Looking Back at the Boxster On Its 25th Anniversary
As the Boxster celebrates its silver anniversary, we take a look back at how it came to be.
By Brett Foote - April 28, 2021
Silver Anniversary
Finding Inspiration
"In October 1991, I was responsible at the time for advance development in the Design department," said Grant Larson, designer of the Boxster concept, who is now Porsche's Director of Special Projects. "I visited the Tokyo Motor Show. Audi presented the Avus Quattro concept car there. At the end of 1991, the series development of the Boxster and the 996 was already taking place in other areas, and we decided to build a show car. I had full freedom as regards design. All drafts were produced as 2D drawings. So, not on a screen like today."
Photos: Porsche>>Join the conversation about looking back at the Boxster's history right here in the Rennlist Forum!
Freehand Design
"My boss, Harm Lagaaij, really pushed me on the design, above all as regards the detailed forms," Larson said. "We were lucky that we could call on Peter Müller, a fantastic modeler. Instead of using coordinates in the usual way, he worked only with my drawings. Freehand, as it were."Photos: Porsche
>>Join the conversation about looking back at the Boxster's history right here in the Rennlist Forum!
Rush Job
"We had originally planned to present our concept car in Geneva in spring 1993," Lason continued. "But we decided on Detroit in January because we did not want to waste any time. What is more, our focus with the roadster was on the US market, where Porsche was weak at the time, and where Mazda with its Miata and BMW with the Z1 were already present in the roadster segment."Photos: Porsche
>>Join the conversation about looking back at the Boxster's history right here in the Rennlist Forum!
Continued Development
With the Boxster sports car concept designed by Larson, Porsche continued the technical development of its earlier Spyder, Speedster, and Roadster sports cars, and intentionally included references to the 550 Spyder and the 718 RS 60 from the 1950s. The mid-engine concept, short body overhang at the rear, front end extending well beyond the front axle, and centrally positioned exhaust tailpipe: all these were characteristic features of both the forebears and the concept car.Photos: Porsche
>>Join the conversation about looking back at the Boxster's history right here in the Rennlist Forum!
Distinctive Style
Distinctive air intakes and air outlet openings were important design elements present on the concept, as were the headlights, taillights, and turn signals with their innovative lighting technology. The interior was designed to match, with metal painted in the same exterior color used on the door panels, instrument carrier, and center console.Photos: Porsche
>>Join the conversation about looking back at the Boxster's history right here in the Rennlist Forum!
Overwhelming Response
The Boxster concept enjoyed an overwhelmingly positive response from the public and the press, and this ultimately prompted Porsche to greenlight it for production. "Shortly after the presentation in Detroit, we were instructed to stop series design development for the Boxster immediately," Larson said. "The instruction instead was 'Please build the concept exactly like that.'"Photos: Porsche
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