Porsche gives the Boxster and Cayman turbo power, and a new name

Porsche has confirmed something we already suspected: like the 911 Carrera, its Boxster and Cayman models are going turbo.

At the same time, they’re having a bit of a wider rejig, drawing the two of them closer together than ever.

As well as being more similar visually, they’ll be renamed ‘718’. To differentiate, they’ll be called 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman, though for the first time, the Boxster soft-top will cost more than the Cayman coupe.

That new name is not only a less-than-subtle nod to the 918 hypercar, which acts as a halo to the whole Porsche range, but a hark back to an iconic racing car, too, which you can see in the video above.

It’s apt, too, for the 718 used a flat-four engine, which, with the addition of turbocharging, is what Porsche’s modern day mid-engine sports cars will be getting.

Quite what their power output will be remains to be seen: they are downsizing from six-cylinder engines of 2.7 and 3.4 litres to a four-cylinder of undefined size, though Porsche is keen to draw links between the 718 models and its 919 race car, which has a 2-litre V4 turbo as part of its drivetrain.

What seems certain is that power output won’t suffer, and the current entry point for Boxster and Cayman models - 261bhp - will likely be a bare minimum, while torque will be more abundant and more accessible than in the current, naturally aspirated flat-sixes.

Another first will be the two boasting the same power; the Boxster has traditionally been kept a few horsepower behind the Cayman, for reasons only Porsche surely knows. But no more.

Six-cylinder engines could still be retained for range-topping specials like the Boxster Spyder and Cayman GT4, though all will become clear when the cars make their first public appearance, which could be at the Geneva motor show next spring.

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