Porsche Boxster, Cayman to Add 718 Designation in 2016

CARS.COM — Porsche announced that its mid-engine sports cars, the Boxster roadster and Cayman coupe, will gain the 718 designation in 2016 in honor of a historic mid-engine Porsche race car. The cars will be named the 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman.

Related: 2014 Porsche Cayman Review

The 718 race car of the late 1950s and early ’60s was powered by a flat four-cylinder engine, and Porsche said the 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman will eventually be powered by turbocharged flat four-cylinders. The sports cars currently offer a range of flat six-cylinder engines rated from 265 to 385 horsepower, depending on the trim level. The move to smaller, forced-induction engines mirrors the industry at large; it represents an opportunity for automakers to improve gas mileage without sacrificing performance.

The Boxster was last redesigned for the 2013 model year and the Cayman for the 2014 model year. Through November 2015, combined sales for the sports cars are off 10 percent compared with last year.