In 2022, Porsche announced plans to launch fully electric replacements for the Boxster and Cayman later this decade. Despite a weaker-than-expected rise in EV adoption, the gas-free 718 duo is still very much on the way. That said, Zuffenhausen has come to terms with the reality that ICE models remain a necessity in the sports car segment, where buyers’ appetite for combustion engines continues to drive sales.
In September, Porsche pledged to fit a gas engine to “top” versions of the Boxster and Cayman. Ironically, the announcement came just a month before production of the 982 generation ended. A juicy report from Autocar suggests the German luxury automaker has far bigger plans than initially thought for restoring these sports cars’ beloved cylinders.
Those “top” versions referenced by Porsche are believed to be only a temporary solution based on the cars’ old bones, according to the report. In other words, they’re said to be RS-badged versions of the recently discontinued Boxster and Cayman. Insiders cited by Autocar claim the return of the 982 series will act as a placeholder until all-new combustion-engine models arrive.
If the rumors hold water, Porsche is reengineering the PPE Sport platform of the electric 718 to support a gas engine. Where have we heard this before? The company’s three-row flagship SUV was also supposed to be electric-only, but is now being reworked to accommodate combustion power.
Going back to the drawing board to make engines compatible with an architecture originally designed solely for electric motors and batteries will inevitably involve compromises. It likely won’t be cheap, either. Still, Porsche has probably run the numbers and concluded this approach is more cost-effective than developing an all-new ICE platform from scratch.
As desirable and thrilling as the old Boxster and Cayman were, Porsche ran into a legal hurdle. The cars had to be pulled from most European markets in July 2024 when the European Union’s new General Safety Regulation came into force. Both models failed to meet the updated cybersecurity requirements, prompting their early retirement from the EU. The Cayman GT4 RS and Boxster RS Spyder were exempt thanks to their low-volume status.
At the time, Porsche chose not to update the platform to keep the cars on sale in Europe. That decision made sense, given that the Boxster and Cayman were already nearing the end of their life cycle globally. However, Autocar reports the old platform will get a second chance with the return of the Cayman GT4 RS and Boxster RS Spyder. These models will be sold alongside the next-generation EVs before Porsche eventually migrates the gas versions to the same PPE Sport platform that underpins the electric cars.
The electric 718s are expected to debut sometime next year, with the gas-powered RS models likely following shortly thereafter. The transition of ICE variants to the new platform isn’t expected until closer to 2030.
Beyond the Boxster, Cayman, and the large SUV, another combustion-engine Porsche that wasn’t originally planned is a successor to the first-generation Macan. It’s due in 2028 under a different name, leaving the electric Macan as the sole bearer of that badge.
