Designing Porsche’s Future: Grant Larson and the Boxster Study

In January 1993, Porsche presented a show car at the Detroit Motor Show that deviated so profoundly from its production philosophy to date that it shocked and surprised the public and company employees in equal measure. Clearly drawing inspiration from the 550 Spyder and the 718 RSK of the 1950s, this show car brought the taught and graceful lines of its ancestry into the ‘90s.

Caption: Walter Röhrl sits in theType 986 Boxster 2.5 Roadster with Hans Herrmann standing at the door (1996). In the background is the 550 A Spyder, which played an important inspirational role in the Boxster’s design. © Corporate Archives Porsche AG

To place this event in context, it is worth mentioning a few significant milestones from 1993. What were you doing in June that year when the Steven Spielberg blockbuster, Jurassic Park, was released? Can you recall when, later that same month, Australian Geoff Brabham paired with Frenchmen Christophe Bouchut and Eric Hélary took the Peugeot 905 Evo 1B to victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans? This would give the French manufacturer its second consecutive victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.Later that year, on 1 November, the European Union was officially established. These are just a couple of landmark events to help place the birth of the Boxster in your personal motoring calendar.