Porsche has knockout in new model
THE new Porsche Boxster sports car prototype marks an exciting change for the company.
The Boxster is widely seen as the starting point for the smaller and cheaper all-new two-seater sports car that Porsche has been promising.
And if it reaches production in this form, it could revitalise Porsche's waning fortunes.
The Boxster features mid-mounting for the engine - the motor sitting midships, instead of the 911's arrangement where the engine hangs out over the rear axle.
Porsche has not had a mid-engine car since the 914.
The engine itself is likely to be a completely new flat-four or ''boxer'' unit driving through the rear wheels.
The styling is the brilliant touch.
Fresh and new, but at the same time bearing a strong resemblance to the classic 550 Spyder with its low, tight form and small overhangs.
The Boxster looks sleek and modern but is immediately recognisable as a Porsche.
The simple, almost stark packaging of the shape is distinctly Porsche.
But the design of the Boxster is anything but old-fashioned, and the interior is especially adventurous.
An on-board computer monitor occupies the centre of the dash, providing a navigation system and also a television.
The glass screen of the monitor is the only straight-edged object inside the car.
The cabin furniture and dashboard (hiding a passenger-side airbag to complement the bag stowed inside the steering wheel) are curved and soft in appearance and trimmed in leather, contrasting with the bare metal panels in the doors and the transmission tunnel.
All the instrument dials overlap and are set together like golden teeth in a smile behind the leather-bound steering wheel.
The analogue dials are conventional at first sight, but closer inspection reveals the figures and numbers are engraved on the glass cover.
Angled lighting picks out the figures and the pointers are back-lit so that they appear as shadows on the glass.
Porsche engineers are known for their attention to detail and the seating of the Boxster illustrates their philosophy perfectly.
The driver's seat is a different shape from the passenger seat, the Porsche designers reasoning that the seats fulfil slightly different functions so they should be designed individually.
The driving seat hugs the driver tight, and the passenger is allowed room to stretch the legs and move around in the seat.
Porsche has yet to set a date for production of the Boxster.
