Get set for the £32,000 Porsche: the lightweight, back-to-
basics 718 roadster. The two-seater will be based on a cut-down version of the
current Boxster, but with all-new, four-cylinder firepower and a no-frills
approach to equipment. Think Porsche’s MX-5, and get very excited indeed
purists. Named 718 as a nod to the four- cylinder racing car (built from 1957
-’62 and raced by Graham Hill among others), the 2016 version shares its
wheelbase with the Boxster but features shorter overhangs, a lighter
body-in-white and bespoke body panels. With a 1190kg weight target, the 718
could weigh 120kg less than its roadster brother. Much of that will come from the reduced
cylinder count. The all-new flat- four engine will be Porsche’s first since the
912’s in the mid-’60s. The four displaces 2.0 litres, is turbocharged, and
punches
PURE PORSCHE The 718 is a
back-to-basics roadster with a sub-1200kg kerbweight, and manual