Back in 2016 when Porsche launched the 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman, the consensus was that they were excellent two-seater sports cars, but the four-cylinder turbo exhaust note left a little to be desired. The prior iteration with a flat six wail was an enthusiasts dream. Despite being faster, quicker, and ostensibly better than its predecessor, the 718 didn’t have the aural engagement that Porsche nerds like me desired.
All of that is on the verge of a reset when this alleged 718 Boxster Touring and 718 Cayman Touring model comes to market. Both models were caught testing at the Nürburgring, and the spec sheet looks fantastic. Similar to the GT3 Touring in concept, the 718s Touring should be a toned down version of their more sporting siblings, the also-still-unofficial 718 Boxster Spyder and 718 Cayman GT4.
As you can see in this series of spy shots, the Touring models are essentially ready for prime time with production-ready body panels and wheels. Both models have the same rear diffuser and exhaust setup as their Spyder and GT4 siblings have been seen sporting, but the front fascia of both are specific to the Touring, and the Boxster version obviously doesn’t have the Spyder’s fiddly top. Both are fitted with Porsche Carbon Ceramic Braking.
All of this is very good news for enthusiasts of mid-engine Porsches, as the last run of GT4 and Spyder were exceptional. I personally preferred the Boxster Spyder for its softer road-biased suspension setup on the street over the GT4's track focused and GT3-based stiffness. It’s nice that a more road-biased and ostensibly more affordable (but still not cheap) version of the six-cylinder models will be built.
And really, if Porsche was missing anything, it was new model variants. This lineup will allow the 718 buyer to select from base, T, S, GTS, Touring, and Spyder/GT4 models. That should be sufficient, right?
