Porsche reveals the 718 Boxster and Cayman

The 718 designation is a reference to the ground-breaking sports car from 1957, which enjoyed considerable success in renowned car races around the world, Porsche informed in a media release. As Porsche points out, the 718 RSK scored a class victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1958 thanks to a powerful and fuel-efficient four-cylinder engine which produced 142.7 PS. The company’s 919 Hybrid LMP1 also uses a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and it recently won the manufacturer’s and driver’s championship titles in the World Endurance Championship.

Porsche also informed that the new cars will be sharing more than just the 718 tag with more visual and technical similarities than in the past. The new generation models are said to have equally powerful four-cylinder flat engines with turbocharging as previous reports have suggested the 1.6 and 2.0-litre mills as options, with a maximum power of 289.6 PS between them.

When launched in markets, the Roadster will be positioned at a higher price level than the Coupé, similar to the price positioning in the 911 series, added the release. Porsche will introduce the 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman over the course of 2016.