{"id":15949,"date":"2009-12-03T10:17:38","date_gmt":"2009-12-03T15:17:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=15949"},"modified":"2009-12-03T15:13:37","modified_gmt":"2009-12-03T20:13:37","slug":"first-look-and-first-drive-2010-porsche-boxster-spyder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2009\/12\/first-look-and-first-drive-2010-porsche-boxster-spyder\/","title":{"rendered":"First Drive: 2010 Porsche Boxster Spyder"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Lighterweight<\/a>
Lighter weight means better performance with the 2010 Porsche Boxster Spyder.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There\u2019s nothing like some positive sales news to make an automaker sound absolutely ebullient, so despite some cautions about the uncertain future, Porsche officials bolted into this year\u2019s Los Angeles Auto Show sounding upbeat and optimistic about their expanding line-up.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s certainly been plenty of product news, of late, with the addition of models such as the 911 GT3 RS, 911 Turbo and Panamera.\u00a0 And, for L.A., add the latest addition to the Boxster line, the 2010 Porsche Boxster Spyder.<\/p>\n

Klaus Berning, Porsche\u2019s executive board member responsible for worldwide sales and marketing noted that sales have been better than 2008 for the past four months, and the company is ahead 18-percent over the same period last year. Berning cited several factors, including that dealers have gathered more than 1500 orders for the 4-door Panamera.<\/p>\n

\"Auto<\/a>
Auto Show News!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

These positive news items set the stage for the reveal of the 2010 Boxster Spyder. Most journalists had to wait until the sports car idled out onto the turntable, but the day before the L.A. Auto Show opened to the press, Porsche hosted a group of journalists in Carmel, California.<\/p>\n

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\"The<\/a>
The 2010 Porsche Boxster Spyder makes its official debut at the L.A. Auto Show.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The dramatically styled Spyder takes cues from the original Porsche 550 Spyder, a classic 1955 offering. More influences comes from 1960\u2019s 718RS60 racer, the 1969 909, and the more recent Carrera GT. Porsche expects the roadster to be run topless, so its lightweight canvas and carbon-fiber affair works more like a two-piece marine Bimini top. Most people will leave it folded in the elegant aluminum boot.<\/p>\n

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TheDetroitBureau.com drove the Spyder over nearly 200 miles over a variety of roads, many of them far from ideal. These roads proved the beauty of what is currently the lightest Porsche, at only 2,811 pounds. The dozens of items Porsche modified to create the Boxster Spyder helped eliminate 176 pounds compared to the Boxster S, a car already recognized for its lack of heft.<\/p>\n

Details of the weight loss include doors that are skinned in aluminum just like a 911 GT3. This helped save 33 pounds compared to steel-doored Boxsters. Contrasting with this major savings, Porsche went so far as to ditch the standard aluminum door pulls in favor of woven pull straps. The savings? 2.2 pounds.<\/p>\n

\"Porsche<\/a>
Porsche looked everywhere for ways to cut weight on the 2010 Boxster Spyder, even replacing the door handle with a cloth grab strap.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Every little bit helped the Spyder achieve a power-to-weight ratio that’s better than the 911 S. The newest member of the Boxster line hits the road with the same power as the Cayman S, 320 hp. Torque is up, to 273 lb-ft, due to powertrain control software changes. Porsche claims a 4.9 second 0-60 time with the six-speed manual, but as fast as 4.6 seconds with the PDK seven-speed.<\/p>\n

While extra power is always welcomed, the main draw of the Spyder is how well everything works together. Clutch takeup, shift action, and throttle response is neigh on perfect.<\/p>\n

Spyders fitted with PDK have the option of a new paddle-shift-equipped wheel that works much better than the standard wheel with buttons. Unfortunately, we didn’t have an opportunity to drive a PDK Spyder, but will report on its performance at the first opportunity.<\/p>\n

Our aggressive driving around Carmel on imperfect roads revealed a chassis that performed with skilled confidence. Expect to see the adjective “aplomb” in many write-ups.<\/p>\n

There’s more to like than the iconic exterior styling and powerful performance. Bolstered sport seats position drivers perfectly even though the lightweight chairs only offer fore\/aft adjustments. Manual vs. electric controls help save an additional 26.4 pounds compared to the Boxster S.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A trio of Porsches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The interior’s look includes body-color trim bits that add to the Spyder’s sporty attitude. Like all Porsches, the list of options is extensive and closely resembles the Boxster line. The Spyder’s list, however, also includes no-cost check boxes to replace the radio, air conditioning, and cup holders, all removed for weight savings.<\/p>\n

One option box gets a lightweight lithium-ion battery added to the Spyder. It saves 22 pounds and costs about $3,000. That’s $136 per pound.<\/p>\n

(Click Here<\/span><\/a> for a report on Porsche\u2019s first-to-market use of lithium-ion technology.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two options we’d recommend; the sport exhaust and short-throw shifter. The standard exhaust is simply too quiet. The standard shifter is very good, but the short-throw shifter is simply superior.<\/p>\n

The 2010 Boxster Spyder acts as an antidote to purists angry with Porsche over the Panamera and Cayenne, as well as an excellent driving sports car. It’s also a fitting follow up to the many lightweight editions released by Weissach over the decades.<\/p>\n

Rex Roy is a Detroit-based contributor to<\/em> TheDetroitBureau<\/em>..com, and publisher of the new, Motor City Dream Garages.\u00a0 For more, go to www.RexRoy.net<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Light and quick, the 2010 Porsche Boxster Spyder made its official debut at the L.A. Auto Show, but TheDetroitBureau.com had a chance to drive the roadster before that reveal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":15951,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"make":[],"post-state":[],"category_old":[151],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15949"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15949"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15949\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15951"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15949"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=15949"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=15949"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=15949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}