Sometimes we wonder what happened to a prototype that looked cool and impressive. Such is the case with the Porsche Boxster Bergspyder.
There have been many instances of Porsche working to relive its history, bring back the glory days, and offer us some impressive driving excitement that was a bit ahead of the time. Such is the case of this particular Porsche sportscar. Indeed, the story of this car offers a similar tale as many other cars in the history of this brand; let’s dive in and take a look.
Going Lighter and With Less Offered
Some cars that come from Porsche are destined to be nothing more than track-going cars. The minimalist build creates the lightest possible structure without compromising the vehicle’s integrity. This was the case for this one-off Boxster model commissioned in 2015. The idea was to build a car as minimal as possible, lighter than the current 981 generations of the vehicle. This was entirely an undertaking considering this Porsche was already extremely lightweight and dynamic on the track. Even so, the project started, and the Bergspyder was the result.
Looking Back to Look Forward
To build the Porsche Boxster to the desired specifications, the team at Weissach had to look in the rearview mirror at the 909 models. This was the lightest racing car ever used by Porsche, which gave the team an idea of what to do. Unfortunately, the 909 was used 50 years previously. This means specific safety requirements had to be met in the new model, regardless of the older version presented. The team named the new project 981 Bergspyder and gave the car a white paint job with green trim to make it look like it belonged in the Porsche lineup.
What was the Resulting Car?
The car that came from this project is a single-seat sports car with no top. This gives it a relaxed racetrack feeling that would be hard to ignore. There aren’t any door handles, and the driver doesn’t have a windshield. This is not a car made for driving on public roads, but that’s ok; it wasn’t meant to. The wind deflector used around the driver area resembled that of the cars from the late 1960s with flat transparent models to keep a bit of the wind and bugs away from the driver.
Behind the driver, a tarp-covered the engine compartment, a fitting tribute to the 1954 Porsche 356 Speedster. This tarp was made of imitation leather and had the car passed the feasibility test, a carbon fiber component was planned for the next stage of development.
The dashboard of this Porsche Boxster offered elements from the 918 Spyder, giving this car a high-tech sports car feeling. The seat also came from the 918 platforms, and the vehicle features a passenger door that conceals a luggage area for the helmet to sit on a shelf. Overall, this was a cool prototype developed by the Weissach team.
How Fast Was the Bergspyder?
The Porsche Boxster Bergspyder tipped the scales at 1130 kg, highly light for any sports car. This car could hit 60 mph in only a hair over four seconds and was poised to lap the Nürburgring in 7:30 if it had ever been allowed to do so. The Bergspyder could not pass the feasibility test; not enough racing teams wanted it. This car is now part of the Porsche Museum as a reminder of what could have been.
The Boxster We Do Have
While the Bergspyder never made it to production, we have a Boxster model that makes driving fun. The current version is the 718 Boxster, and it offers us a lightweight, quick, and powerful driving machine capable of fun on and off the track. It might not be the conglomeration of classic parts married together for a lightweight race, but it’s pretty impressive in its own right, giving us the small and drivable Porsche that we love to take out on the road for some serious fun. Let’s take a quick look at what this car delivers.
The Drive is Pure Fun
Ask anyone behind the wheel of the Porsche Boxster, and they will tell you this car is pure fun to drive. You don’t have to reach the top model to find joy; even the base version with the four-cylinder engine gives you the driving pleasure you’ll want to experience many times over. Of course, higher trim levels deliver more power, performance, and speed, which can be more fun for you, especially if you have a model with the PASM adaptive suspension in the mix. This is a sports car you must step into and take for a drive.
The Porsche Philosophy is Present
The 718 Boxster brings you a simple design that works ideally today as much as it has for many years for this brand. The 2-seat interior is upscale but not overdone, offering you the benefits of a real sports car and a high-end luxury machine. The quality materials are perfect, allowing you to have the build you’re looking for when you get behind the wheel. Feel the unique nature of this low-slung sports car and let it be the car you love to drive whenever you’re looking for a bit of fun.through an old-fashioned
Four Power Levels for Your Delight
You’ll see four different power levels to make this car one you want to drive. The base models, 718 Boxster and 718 Boxster T use a 2.0-liter turbocharged flat four-cylinder engine that produces 300 horsepower and 280 lb.-ft. of torque. This power is routed to the wheels six-speed manual or a quick-shifting PDK seven-speed automatic transmission.
Above the base engine, you find a 2.5-liter turbocharged flat four-cylinder engine powering the Boxster S. This engine produces 350 horsepower and 309 lb.-ft. of torque. Next, we see a 4.0-liter flat six-cylinder engine for the 718 Boxster GTS 4.0 and Boxster 25 Years. This engine brings you 394 horsepower and 309 lb.-ft. of torque.
Finally, the most potent version of this car is the 718 Spyder. This convertible Porsche Boxster is powered by a 4.0-liter flat six-cylinder engine rated at 414 horsepower and 309 lb.-ft. of torque.
Will you choose one of these impressive cars to drive? While it’s too bad about the Porsche Boxster 981 Bergspyder, we have a fun and active Boxster that we can go. This could be the car you love to drive every time you feel like having some fun on the open road or heading out for a track day.
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