New Porsche Boxster And Cayman 718 Series With 4 Cylinder Engines Confirmed

Porsche is introducing the 718 model series for the two-door mid-engined Boxster and Cayman.

While the name sounds superfluous, Porsche says the 718 designation is meant to recall the ground-breaking Porsche 718 from 1957. In the future, both will have equally powerful turbocharged flat-four cylinder engines.

Porsche will use the introduction of the new mid-engined sports cars in 2016 as an opportunity to align their positioning with the 911 models – so in this case the Roadster will be positioned and priced about the Coupe.

The 2016 Porsche Cayman and Porsche Boxster will get the model number 718, which pays homage to the open top race auto for the last 1950s, the Porsche 718.

Porsche also informed that the new cars will be sharing more than just the 718 tag with more visual and technical similarities than in the past.

Ex-Porsche chairman Matthias Müller, who now leads the entire Volkswagen Group, has also previously said the new four-cylinder engine is modular, and that it will be offered in capacities up to 2.5-litres, with a power output of 395bhp expected in the most powerful versions. Whether it was competing at the 12-hour race in Sebring in 1960 or at the European Hill Climb Championship that ran between 1958 and 1961, the Porsche 718 prevailed against numerous competitors with its powerful and efficient four-cylinder flat engine. The 718 took first place twice between 1959 and 1960 at the legendary Italian Targa Florio race in Sicily. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans race 1958, the 718 RSK with its 142-hp four-cylinder engine scored a class victory. The LMP1 vehicle, which was created to be extremely efficient, is the most complex race auto that Porsche has ever built.

In the 718 Boxster, a 2.0-litre engine is tipped to be offered in two different power outputs: 261bhp in the base auto and 311bhp in the S model, with torque outputs for the pair rated at 258lb ft and 295lb ft respectively.