Shifting gears

The Porsche 718 Boxster is an example of how car manufacturers can make sportscar design inclusive, democratic and wholly appealing to the broadest possible demographic

- VARUN GODINHO

The Porsche 718 was a sportscar whose significance can barely be overstated. In 1956-57, Porsche designed the 718 with a refreshingly new approach to car design. It wasn’t about adding muscle under the hood (it featured only a 1.5-litre flat-four engine), but one that instead focused on combining that modest engine with a light tubular spaceframe making the car a top-notch challenger on the track. It finished on the podium at the 1958 Sebring 12 Hours and also won at the gruelling Targa Florio endurance race in 1959 where it beat the competition who were running monstrous V12 engines.

In 2016, when Porsche introduced the fourth-generation of its Boxster sportscar, it changed the name of the car to Porsche 718 Boxster in a salute to that iconic racing car from the Fifties and Sixties. When transitioning from the third generation to the fourth generation of the Boxster, Porsche reduced the number of cylinders from naturally-aspirated flat sixes to turbocharged flat-fours. Adding the 718 nomenclature was Porsche’s way of indicating that a reduction in engine size didn’t translate into a reduction in power – or even downsizing the thrill of owning a sportscar. On the contrary, it could be as entertaining a sportscar, if not more, than any of its big-engined peers.