In the year 2015, the Porsche 909 (a.k.a the Bergspyder) turned 50 years old. The Bergspyder was the lightest ever racing car used by Porsche, possessing a ready-to-drive weight of just 384 kgs. To celebrate the birthday of this legendary vehicle, the Porsche Executive board commissioned a special racing car based on the 2015 Boxster (a.k.a the 981), one that would possess a superior power to weight ratio similar to the original Bergspyder. And thus, the Boxster Bergspyder was born. Just like the 909, the new 981 would have a similar colour scheme – white with green streaks – and a light minimalist design.
The result was a single-seater sports car without a top, door handles, or a windscreen, but just a wind deflector that extends around the driver and ends at the doors. Even the passenger seat was removed and replaced with a storage compartment for luggage and a helmet shelf. The final weight of the Boxster Bergspyder is a mind boggling 1099 kgs, nearly 216 kgs lesser than the original Boxster Spyder.
The vehicle is powered by a 3.8 ltr 393 PS (metric horsepower) boxer engine borrowed from the Cayman GT4 and has a power to weight ratio of 2.8 kg per PS, resulting in a lighting fast acceleration of 0-100 in just over 4 seconds.
Unfortunately, this prototype remains a one off and Porsche does not intend to manufacture more due to concerns regarding registration eligibility in some countries – something that could drastically affect sales. It was put on display at the development centre in Weissach for 2 years before being
transferred to the Porsche museum and was shown to the public for the first time at last month’s
Gaisberg hillclimb.
Writer: Rohan, Driveaholic
