The Porsche Boxster and Cayman are set to receive significant changes beginning with the 2016 models of both mid-engine sports cars. For starters, both the Boxster and the Cayman are scheduled to get new names. Taking a page from its traditional style of naming its vehicles, the Boxster and the Cayman will be renamed the 718 Boxster and the 718 Cayman.
Porsche made the announcement in a press release, even though it didn’t exactly explain the reason behind the decision to add the historically significant “718” name to both mid-engined sports cars. Porsche purists know that the 718 designation is a reference to the ground-breaking, open-top race car that Porsche built from 1957 to 1962. The original 718 was a two-seater, 1.5-liter sports car that was adapted to compete in a number of different formulas during its years with Porsche, most notably in 1961 when it competed in Formula One and propelled driver Dan Gurney to a fourth place finish in the driver’s championship.
Neither the Boxster nor the Cayman have any historical ties to the original 718 so it’s interesting to hear why Porsche decided to dust off the name and give it to both models. Whatever rationale Porsche has, it does look more and more certain that we’re going to see the legendary 718 name back into the fold. Younger fans of Porsche may not be familiar with it, but rest assured, the historical significance attached to the name speaks to the rich and oftentimes successful history Porsche has in motorsports.
Both the 718 Boxster and the 718 Cayman will be next-generation models when they make their debuts in 2016. Details have been scant at this point, but Porsche did say that the two models will be more similar than they have been in the past. That’s interesting considering both are already nearly identical to each other except for a few notable exceptions.
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