The next-generation Porsche Boxster and Cayman will bear a new, but familiar, name when they debut next year: 718.
An allusion to the 1957 Porsche 718 race car, which featured a mid-mounted, four-cylinder engine layout, the name references the fact that both models will now feature turbo flat-fours.
Officially, the cars will be named the 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman, and Porsche has stated that both will “share more similarities than ever before”, both in terms of visuals and mechanics.
Furthermore, the Stuttgart marque says that both will carry equally powerful turbocharged engines, while the roadster will from next year be more costly than the coupe, as is the case for 911 models.
Porsche claims that the renaming is symbolic of its increased focus on four-cylinder engines, with the recent 919 Hybrid LMP1 race car, which won this year’s Le Mans, powered by a four-banger.
Acting as proof of concept for the abilities of smaller engines to still produce high power outputs, Porsche says that the 919 Hybrid and the new 718 range opens new prospects for future models.
So far, there are no firm details on what the new 718 Boxster and Cayman models will be like, but rumours suggest their 2.0-litre flat-four engines could produce north of 370 horsepower.
