Porsche's Boxster goes black too

LAST week Porsche took a leaf out of the Mercedes-Benz book by revealing a unique ‘Black Edition’ version of the 911 and now it has gone one better by applying the same treatment – along with a performance increase – to its evergreen Boxster.

Like Porsche’s 911 performance flagship, the latest Boxster roadster will soon make way for an all-new model and, to mark the twilights of their careers, Porsche will reveal both Black-badged models at the Geneva motor show on March 1.

As with the 911 Black Edition – of which just 1911 examples will be produced globally - first local deliveries of the ebony-themed Boxster will arrive here in late April.

Signifying the current Boxster’s model code, just 987 versions of the all-black convertible will be made available worldwide, offering more performance and a range of extra standard equipment for no extra cost over the Boxster S upon which it is based.



That means the Boxster S Black Edition is on sale now at $132,400 for six-speed manual and $137,700 for the PDK automatic, representing a $5300 premium for the seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual version.

While the 911 Black Edition comes with the same 254kW 3.6-litre flat six as the standard 911 Carrera coupe and cabriolet upon which it is based, Porsche’s topless Black offers 7kW more peak power and 10Nm of extra torque than the standard 3.4-litre flat six in the Boxster S.

That brings its outputs to 235kW at 7200rpm and 370Nm at 4750rpm, which Porsche claims will deliver 0-100km/h acceleration in 5.2 seconds as a manual – one-tenth quicker than the standard Boxster S – while the PDK version reduces that by a further tenth to 5.1 seconds.

Despite the extra pace, Porsche says the Boxster S Black uses no more fuel, with official NEDC consumption figures remaining at 9.9 litres per 100km for the manual and 9.4L/100km for the PDK.

On the equipment front, Boxster S Black extras include a smooth leather finish Sport Design steering wheel, bi-Xenon headlights with dynamic cornering function and auto-dimming interior and exterior mirrors.

Differentiating the Black Boxster most strikingly, however, are a range of all-black mechanical and cosmetic features, including 19-inch black Boxster Spyder wheels, black paintwork, black fabric hood, black side air intakes, black exhaust outlets, black rollover bars, a black instrument panel, black gear selector surround and black bootlid model badging.

Also setting the special Boxster apart is “Black Edition” lettering on the stainless steel door sills, soft-top and glovebox.

2011 Porsche BoxsterS Black pricing:
S Black	$132,400
S Black PDK (a)	$137,500