Porsche Boxster and Cayman
The Porsche Boxster and Cayman are mid-engine two-seater sports cars manufactured and marketed by German automobile manufacturer Porsche across four generations—as a two-door, two-seater roadster and a three-door, two-seater fastback coupé.
The first generation Boxster was introduced in 1996; the second generation Boxster and the Cayman arrived in late 2005; and the third generation launched in 2012. From 2016 to 2025, the two models were marketed as the Porsche 718 Boxster and Porsche 718 Cayman.
The nameplate Boxster is a portmanteau of boxer, a reference to its flat or boxer engine, and Speedster, a nod to the original Porsche Speedster of the 1950's. The nameplate Cayman is an alternative spelling of caiman, a member of the alligator family.
In May 2025, Porsche North America confirmed the rumours that global “production for all current 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman variants, including RS models, is scheduled to end in October of” 2025. Porsche CEO Oliver Blume has confirmed future production of full-electric replacements but said they will arrive in the "medium term."
In October 2025, Porsche ceased production of the 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman.
Overview
Boxster
The Porsche Boxster is a mid-engine two-seater roadster. It was Porsche's first road vehicle to be originally designed as a roadster since the 914. The first-generation Boxster Type 986 was introduced in late 1996; it was powered by a 2.5-litre flat six-cylinder engine. The design was heavily influenced by the 1993 Boxster Concept. In 2000, the base model was upgraded to a 2.7-litre engine and a new Boxster S variant was introduced with a 3.2-litre engine. In 2003, styling and engine output was upgraded on both variants.Production of the Type 986 began at the former 928 facility in Stuttgart, Germany in 1996. Valmet Automotive also manufactured Boxsters under contract to Porsche at a facility in Uusikaupunki, Finland. The Boxster was Porsche's biggest volume seller from its introduction in 1996 until the introduction of the Cayenne sport utility vehicle in 2003. As of September 2012, additional production of the Boxster started at the former Karmann-factory in Osnabrück.
In 2005, Porsche debuted the second generation of the Boxster Type 987, with a more powerful engine and styling inspired by the Carrera GT. Engine output increased in 2007, when the Boxster models received the engines from their corresponding Cayman variants. In 2009, the Boxster models received several new cosmetic and mechanical upgrades, further increasing engine output and performance. The third generation Boxster Type 981 was launched at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.
Cayman
First launched in 2005 for the 2006 model year, the Cayman is a coupé derived from Porsche's second and third generation Boxster roadster, styled in its first iteration by Pinky Lai. All Caymans up to 2012 were manufactured in Finland by Valmet Automotive. As Volkswagen assumed control of Porsche AG, production of Caymans and Boxsters after 2012 began in the former Karmann plant in Osnabrück, Germany, at the time owned by Volkswagen and also used for production of the 2012 Volkswagen Golf Mk6 convertible.The car and the Cayman Islands are named after the caiman, a member of the alligator family. When the Cayman arrived at dealerships for sale, the automaker adopted four caimans at Stuttgart's Wilhelma Zoo.
Porsche brought an infringement lawsuit in 2009 against Crocs, the maker of the popular rubber shoes. At issue was the footwear company's clog name also called Cayman. An injunction was granted against Crocs Europe, a division of the Longmont, Colorado-based shoe company preventing their use in Germany of the Cayman name.
718
The Porsche Boxster and Cayman Type 982 was introduced in 2016, for the 2017 model year, and renamed the Porsche 718 Boxster and Porsche 718 Cayman. Reviving the historic 718 moniker while switching engines from naturally aspirated flat sixes to small-displacement flat-four turbocharged units. The new 718 Cayman was also repositioned with an entry price lower than that of the 718 Boxster, in keeping with Porsche's higher pricing for roadster models.In May 2025, Porsche North America confirmed the rumours that global “production for all current 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman variants, including RS models, is scheduled to end in October of" 2025. Porsche CEO Oliver Blume has confirmed future production of full-electric replacements but said they will arrive in the "medium term." Production of the 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman variants ended in 2025.
First generation: 986 Boxster (1996–2004)
Grant Larson's design, inspired by the 356 Cabriolet, Speedster, and 550 Spyder, stimulated a commercial turnaround for Porsche. Through consultation with Toyota, Porsche began widely sharing parts among models and slashed costs.By October 1991 following a visit to the Tokyo Motor Show, Porsche in dire straits, began to devise solutions to succeed the poor selling 928 and incoming 968. In February 1992, Porsche began development of a successor to the 928 and recently released 968. By June 1992, out of 4 proposals based on dual collaboration between the 986 and 996 design teams, a proposal by Grant Larson and Pinky Lai was chosen by Harm Lagaay. In August 1992, a decision was made to develop the concept into a show vehicle, in time for the 1993 North American International Auto Show. After garnering widespread acclaim from the press and public upon presentation of the Boxster Concept in January 1993, the final production 986 production exterior design by Larson was frozen in March 1993. However, by the second half of 1993, difficulties arose with fitment of some components, resulting in lengthening of the bonnet and requiring another design freeze by fourth quarter of that year. Prototypes in 968 bodies were built to test the mid-engine power train of the 986 by the end of 1993, with proper prototypes surfacing in 1994. Pilot production began in the second half of 1995, ahead of series production in mid-1996.
The Boxster was released ahead of the 996. The 986 Boxster had the same bonnet, front wings, headlights, interior and engine architecture as the 996.
All 986 and 987 Boxsters use the M96, a water-cooled, horizontally opposed, six-cylinder engine. It was Porsche's first water-cooled non-front engine. In the Boxster, it is placed in a mid-engine layout, while in the 911, the classic rear-engine layout was used. The mid-engine layout provides a low center of gravity, a near-perfect weight distribution, and neutral handling.
The M96 engines had a number of failures, resulting in cracked or slipped cylinder liners, which were resolved by a minor redesign and better control of the casting process in late 1999. A failure for these early engines was a spate of porous engine blocks, as the manufacturer had difficulty in the casting process. In addition to causing problems with coolant and oil systems mingling fluids, it also resulted in Porsche's decision to repair faulty engines by boring out the cast sleeves on the cylinders where defects were noted in production and inserting new sleeves rather than scrapping the engine block. Normally, the cylinder walls are cast at the same time as the rest of the engine, this being the reason for adopting the casting technology.
The model received a minor facelift in 2002. The plastic rear window was replaced by a smaller glass window. The interior received a glove compartment, new electro-mechanical bonnet and boot release mechanism and an updated steering wheel. Porsche installed a reworked exhaust pipe and air intake. In addition, the front headlight's amber indicators were replaced with clear indicators. The rear light cluster was also changed with translucent grey turn signals replacing the amber ones. The side marker lights on the front wings were changed as well from amber to clear, except on American market cars where they remained amber. The bumpers were also changed slightly for a more defined, chiseled appearance, and new wheel designs were made available.
Special Edition
2004 Boxster S 550 Spyder 50th Anniversary Edition- Celebrated the 50th anniversary of the 550 Spyder
- Limited to 1,953 units marked the 550s debut in 1953
Second generation: 987 Boxster/Cayman (2005–2012)
Revised styling included modified headlights, larger side intake vents and enlarged wheel arches to allow wheels up to 19 inches in diameter. Interior revisions included a more prominent circular theme for the instrument cluster and cooling vents. The base engine is a 2.7-litre flat-six boxer engine, with the Boxster S getting a 3.2-litre engine. For 2007, the base Boxster received a revised engine featuring VarioCam Plus and the Boxster S engine was upgraded from 3.2-litre to 3.4-litre. These upgrades made the Boxster series and the Cayman series equivalent in terms of power. The 987 is the last generation of the Boxster and Cayman series with hydraulic steering.
The Cayman S fastback coupé was first unveiled and went on sale in late 2005. The base Cayman followed in July 2006.
Both the Cayman and second generation Boxster roadster share their mid-engine platform and many components, including the front wings and boot lid, doors, headlights, taillights, and forward portion of the interior. Styling incorporates cues from the 356/1, the 550 Coupé and the 904 Coupé. The Cayman's hatchback enables access to luggage areas on top of and in the back of the engine cover. The suspension design is fundamentally the same as that of the Boxster with revised settings due to the stiffer chassis with the car's fixed roof.
The Cayman S was powered by a 3.4-litre flat-six mated to a 6-speed manual transaxle, a 2.7-litre engine with a 5-speed transmission was standard for the base model. An electronically controlled 5-speed automatic was also available on the S and base models. The Tiptronic transmission for the 987.1 is a ZF 5HP transmission 19 model 1060.030 109/110.
The Boxster and Boxster S models received a facelift in 2008. Changes included an increase in engine displacement to 2.9-litre for the Boxster, incorporation of Direct Fuel Injection for the Boxster S. Both models now came standard with a new 6-speed manual gearbox and were available with a 7-speed Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe dual clutch gearbox. Cosmetic changes included new head and tail lights, larger front air intakes with incorporated day time running lights, and an altered lower rear end flanked by twin diffusers.
The 987.2 debuted in February 2009 with a facelift of the Cayman. As with the Boxster, the base Cayman's engine displacement was increased to 2.9-litre while the Cayman S gained direct injection. Both the Cayman and Cayman S maintained a power advantage over their roadster sibling, the Boxster. A limited-slip differential was now a factory option.
The Cayman R was launched In 2011 as the pinnacle of the 987 generation. Based on the 2009 Cayman S, the Cayman R was given more power and a 55 kg weight reduction thanks to lightweight wheels, 911 GT2 lightweight door cards and handles, doors and carbon seats, removal of air conditioning, storage compartments, entertainment system and rear wiper. The Cayman R was made in limited numbers and led the way to the formation of the Cayman GT4. Porsche's iconic lightweight "R" designation originated with the legendary 911 R in 1967, becoming a distinct symbol.