Is Porsche’s New 718 Boxster Spyder Returning To Flat-Six Power?
Porsche’s 718 Boxster Spyder spied testing at the Nurburgring showcasing a curiously good sounding motor.
Some interesting video clips from Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport give us our first look at the new Porsche Boxster Spyder, but in those same videos, something very interesting is going on. Listen closely and you can hear an engine exhaust note that is harmonious, and delightful. In fact it sounds nothing at all like the flat-four motors currently on offer in the 718. Could it be a flat-six hiding in the middle? We are under the impression there’s more than 4 cylinders at work here.
One indicator comes from simply looking at the back of the car. Instead of a single ovular or dual tailpipes exiting from the middle of the bumper, there’s two circular tailpipes fitted further outboard. That styling queue is closer to the base 911 Carrera, although due to the way the exhaust muffler is packaged in both cars, the tailpipe location is only trivial, and doesn’t really mean much. But the sound that comes out of it does matter.
Shot after shot, none of the flatulence of the four-cylinder can really be detected. And if it is detected, it’s obviously coming from the yellow Cayman that seems to accompany the Spyder around the track. Instead the note from the Spyder is much closer to the Carrera 3.0 exhaust. If that’s the case, horsepower for the Boxster Spyder would jump up 20 from the Boxster S rating of 350 horsepower. Although we don’t hear the presence of a turbo, the Carrera’s turbo 3.0 flat-six would be the logical engine to put in the evolution of the Spyder model. It would provide a fair increase in horsepower and a more pure driving experience.
Take a listen to the video and judge for yourself. Is it a flat-four, is it a flat-six?
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