A hot new Porsche will debut in December at the Los Angeles Motor Show in December.

Weighing in at just 1275kg, the Boxster Spyder is Porsche's lightest model built to date. This mid-engined roadster represents the purest form of Porsche: Light, powerful, open, and very efficient.

This formula was applied to Porsche's most successful road-going sports and racing cars, from the legendary 550 Spyder to the RS Spyder so successful in modern motorsport.

The Boxster Spyder continues this philosophy with its road-ready setup and is expected to enter the market in February 2010.

Silhouette

The new member of the Boxster family stands out because it has been developed for driving in the open air. It is low-slung and its light soft top, when closed, creates a stretched and sleek silhouette reminiscent of the Carrera GT.

Significantly lighter than the Boxster S and with a lower centre of gravity and an all-new sports suspension, the Spyder has great driving dynamics to match its unique looks.

Squeezing out the power

It is powered by a 3.4-litre, six-cylinder engine located just upfront of the rear axle. Maximum power output is 239kW, 7kW more than the Boxster S.

The new Spyder will accelerate from standstill to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds and has a top speed of 267km/h – with the roof open. Fuel consumption is a reasonable 9.3l/100km.

The entire Boxster family are successors to the legendary 550 Spyder built in 1953. They share the same mid-engine roadster concept, are low in weight and offer agility and driving pleasure.

Brief history

The 550 Spyder was the first sports car from Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen developed specifically for racing but also set up for the road. In the years following its production, this unique Spyder that weighed only 550kg scored numerous victories on the track.

In 2004 and 2008 Porsche produced a limited edition of special Boxsters bearing the additional Spyder badge to honour these legendary racing cars. By contrast, the new Boxster Spyder is a regular, specially developed and upgraded production model with far-reaching modifications.

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