Porsche saves the best until last with the stunning 718 Boxster GTS 4.0

They say a week is a long time in politics but the same applies to the automotive industry – just ask Jaguar Land Rover. One day cars are rolling off the production line, the next a cyberattack throws a humungous spanner in the works.

Confusion over the proposed ban on selling combustion-engined vehicles in the UK is also shifting goalposts with baffling regularity. While some carmakers embrace the electric revolution, others are agonising over future EV plans.

Until a few weeks ago, for example, Porsche was set to axe the best-selling ICE Boxster, replacing the convertible with an electric-only model. That was before CEO Oliver Blume made a surprise announcement that the company will continue to produce petrol versions after all.

The missive from Stuttgart confirmed ‘significant adjustments to our product portfolio in the medium and long-term period. As part of this Porsche is evaluating further investments in highly emotive combustion engine derivatives at the upper end of the 718 model range.’

In Porsche-speak, that means the brand’s first, Boxster EV will be launched after the Cayenne Electric, currently due by mid-2026. However, it may continue to sell petrol-powered Boxsters at the upper end of the range too.

Porsche enthusiasts aren’t the only ones wondering what will happen next. When I drove the ‘last’ ICE Boxster in early September 2025, I was expecting to scribble a valediction in memory of a sports car I first experienced almost 30 years ago, when the two-seater was dismissed as a poor man’s 911.

Now the Boxster GTS 4.0 may be around a while longer – really, it’s anyone’s guess. The only thing we do know for sure is that what was billed as the fuelled finale for the 718 model – including the coupé Cayman sibling – may be the best version ever.

Launched in 1996 with a 2.5-litre flat-six engine, sales of the original Boxster took off at an astonishing pace and almost certainly saved Porsche from the knacker’s yard. How so? In 1992, the company was on the verge of collapse. Sales totalled 6,600 cars and losses amounted to a record-breaking £98 million. A new, cost-effective model was needed to keep Porsche on the road.

That first 986 Boxster – the name an amalgamation of the Boxer engine and the roadster body – was a controversial car, not least because every Porsche before it, bar the 928 luxury GT, was designed for the racetrack. The bulbous new Boxster also lacked the svelte lines of the breathtaking concept car that preceded it.

Since then, Boxster has morphed through four generations and a raft of increasingly punchier powerplants. Notably, the third generation 981 launched in 2012 was substantially lighter than the outgoing model. Later, the first Boxster GTS offered sharper handling and more power from a 3.4-litre engine. There was also the stripped down Spyder.

In 2016, Porsche replaced the Boxster’s glorious flat-six with a pair of four-cylinder turbo engines for the 718 model – a nod to the car that won the Targa Floria race in Sicily in the late 1950s. Despite more power and mpg, enthusiasts bemoaned the loss of character.

Fortunately, Porsche probably saved the best until last, introducing the flat-six again for the range-topping 718 GTS. At a time when turbocharging and all-wheel drive are commonplace, the GTS is still one of the purest roadsters available.

Priced from £77,300, the current – possibly last – GTS is more than double that of a fun-loving Mazda MX-5. However, few sports cars can match the Porsche for quality, poise and top-down thrills.

Designed for year-round driving pleasure, the Boxster cabin is a delightful place to travel. Excellent seats, exquisite detailing and an electric-folding roof that blots out road noise makes the Porsche a convertible for all seasons. It even boasts a key instead of a starter button – remember those?

Best of all, without all-wheel drive, the mid-engine Boxster is still blessed with incredible handling. Combine that with the soundtrack of a naturally aspirated six-cylinder engine and you start to wonder why it’s worth paying considerably more for a 911 Cabriolet instead.

Porsche 718 Boxster GTS 4.0, from £77,300, Porsche.com, @Porsche