What’s The Appeal of the 987 Boxster Spyder?

With a free-revving 3.4-liter engine powering a single-minded machine weighing sub-3,000 pounds, the original Boxster Spyder had a lot to offer the discerning motorist. It did not exactly have the most user-friendly roof, or lack thereof, but that only allowed the driver to better appreciate the flat-six bark by leaving it down 100% of the time. For the driver who wanted a more direct connection with their car on occasional sunny Sunday drives through the countryside, the Boxster Spyder was a genuine treat.

Nothing superfluous could weigh down this responsive machine. The door pulls, lack of A/C, and omission of anything luxurious made each of its 320 horsepower better appreciated. Speaking of, that power was enough to have fun, but not so much as to constantly overpower the chassis. This was far from a muscle car, but it was no slouch in the performance department.

This was a Porsche that truly shined when some lateral loading was introduced. Capable of 1.04 G on the skidpad and as focused as the revered members of Porsche’s GT lineup, the spartan Spyder provided an addictive thrill for the driver with a full stable of more practical cars. It was rare, it was special, and it held on to its value better than some.

As we see in the above footage, these two YouTube testers from TheCarGuys channel simply enjoy the focus and the thrills of a car which apes the ethos of the old 550 Spyders—cars which were designed to do one thing and one thing only. While this isn’t a pure race car, it’s a pure fun car.