Porsche Boxster RS60 Spyder
Who wouldn’t want to wake up and slip behind the wheel of a Boxster?
With more traffic jams, ever-tighter speed restrictions and the stress of daily motoring, it’s easy to forget that driving can be fun! Our trip to North Wales on a quiet Sunday morning is my idea of heaven – although choosing my ideal companion for such a journey is not a decision I take lightly.
What I need is a car that stimulates every sensation: it must feel great, look good and sound fantastic. And on the challenging roads around Bala, a convertible is essential to fully savour the sights and smells of the countryside.
It didn’t take me long to find the ideal match. With its mid-engined layout and simple lines, the Porsche Boxster ticks all the right boxes. I love the styling and the technical packaging, while the brand’s build quality never fails to impress me. From the moment you step inside, you know this is a great driver’s car. Even on the motorway trip to the Welsh border, the Boxster’s perfectly weighted controls feel involving.
Once on a twisty road, the sharpness of the turn-in, the near-unbreakable traction and delicate steering feedback make it a revelation. What means even more to me is that this car rewards your effort: the smoother your skills, the more it comes alive. The Boxster is simply one of the most reassuring and involving drivers’ machines money can buy.
The final ingredient is the six-cylinder boxer engine. I think the Boxster S has the perfect amount of power for UK roads; just enough for every occasion without feeling too constrained by speed limits.
But I haven’t chosen any Porsche Boxster for our trip; this limited-edition RS60 Spyder brings added exclusivity. It’s named after the Porsche 718 RS60 Spyder, which won the prestigious Sebring 12 Hours endurance race in 1960, and only 1,960 cars are being built. As with its racing predecessor, this special Boxster is painted in traditional German racing silver, while the red roof and interior also pay homage to the 718.
A black windscreen surround and red tail-lights distinguish it further, and inside, the door kickplates bear the RS60 Spyder legend. A plaque on the dashboard confirms each car’s place in the production run.
On our Sunday morning jaunt, there’s another element of Porsche brilliance to enjoy: the sound made by the modified sports exhaust system. Simply press a button on the dash, and baffles in the exhaust open to give you a throaty burble at low revs and a fantastic wail above 5,000rpm. The new tailpipes also help to increase power by a modest 8bhp to 303bhp.
For me, this gorgeous soundtrack is the final piece in the special RS60 jigsaw. Add the wonderful chassis balance, delicate steering and faultless engineering, and it’s hard to see how Porsche could have done much better. The Boxster S is a car that looks, sounds and makes you feel great. What more could you want?
Owen Mildenhall
Details
Price: £45,500
Model tested: Porsche Boxster RS60 Spyder
Chart position: 1
