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The Porsche Boxster is a mid-engined roadster built
by Porsche. The Boxster is Porsche's first vehicle
designed from the beginning as a roadster; all previous
Porsche convertibles were based on hardtop coupes.
The first-generation Boxster (the 986) was introduced
in late 1996 as a 1997 model; it was powered by
a 2.5 litre flat six-cylinder engine. In 2000,
the new Boxster S variant was introduced with
a larger 3.2 litre motor, and the base model received
a more powerful 2.7 litre engine. In 2003, styling
and engine output was upgraded on both variants.
In 2005, further updates were substantial enough
that Porsche internally identified the Boxster
as a new 987 model. The 987s were more powerful
than the 986s; engine output increased yet further
in 2007, when both Boxster models received the
motors from the corresponding Porsche Cayman variants.
Production of the 986 began at the former Porsche
928 facility in Stuttgart, Germany in 1996. Valmet
Automotive Oy also manufactures Boxsters under
contract to Porsche at a facility in Uusikaupunki,
Finland. The Boxster was Porsche's biggest volume
seller from its introduction in model year 1997
until the company introduced the Cayenne utility
vehicle in model year 2003.
The Boxster's name is a combination of the word
"boxer", referring to the vehicle's
horizontally-opposed or "boxer" engine,
and the word "roadster", referring to
the vehicle's convertible top.
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