Pelican Technical Article: Personal Touches Wayne R. Dempsey
Time: Infinite
Tab: $1-$10,000
Talent:
Tools:
Unlimited
Applicable Models:
986 Boxster (1997-04) 987 Boxster (2005-08)
Parts Required:
Just about everything in the catalog
Hot Tip:
Keep an eye out at local swap meets and shows for cool additions that can add to your Boxster
Performance Gain:
The sky is the limit
Complementary Modification:
Wash your car
This article is one in a series that have been released in conjunction with Wayne's new book, 101 Performance Projects for Your Porsche Boxster. The book contains 312 pages of full color projects detailing everything from performance mods to changing your brake pads. With more than 950+ full-color glossy photos accompanying extensive step-by-step procedures, this book is required reading in any Boxster owner's collection. The book is currently available and in stock now. See The Official Book Website for more details.
Check out some other sample projects from the book:
As principle photographer and owner of the Internet-based company PelicanParts.com that sells parts for Porsches, I've had the opportunity to photograph a lot of different modifications that people have done to their Boxsters over the years. While not all of them improve the looks of the car in my own opinion, it can certainly be said that Boxster owners like to modify their cars more than most people. Whether it's the addition of new wheels, or a custom spoiler, if you can think of it, it's likely that some passionate Boxster owner has spent hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars to do it. This project is designed to give you some ideas for your Boxster: many of these items are currently available in the online catalog at PelicanParts.com.
Figure 1
Dressing up your interior makes sense, as it's the one thing that you look at the most. Porsche and some aftermarket companies offer almost all of the interior trim pieces in the car in genuine carbon fiber (shown in this photo). However, the real deal can cost you up to $6K to outfit the entire interior of your Porsche with the genuine stuff. The poor mans option is carbon fiber-look overlays that give the appearance of real carbon fiber for 1/100th of the cost. While not my particular cup of tea, some people may find this approach appealing.
Chrome trim rings are a popular interior dress-up item for the Boxster gauges. They are typically manufactured out of extruded aluminum and contain extra-sticky adhesive that you simply peel and stick to the outer edges of the gauges. The gauges are the one thing that you look at the most inside the car, so they should at least be appealing to your eye.
This photo shows the interior of my 996 Carrera, and while not technically a Boxster, a lot of interior parts are interchangeable and transferrable from the 996 to the Boxster. This car was ordered new from the factory with this interior. Some uncommon, yet interesting things to point out are the red seat belts ($580 option), the inlaid Porsche crest in the headrest, and the painted silver seat backs and center console (it cost $700 each panel for this option). Although I really like the look of the silver-painted center console, in reality it doesn't hold up very well to wear and tear and tends to look a bit worn as it scratches very easily.
Pedal upgrades are another common accessory for Boxster owners. Beware though: you want to make sure that you get a set that isn't slippery. These pedals are great looking, but they might be a little too slippery for my tastes: particularly if I'm wearing leather-soled shoes. I recommend sets that have integrated anti-slip rubber inserts in them.
I've included this press-release photo of the 2010 Boxster Spyder because it incorporates so many neat design elements that can be applied to earlier cars as well. For starters, the 19 wheels with red painted calipers look great on this car. Also noteworthy is the PORSCHE script down the side in the style originally used on the early 911s in the 1970s: very cool. Finally, the Speedster-style humps, which were an original option for the Boxster, have made a return with the Spyder.
Spoilers can be big on Boxsters (see Pelican Technical Article: Rear Spoiler Installation). This one is unique and looks custom made (as was nearly everything else on this car). I've never been a huge fan of the Boxster popup spoiler from day one: I've always thought it was a bit inelegant. Adding a spoiler to the rear of the Boxster gives it a more muscular look in my opinion.
One of the smallest detail touches you can place on your car are Porsche crest valve stem caps for your wheels. These are really neat, factory OEM valve caps, and typically run about $20 at PelicanParts.com (PN: PNA-705-001-99 silver crest, PN: PNA-705-002-00 colored crest).
Shown here is what is known as a tonneau cover for the interior of your car. Originally a popular accessory on the 356 Speeders, they certainly look cool when installed. However, it takes a several minutes to unfold and install it: far longer than the 35 seconds or so it takes to roll up the top on a sunny day. Still, for car shows and displays, it's certainly an eye-catching accessory.
Here's the car that is featured on the cover of this book. It's a speedster inspired Boxster that has had numerous upgrades including the complete removal of the roof. In its place is a simple roof material cover for the engine compartment. Here in sunny Southern California, you can probably get away with removing the roof, but for most other climates, I wouldn't terribly recommend it.
If you're tired of the way your Boxster is looking, then you might want to update it with a body kit. While some body kits available on the market today are of questionable taste, I do like the Streetster GT featured here by Patritti Rennsport Design. It's very clear from the first glance that the design incorporates subtle elements from a variety of very successful Porsches. The front headlamps and bumper are reminiscent of the Porsche 997 Turbo, the side engine air scoops pay homage to the venerable Carrera GT, and the rear takes styling queues from the Ferrari lineup.
The Porsche Cayman was introduced with an entirely new looking front bumper. With only a little bit of effort, you can install a Cayman-look bumper onto your late-model Boxster (2005 and up). You can also install and wire in the additional fog lamps so that they are fully functional. I've seen one or two Boxsters with this update, and it's very subtle, because the look is classic Cayman and is very period and factory-correct looking.
Here's a neat personal touch that Boxster owner Joel Lester designed. Inspired by the 2010 Boxster Spyder shown in Photo 5, it incorporates a center Viper-like stripe with the Boxster hardtop (see Pelican Technical Article: Installing the Hardop and Installation Kit) and a tasteful PORSCHE script along the bottom of the door. Total cost about $35 from a local vinyl sign shop.
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