There’s no mistaking the new-for-2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder. The big speedster humps at the rear, distinctive “Porsche” graphics at the side, unique wheels and striking convertible top quickly set this car apart from your everyday Boxster and Boxster S.

Billed as the “spiritual successor” to the 1953 Porsche 550 Spyder (Google “James Dean” for celebrity history), the lightweight Boxster Spyder is designed to maximize power, handling, and visual appeal by creating the essential Boxster production model. And at a base price of $72,900, it does so without a price premium over the Boxster S.

Granted, the weight of the ’53 550 Spyder was a mere 550 kilograms; but at 1,275 kg, the Boxster Spyder is the lightest Porsche in the brand’s line-up, blasting from 0-100 km/h in 4.8 seconds when fitted with Porsche’s optional seven-speed PDK double-clutch gearbox and Launch Control (a six-speed manual transmission is standard, which adds three-tenths to the 0-100km/h time).

This essential lightness of being (if I can borrow the term) is what the Boxster Spyder is all about. No standard air conditioning, no standard radio, no instrument cluster shroud, a super-light carbon-fibre-framed removable convertible top, aluminum doors, sports seats with carbon-fibre shell, the lightest 19-inch wheels Porsche makes, no struts for the front hood, no interior door handles… As I say, it’s back to basics; the essential Boxster.

Under the hood — okay, not under the hood — under the car is a 3.4-litre, direct-injected flat-six cylinder engine making 320-horsepower (10 more than the Boxster S; 65 more than the Boxster). All Boxsters are mid-engined cars; the powerplant located behind the seats and in front of the rear axle. Top track speed with the roof open is 267 km/h.

According to Porsche, “The new member of the Boxster family was developed first and foremost for driving in the open air.” Not only is it a striking design with the top removed, but the experience of driving the Boxster Sypder top-down is really what this car is all about – more on that later.

Our test drive of the 2011 Boxster Spyder was somewhat unusual. Picking it up in Halifax, Nova Scotia with colleague Brian Harper of the National Post, we drove the $90,210 as-tested Arctic Silver Spyder from Halifax to Ottawa (via Edmunston, New Brunswick), whence Mr. Harper continued to Toronto.

The extra $17,310 (over the base price) was accounted for by specifying Carrera Red leather interior, bi-xenon headlights, painted roll-bar, sport shifter, sport exhaust, automatic climate control and the Sport Chrono package. The audio system was a no-charge option, as was the cupholder, and for 2011, Bluetooth, USB interface and floor mats are (finally) standard equipment in Boxsters.

Now you might say that all this optional equipment defeats the purist purpose of the Boxster Spyder, and it remains to be seen how many people order this car in its essential state, compared with those who personalize it as they would any other Porsche. I’d suggest that for those who see the Spyder as more of a styling exercise, they’ll load it up without a thought.

Ours was mostly a highway drive, at prevailing highway speeds, on mostly smooth roads (except in Quebec). So no track time, and no extreme motoring, unless you count the weather.

When first introduced to the Boxster Spyder in Porsche of Halifax’s service area, the top was up and the car was ready to go. But with sunny skies and a pleasant temperature in the mid-teens, we took a short tutorial from the Porsche service manager on stowing the top in its receptacle under the spectacular rear trunk lid, with a view to communing with nature, Spyder-style.

The two-piece top, by the way, is referred to by Porsche as a “Sunsail,” and it weighs a mere seven kilograms (the frame is only five kilograms). To be clear, it’s not power-operated. You remove it completely from the car, roll it up in two sections and stow it away.

With the top removed, it’s a simple matter for the driver to drop into the Spyder’s heavily side-bolstered seats, find a comfortable driving position (although the seat does only adjust fore and aft), and hit the road. The passenger’s seat is bolted to the floor, without any available adjustment.

Our car was fitted with the no-charge cupholders that I have written about elsewhere, and that are not a high point in Porsche engineering. They will accommodate a cup or a can if you insist, but are best suited as hooks for your baseball hat. Having personal experience with old British sports cars, I suspect they were actually designed by an Englishman.

It’s best to always go forward in the Spyder, as visibility to the rear and sides is virtually non-existent. The massive humps behind the seats obscure all vision to the side, making shoulder-checks pointless. There’s a small opening through which your rear-view mirror can identify objects right behind you, and that’s pretty much all you get.

There’s not much room to stow your bits and pieces in the snug cockpit. The door panels don’t contain receptacles as in other Boxster models, and there’s little useable space in the centre console. The faux ashtray can hold an iPhone, and there is a small cubby in front of the shifter for your wallet, however.

But once underway, the growl and snarl of the sports exhaust, the poise of the car and eagerness of the engine is an intoxicating combination that quickly replaces mundane thoughts of missing map pockets and the like. The Spyder is supremely responsive, behaving just as you want under acceleration, braking and cornering. This could be the relationship you’ve been looking for! But please… don’t let it rain.

Which unfortunately it did with biblical vengeance about an hour out of Halifax. Stopping at the side of the highway under a bridge, we set about applying the knowledge gained in our Sunsail tutorial “in the field,” so to speak.

It was a two-man job; we got wet; we installed part of it upside-down; we changed sides, we combined efforts on one side, we snapped and fiddled; pulled and clamped; we got in the car, and out of it. In the baroque top, we recognized the signature work of the Porsche cupholder engineer…

Eventually we got the top in place (with a couple of gaps and misalignments), and then found it much more challenging to get into the car. The side glass is shorter on the Boxster Spyder, which means the roof is lower. The side bolsters of the seats, therefore, become barriers to entry rather than welcoming supports that you can situate yourself between.

And with the top up and driving on a wet road, the sound levels inside the car increase to the point that normal conversation between driver and passenger is not possible.

But to reiterate, from Porsche, and they really do mean it: “The Boxster Spyder is intended primarily for driving in the open air.”

In fairness, owners will become adept over time at erecting and stowing the top, but it will always be a manoeuvre to be avoided. In its defence, this top will definitely keep you dry.

After about 1,300 km of cold, wet, dreary weather, the skies cleared just east of Montreal. We stopped in tiny Rigaud, Quebec, and removed the top once more. This absolutely transforms the car, and the mood of the people in it; the smiles return — as do the looks, the sound, the thrill — and the Boxster Spyder seems just about the perfect conveyance for two friends crossing the country. What else could you need?

We averaged 9.6 L/100 km over the 1,500-km journey from Halifax to Ottawa, which is a bit more than promised by the Energuide program (expected 7.5 L/100 km), but it was a brand new car.

If you’re in the market at this price point, should you opt for the Boxster Spyder or the Boxster S? It really depends on how much you value convenience. As an architect friend of mine once advised, “Exciting design comes at a cost.”

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