwbacks are kind of our thing and this car is certainly congruous with that sentiment. Deemed the spiritual successor to the infamous James Dean 550 Spyder, this stripped-down 320hp version of the drop-top Boxster promised an undiluted driving experience with even the most commonplace features left off of the standard equipment list. Indeed, part of its 176 pound diet left things like air conditioning and radio as unconventional add-ons.

 

Its party piece, of course, is its single-piece aluminum deckled with those iconic "aero humps". The manual tonneau top provides relief from the rain and is a charmingly theatric and lightweight solution, thought critics have found it cumbersome.

Our Maroon Team Snapback enjoying the new digs

A must: 6-speed manual and Carrara White factory painted console

Close-up of the Sport Chrono dial

As luck would have it, the coveted carbon buckets (an expensive option on the flagship 997 GT2 and GT3) were a standard part of the weight loss, along with aluminum doors, fabric door pulls, and handsomely bespoke 19" wheels (the lightest production wheels from Porsche). All this effort nets a car that tips the scales at just over 2,800 pounds. Despite this, this 1 of 891 incarnation has flown very much under the radar, it's enigmatic and illustrious nature only alluded to by its steady value on Porsche's wild used car market. Even driver examples like this fetch premium dollar and provide all the pleasure without the garage queen mileage anxiety.

Nobody needs a sportscar…if a car doesn’t bring you joy, doesn’t draw you back into your garage or force you to say, you know I’m just going to go drive for absolutely no purpose, well then the car is probably misplaced. - Nathan Merz

Special thanks to Porsche Barrington for the great service

And driving it is exactly what we intend to do. Some of our standard cosmetic and wheel accessory staples will make it onto the car almost immediately, while bigger upgrades will be assessed to ensure we don't spoil the Spyder's purity. For some more info about this car (and see how it stacks up against its predecessor), check out the PCA video below:

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