In 2022, Porsche announced plans to bring a fully electric conversion to the Boxster and Cayman later this decade. Despite the larger-than-expected increase in EV adoption, the gas-free 718 duo is still very high. That said, Zuffenhausen speaks to the fact that Ice models are a necessity in the sports car segment, where buyers’ appetite for combustion engines continues to drive sales.
In September, Porsche promised to fit the gas engine to “top” versions of the Boxster and Cayman. Ironically, this announcement came just a month before the end of production of the 982 generation. A juicy report from Autocar suggests the German luxury automaker has bigger plans than initially thought for revitalizing the sports car’s beloved cylinders.
According to the report, those “top” versions referenced by Porsche are believed to be just a temporary fix based on the old bones of the cars. In other words, they are said to be RS-badged versions of the recently discontinued Boxster and Cayman. Internal sources cited Autocar Claims that the return of the 982 series will serve as a placeholder until all-new combustion engine models arrive.
If the rumors hold water, Porsche is repurposing the electric 718’s PPE Sport platform to support the 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 for fully electric motors and batteries will inevitably involve compromises. It likely won’t be cheap either. Still, Porsche may have run the numbers and concluded that this approach is more cost-effective than developing a new Ice platform from scratch.
As desirable and exciting as the Boxster and Cayman of old, the Porsche ran into a legal hurdle. When the EU’s new General Safety Regulation came into effect in July 2024, the cars had to be pulled from most European markets. Both models failed to meet the latest cybersecurity requirements, prompting an early retirement from the EU. The Cayman GT4RS and Boxster RS Spyder were exceptions thanks to their low-volume status.
At the time, Porsche chose not to update the platform to sell the cars in Europe. The decision made sense, given that the Boxster and Cayman were already nearing the end of their life cycles globally. however, Autocar Reports suggest 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 EV before Porsche eventually moves the gas version to the same PPE Sport platform that underpins the electric cars.
Electric 718s are expected to debut next year, with gas-powered RS models likely soon after. The Ice variant is not expected to migrate to the new platform until around 2030.
Beyond the Boxster, Cayman, and larger SUVs, another combustion engine Porsche that wasn’t originally planned is the successor to the first-generation Macan. That’s due to a different name in 2028, leaving the electric Macan as the sole bearer of the badge.
