Porsche Boxster RS 60 Spyder

By Ben Whitworth

Motor Shows

04 March 2008 14:08

So what’s new on Porsche’ Geneva Motor Show stand?

Not a lot, to be honest. There’s the enticing sounding RS 60 Spyder limited edition Boxster, which couldn’t be more of a disappointment if it tried. Porsche will rush you £5405 over the standard Boxster for a body kit, bigger wheels and some dubious leatherwork. Right at the back of its stand was a cutaway of its planned hybrid Cayenne, showing off the 4x4’s petrol-electric drivetrain. But we saw this at the Frankfurt Motor Show last year, so it hardly got us in a lather. Headline figures are a claimed 30mpg plus combined fuel economy figure from the 3.2-litre V6 Cayenne, electric power up to 75mph from the parallel hybrid system, and an arrival date before 2010. Expect the Panamera, which makes its debut next year to also feature some of this technology.

Its stand may get the wooden spoon in terms of exciting new metal, but there’s a part of us quietly applauding Porsche’s decision to tackle London congestion charging head on. It’s already submitted a formal letter to Transport for London, and is expecting a response before the end of the week. But Porsche’s not expecting any shift in attitude. “TfL remains utterly unmoved so far, to be frank,” said an insider. “We don't expect that to change by the end of the week.” The company is already preparing an application for a judicial review…

Lots of lovely metal to drool over, but nothing remotely new or exciting for Porschephiles.

2/5

By Ben Whitworth