Porsche Boxster S

Then there are the ceramic disc brakes with their distinctive yellow calipers. Literally ‘stop on a sixpence’ sensitive. They definitely have an influence on one’s driving style because they mean that you can simply and reliably brake unfeasibly late into corners and roundabouts. Nothing to touch them.

The eagle-eyed reader will have noticed the BOSE badges on the speakers and the additional binnacle on top of the dashboard, a giveaway that it’s endowed with Sport Chrono. Whilst I’ve never really figured out the benefits of the stopwatch because I don’t do trackdays, it does also confer PASM – Porsche Active Suspension Management’s electronic damping -as well as a 20mm lower ride-height, a more sensitive and responsive throttle map when Sport is selected, and similarly, in Sport mode the dampers firm up – though I’ve yet to be convinced that is especially helpful; I think that PASM on its own does the job better in fast cornering.

So, that’s what Porsche GB’s marketing gurus figured was a sexy and subtle enough spec to grab the punters’ interest at shows. But what have I done to raise the game a little bit more? You have to be careful when making improvements to cars with an exalted standard specification that you don’t compromise that integrity. Not so much, then. Body-kit, like I inflicted on my 996? Absolutely no way! As with previous 986s, my go-to icon has been the corresponding special edition – the 550 Spyder 50th Anniversary in the case of the 986 (#1,602 was run by Mrs T from 2015 to 2018), and the RS60 in the case of the 987. Both those limited editions exemplify what the factory believed it could offer discerning customers as an enhanced version of the standard S model. Colour change notwithstanding, I achieved that with my last 986, and I believe I’m there with the 987 as well.

When I got this car from Adrian Crawford – who’d had it maintained in his Saltash-based Williams-Crawford workshops since 2017 – I drove it back to Norfolk and noticed that there seemed to be a larger than normal gap in the lower front valance. I took it to Autowerke in Norwich to get brighter HIDs lightbulbs installed, and with the front panel off they discovered a portion of the inner plastic ducting had become detached, presumably en route from Cornwall, so that was remedied. They also fitted the Zunsport grilles over the apertures, front and sides, to preclude leaves and rubbish gaining entry into the ducts. I think that they neaten up the design too. Both the special edition Boxsters I mentioned had 5mm spacers fitted, so I got those put on by Kingsway Tyres Norwich during a switch from old Falken Azenis to its current Goodyear Eagles. It’s hard to quantify any benefit to handling, but the spacers do kick the wheels out slightly in the wheelarches.

Keen to optimise the torque, as well as making as much noise as possible, earlier this summer I had the full Cargraphic exhaust fitted. Manufactured for the Landau-based silencer specialist by Phoenix Exhausts in Devon, almost while-you-wait, the original 987 manifolds first required a bit of persuasion to come off, and this was achieved down the road at SCS Porsche of Honiton. And, sure enough, it was not only a blast, aurally, but there was a noticeable hike in torque, especially coming out of roundabouts and the like.

I needed to verify this, of course. Performance-wise, the special editions both declare gains in BHP over the standard spec, so, with expectations running high, I took the 987 to Clive Atthowe in Norwich to get it on his rolling road dyno and have him tweak the ECU as well. Whilst the BHP figure wasn’t especially thrilling, compared with the touted official figure for a 987 S, torque had risen markedly over the standard figure – up from 325.1Nm @ 5,420rpm to 349.3Nm @ 4,997rpm – not bad at all for a car that’s notched up 97K miles now – so both the aftermarket exhaust and ECU remap were justified embellishments to the S spec.

It’s really only done one long road trip in my two-year tenure, and that was to the Inner Hebrides last year; from one seaside to another – Cromer to Oban, via Appleby, Biggar and Fort William, and thence by Cal-Mac ferry to the Isle of Coll. And back again, without the slightest hiccup. Most recently it’s had a full valet and the soft-top reproofed. But that’s it: there’s no getting away from it, I need a project car to get stuck into, and this is too good to mess about with. So, if it appeals to you, it’s currently guesting amongst the 911s in the showroom of my old comrade Paul Stephens at Little Maplestead on the Essex-Suffolk border. Pop along, check it out, but please call first, they are by appointment only!