Porsche Boxster Named 'Automobile Magazine's' 1998 Automobile of the Year
7 January 1998
Porsche Boxster Named 'Automobile Magazine's' 1998 Automobile of the YearBoxster Also Selected as One of 'Car and Driver' Magazine's 10 Best Cars For 1998 DETROIT, Jan. 7 -- "Automobile Magazine" today announced the Porsche Boxster was selected its 1998 Automobile of the Year. In presenting the award at a press conference in conjunction with the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, "Automobile Magazine" Editor and Publication Director, David E. Davis, Jr., stated, "'Automobile Magazine' is a celebration of great cars -- great cars with a definite enthusiast skew. We evaluated some wonderful sedans and sport utility vehicles this year, but the Boxster turned out to be a great sports car, a great Porsche, and a great value for the enthusiast owner. It's our kind of car!" The award, itself, is an impressive cast bronze trophy created by noted sculptor Richard Pietruska of Pasadena, California. In its January 1998 issue, "Car and Driver" magazine named the Boxster one of the 10 Best Cars of 1998. When choosing the model in the 16th annual competition, "Car and Driver" Editor-In-Chief, Csaba Csere, wrote, "Couple the Boxster's performance with the pleasure of a convertible top, which is particularly rapid acting and easy to use, as well as the practicality of front and rear trunks, the exhilaration of race-bred handling, and the glorious beauty of its show-car-inspired lines, and you have one of the most desirable cars of the year." These awards represent the most recent laurels the Boxster has received since its introduction to the North American market in January of 1997. Last fall, the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) acknowledged the Boxster as the Best New Sports Car and Best New Design for 1998. Earlier, the staff of television's nationally syndicated automotive program, "MotorWeek," selected the Boxster as the 1997 "MotorWeek" Drivers' Choice Award winner for Best Sports Car. The mid-engine, two-seat Boxster roadster is Porsche's first all-new sports car in 19 years. It is equipped with a 201-horsepower, 2.5-liter, liquid-cooled boxer engine, five-speed manual or five speed Tiptronic S automatic transmission, four-wheel independent suspension and four-wheel disc brakes with ABS. Its folding convertible top can be electrically opened or closed in 12 seconds. The Boxster has not only earned critical acclaim from the automotive press, it has also received an enthusiastic response from the public. Sales of 6,992 Boxster models in 1997 helped Porsche achieve its best sales result in North America since 1988. SOURCE Porsche Cars North America, Inc.