LA Auto Show - 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder Makes its World Debut

Just like certain Beverly Hills residents, the 2011 Boxster Spyder premiered in Los Angeles after going on a severe diet and getting a few vital nips and tucks. What was the motivation? We're guessing the engineers at Porsche were ready to prove that just because the company now has an SUV and luxury sedan, they haven't abandoned their sports car roots.

As you’re drooling over the car's profile, you’ll notice that its main differentiator from the original Boxster lies in the two huge bulges on the single-piece rear lid, reminiscent of the Carrera GT.

Of course, being lighter makes you faster and the Boxster Spyder adds 10 horsepower to its Boxster S brother after losing 176 pounds, giving it 0 - 60 miles per hour in only 4.6 seconds.

What was its diet secret? For starters, there’s no power soft top with all that pesky accompanying hardware. The detached scarf-like canopy is "for protection only; it is there to be deployed on those occasions when the elements absolutely demand it," according to Porsche. And like a race car, many amenities have been ditched: no air-conditioning, no radio, no map pockets, cupholders or door handles. The seats are sporty, thin and carbon framed. The doors are made of aluminum and the fuel tank, battery and wheels are all lighter.

It also has a sport-tuned suspension which lowers the car by less than an inch, and a limited slip differential. A six-speed manual or optional seven-speed double-clutch transmission is and all of this less-is-more comes at only $3,200 more than a Boxster S (the Speedster has an MSRP of $61,200).

Only serious drivers need apply to this trimmed down, supped-up Porsche and they should already own a "real car" for daily driving. But remember, for the privileged few, you can never be too light or too powerful.

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