When Wendelin Wiedeking became chief executive of Porsche in 1992 the company was in dire straits. Unlike one of the era’s biggest-selling rock bands, the German sports car manufacturer sold only 6,600 cars.
In the brand’s key American market, the dollar had flopped against the Deutschmark. Company losses totalled a record-breaking £98 million and two weeks into his tenure the former engineer ruthlessly axed 1,850 jobs. Compare that with 2024, when Porsche sold almost 311,000 cars with profits of £4.85 billion
Understandably, 33 years ago something had to change to avoid the revered company going under. Wiedeking said buyers in the affluent 1980s were mainly “yuppies” driving spoiler-festooned examples of the company’s renowned 911 sports coupé, so when the economic boom collapsed so did Porsche fortunes.
The incoming boss quickly realised the Stuttgart-based firm needed a new model, one that offered 911 thrills in a more affordable package. The expensive 968 and 928 models soon disappeared before an all-new roadster was launched in the summer of 1996 – a car that saved Porsche from oblivion.
Wiedeking confidently told me and fellow journalists at the time that the mid-engined Boxster would double global sales within a few years. For once, the chief executive had got it wrong. The two-seater convertible quadrupled sales and kickstarted Porsche into a golden age of prosperity.
The original Boxster, the name an amalgamation of the 2.5-litre horizontally-opposed six-cylinder “boxer” engine and the roadster body, with the internal model designation 986, was a controversial car, not least because every Porsche before it, bar the 928 luxury GT, was designed for the racetrack. The bulbous new Boxster also lacked the svelte lines of the breathtaking concept car that had appeared as long ago as January 1993.
Sales success
Despite this, sales of the “poor man’s Porsche” soared, to the point where the company had to open a second assembly site in Finland.
While driving an original 986 press car across the Brecon Beacons in 1997, I encountered a rather sniffy 911 owner who asked why I hadn’t bought a “proper” Porsche? With hindsight, I would have told him that if it hadn’t been for the Boxster, he would probably be driving a Mercedes SLK.
Since then, the Boxster has morphed through four generations and a raft of increasingly punchier powerplants. My own second-generation car, a 2007 2.7-litre model, may have lacked the brawn of a 911 but soon developed an oil leak and the same exorbitant maintenance costs.
The third generation 981 was launched in 2012 and was substantially lighter than the outgoing model. Later, the first Boxster GTS offered sharper handling and more power from a 3.4-litre engine.
In 2016, Porsche replaced the Boxster’s glorious flat-six with a pair of four-cylinder turbocharged engines for the 718 model – a nod to the car that won the famed Targa Floria road race in Sicily in the late 1950s. Despite more power with improved economy, enthusiasts bemoaned a loss of character.
The best of the bunch
Fortunately, Porsche probably saved the best until last, introducing a flat-six again for the range-topping 718 Boxster GTS in 2020. At a time when turbocharging and all-wheel drive are commonplace, the GTS is still one of the purest roadsters available.
At £77,300, a GTS is more than double the price of a fun-loving Mazda MX-5 – another joyous roadster – but few sports cars can match the Porsche for quality, poise and top-down pleasure.
Although the Boxster’s PCM infotainment system lags behind more contemporary units, it’s terrifically simple to navigate. The interior also has a swathe of physical buttons and instruments, which is a blessed relief – opt for a manual version and the gearstick falls perfectly to hand atop the centre console.
And while the original flat-six engine lost two cylinders for environmental reasons in 2016, the 400PS GTS has the gurgle of a throaty old Aston Martin V12 with asthma. For those accustomed to a synthetic, sound-enhanced exhaust system, it should prove a revelation.
Better by design
A Fiat 500, Mini or BMW 4-Series convertible offers similar top-down driving thrills for considerably less money. Some might argue, mistakenly, that the VW T-Roc Cabriolet is a jolly good car, too. However, all are cabriolet versions of tin-top models; none was designed from the ground up as a roadster.
The latest and last GTS is the perfect bookend to the combustion-engined Boxster story as it’s no longer possible to order a new 718 from the factory, although there may be a few lurking within the Porsche GB dealer network.
Porsche is gearing up for an all-electric replacement model, expected by early 2026. Despite speculation that it might offer some form of combustion engine in the next generation, Porsche maintains that it will be EV-only.
The new EV will no doubt be faster, cleaner and more expensive than the current car but it also marks the end of three decades of the combustion-engined Boxster, the car that saved Porsche.
Past Masters
Remember these roadsters? Four modern drop-top classics...
Toyota MR2
The original, 1.6-litre two-seater was launched in 1984. The MK1 was the best of the lot – a marvel of a sports car and available with a targa roof. The Mk3 morphed into a convertible that was deemed a great drivers’ car before it was axed in 2007.
Fiat Barchetta
One of the most affordable roadsters in 1996, although Fiat sold fewer than 800 in the UK – mainly because the Barchetta was left-hand drive only. The 1.8 four-cylinder engine was sluggish and the brakes temperamental, but rust was the real killer.
BMW Z4
Another roadster set for the chop. BMW has just announced that Z4 sales in the UK will end in December, although in other European markets it will continue into 2026. No plans have been announced for a new model. A replacement for the popular Z3 in 2002, the Z4 came from the pen of chief designer Chris Bangle – styling that proved new millennium Marmite for BMW enthusiasts.
Audi TT
Hailed as a design icon, the original TT of 1998 was a key rival for the Boxster. However, despite all-wheel drive grip, it never quite matched the Porsche for handling. The quattro Sport versions featured a 3.2-litre V6 and today are highly collectable.
The people’s champion
The one affordable roadster that bucks the trend...
Mazda MX-5
Often described as a modern-day MGB, the long-serving MX-5 is the people’s roadster – affordable, easy to drive and cheap to run. The best-selling, two-seat convertible ever has sold more than 1 million examples and remains hugely popular around the world.