Porsche Boxster Spyder road test

Porsche first used the Spyder name for a sports roadster in 1953, when it introduced the 550 Spyder (the car that, famously, James Dean was driving when he died). For over half a century, the name has only been used for very special models such as the 909 Bergspyder, 718 RSK Spyder and the RS Spyder Le Mans Prototype race car, and now it has been given to a special edition of its “entry-level” mid-engined roadster, the Boxster. But is Porsche indulging in a marketing-inspired devaluation, or is the Boxster Spyder really special enough to justify using a name so steeped in heritage?

With a purchase price of £46,387, the Boxster Spyder isn’t cheap: in fact, it’s about £6,000 more than the Boxster S model it’s based on. On top of that, there’s a fairly extensive options list that can add back in some of the features that have been taken out (air con, radio, sat nav, etc), plus the likes of ceramic brakes (£5,349,) PDK automatic gearbox (£1,962) and sports seats (£2,049) that will quickly rack up the price of the car. Indeed, initial buyers are spending £56,000-57,000 speccing their cars. It won’t be exactly cheap to run,