Report: Four-Cylinder Porsche Boxster Coming in 2011

Look to your history.

As for how this affects Porsche, you should all consider that it is not the engine that makes the car a Porsche but the ride, handling and engineering. Putting a 4 cylinder engine in a Porsche makes the product more reachable, opening the product to new customers who are then more likely to upgrade later thus meaning more development cash for the rare low volume specials such as GT2s etc. Remember that the only reason Enzo Ferrari made road cars was to fund the race team. Similarly Porsche needs volume sellers to make the rare breeds. It is sad that no one seems to understand modern day car manufacturing economics. Cars cannot be manufactured to meet modern day requirements on a shoe string. Hence why companies such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bentley cannot survive alone with small volumes and need partnerships with larger more dynamic OEMs.

I wonder whether Porsche and Subaru could develop a smaller Flat 4 together...? Wishful thinking perhaps.

as far as my opinion goes, I hope the mid-engine turbo-4 goes to Audi as the next TT as speculated. but with Porsche taking over the VAG group they may not want the added competition to their cayman and boxter. Either way i think it will be great car despite of who releases it.