Stronger Boxer

Porsche’s heavily revised roadster punches harder and faster, but does so without a spine-tingling soundtrack.

- Jeremy Chua

MOST enthusiasts will agree that a sports car, especially a roadster, should possess three attributes: looks, power and handling.

A sports car, however, should also have soul-stirring vocals.

After all, there’s no point being able to accelerate quickly and carve through corners, if all that action isn’t accompanied by an equally exciting soundtrack.

Like many enthusiasts, I was stunned when Porsche replaced the Boxster’s naturally aspirated 2.7-litre flat-6 with a turbocharged 2-litre flat-4, and the naturally aspirated 3.4-litre flat-6 of the Boxster S with a turbocharged 2.5-litre flat-4.