CARMEL, CALIF. -- The 550 Spyder, so named because it was the 550th Porsche design project, was the first Porsche designed with racing in mind.
For Porsche, at a time when the Stuttgart-based auto maker is introducing a Cayenne sport utility with a Volkswagen-sourced six-cylinder engine, it's important to emphasize its sports-car roots.
The 50th Anniversary Boxster S is a welcome reaffirmation of that heritage, even though the Boxster itself has been around since the 1997 model year.
In its 1954 racing debut, Hans Herrmann drove a 550 Spyder to a class victory (third over all) in the Carrera Panamericana dash across Mexico. Herrmann's 1.5-litre, four-cam four-cylinder engine developed 110 horsepower, far short of the 264-hp, 3.2-litre flat six-cylinder I am driving today (a regular Boxster S is rated at 258 hp).
My silver Boxster is also a much more sophisticated mid-engine two-seater, with a short-throw, six-speed manual transmission operated by an aluminum shifter. It has power windows, door locks, mirrors and convertible top, and even a high-tech stability control system called Porsche Stability Management. The 550 Spyders driven by Herrmann and James Dean were much more basic; there were, of course, no electrical gizmos and computer-controlled gadgets.
Still, the first Spyders did have a flat-welded tubular frame that was quite a piece of engineering for its time. Porsche engineer Wilhelm Hild, who developed the 550, fashioned an independent suspension with torsion bar springs by using the front suspension, steering, wheels and brakes borrowed and adapted from the Porsche 356. A later 550 Spyder A would be true space frame chassis.
So it was a milestone car from the early years of Porsche. Because the Spyder was first shown at the 1953 Paris Auto Show, Porsche will make only 1,953 of these special versions. The car I'm driving is numbered 0008 on a silver plaque at the base of the centre console.
But while there have been a number of running changes, the essentials of the Special Edition Boxster aren't terribly different. Auto analysts expect Porsche to introduce an all-new Boxster in the coming year to 18 months, though Porsche spokesman Bob Carlson is not talking about future products.
He is, instead, focused on the limited-edition car. Aside from the modest horsepower bump, it has a six-speed manual with reduced shift travel. There is an optional Tiptronic S automatic transmission with shift paddles mounted on the steering wheel.
The six-speed is brilliant -- very precise and smooth, and the gear ratios are tightly spaced to take advantage of the engine's power.
Speaking of which, there is enough power to allow for second-gear starts and easy around-town cruising in third gear. The electronic throttle is responsive without being too aggressive.
Porsche has also given this Boxster a wider stance thanks to five-mm wheel spacers, and the car is lower by 10 mm due to further tweaking the tightly tuned suspension. Along the snaky roads from Carmel to the junctions of Highways 41 and 46, this Boxster delivers the sports-car goods. Cornering is flat and controlled and predictable. Set a line with this mid-engine two-seater and it will hold it beautifully.
The steering has a nice, responsive feel to it. The brakes -- four-piston aluminum brake calipers painted silver rather than the normal Boxster S red -- are both predictable and progressive.
The optional 18-inch wheels are an open-spoke design that unfortunately do not flatter the car. The optional 18-inch tires hold the road well. The water-cooled Boxster S is a relatively heavy car, but that doesn't slow it down (top speed is 260 km/h). It is also very predictable and easy to drive both at slow speeds and a bit more aggressively. There is a suitably growly note from this car's special exhaust system.
To complete the package, Porsche is including silver-painted rear fender gills and chrome-plated Boxster S lettering on the rear deck; Litronic headlamps that adjust the beam angle and come with washers; a power soft top in dark cocoa to match the leather, heated sports seats, handbrake and gear levers, inside door handles and padded sport steering wheel.
To provide contrast to the cocoa, the seatback shells and the integral roll bars are in silver. Black gauge dials are ringed in chrome. Carlson says all the bits and pieces add up to $3,265 in extra features if you were to, and could, buy all the options separately.
Still, we are talking about a loaded version of Porsche's entry sports car that sells for more than $83,000. That's pricey, even if so much history comes with it.
Specifications
Porsche Boxter S
Type: sports car
Price: $83,500
Engine: 3.2-litre boxer or
flat six-cylinder
Transmission: Standard six-speed manual
Horsepower/torque: 264 hp/229 lb-ft
Fuel economy: City, 12.8 L/100 km; Highway, 8.2 L/100 km
Like: Well-balanced road manners; clean, unpretentious looks
Don't like: Price -- $80,000-plus?. . . wheels just don't
look right
