The new Porsche Boxster may look a lot like the old one, bar the new headlights, but underneath it has been massively changed, and it’s brilliant Changing a Porsche is always a tricky business. There are fans out there that will haul you over the coals for having the wrong shape of headlights, or using the wrong shade of trim in the glove box. Porsche seems to have done right with the new 997 model 911 Carrera and now it’s the Boxster’s turn. Porsche’s smallest sports car exceeded the company’s expectations when it was launched in 1996. In 1991, when work on the original Boxster began, Porsche only built 13,000 cars and the company was a financial wreck. It was thought by Porsche management that the Boxster could help global sales reach 15,000. In 2001- 2002 — Porsche’s best sales year yet — the Boxster alone sold 28,000 units. The car was a hit, and it helped that the car had a better drivetrain layout than the 911. Instead of hanging the engine out behind the rear axle as in the 911 the Boxster was mid engined, a much better starting point for a sports car. The only problem I had with the original Boxster was that you could never tell whether it was coming or going. The front end looked remarkably like the rear end and the fried egg headlights — shared with the 911 — were just wrong. For the new Boxster Porsche new the model needed more differentiation from the 911 and despite sharing 50 percent of its parts with the 911 the Boxster manages to look like a new car in its own right. The headlights are the most obvious change, ditching the fried egg look for an almost but not quite round shape, but the body, as well as the front and rear tracks, is wider. There’s more rubber on the road as well, with the adoption of bigger tyres front and rear. The Boxster now rides on 17-inch wheels as standard, up from 16-inch and the Boxster S comes standard with 18-inch alloys. Nineteen inch alloys are available, but the 18s offer the best combination of road-holding and ride quality. The Sports Chrono Package, first seen on the new 911, is an option on the Boxster. It adds a lap timing clock on the dashboard, but more importantly it offers the change to change settings such as the throttle response to tune the car more to your liking. The brakes have been upgraded to match better the better performance of the car. The rear brake discs are now perforated for better cooling efficiency and to keep the discs clean of brake dust Probably of most interest though, is a handy Category:Home › Other • Pomegranates: A newly discovered superfood • Where did the joke why did the chicken cross the road come from and why is it funny? • Can mothers diagnosed with bipolar disorder make good parents? • Spiritual evolution of human consciousness • Tips for getting a college basketball scholarship • Living with Pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) • Caring for the caregiver • Technologys impact on society