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There is the magic of a name and the magic of the moment this month in the automotive field.

The magic of the name is the 1997 Porsche Boxster. The magic of the moment is the car’s debut, which was Saturday at the greater Los Angeles Auto Show. The moment will come a little closer to home on Jan. 11, when the car debuts at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Mich.

These two expositions give the motoring public a view of the most anticipated Porsche sports car in years. Deriving its name from its horizontally opposed “boxer” type engine and roadster chassis, the ’97 Boxster is Porsche’s first completely new sports car in 19 years.

The Boxster was created to be a two-seater roadster, although one with modern amenities such as power accessories, stereo and climate control. These features, however, do not prevent it from being a driver’s car.

You can have it both ways as a driver, either the do-it-yourself variety via a manual gearbox, or by letting those electronic genies in Porsche’s Tiptronic S automatic do it for you.

The new, optional Tiptronic S system has five forward speeds, compared to the previous Triptronics’ four, and it works by positioning the manual mode gear selection switches on the steering wheel.

In manual mode, if you have the touch, you can reel in 0-60 mph in a little over 6 seconds (6.1 to 6.3). Then sit up straight and steer because the roadster rolls along at a top speed of 149 mph.

Porsche’s strong suit has been engineering, and the new Boxster has received the benefit of all that experience. Mechanically, the car is a totally new design. Styling somewhat reflects the design of the first Porsche 356 as well as the 550 Spyder of yesteryear.

The new roadster breaks with Porsche tradition in two ways. First, it’s a mid-engined car with the flat-6 motor ahead of the rear wheels, instead of behind them. Second, it’s the first six-cylinder Porsche production engine to be water-cooled and equipped with four valves per cylinder.

This advanced technology, plus four overhead cams, has resulted in a 151-cubic inch (2.5-liters) motor that puts out 201-horsepower. Torque is 181 foot-pounds.

Intake valve timing is advanced or retarded by Porsche’s patented VarioCam system. The oil cavity is part of the engine block and is referred to as “integrated dry sump lubrication.” It is much simpler than the traditional dry-sump system that carries the oil in a separate tank.

Even though it’s a roadster, the chassis is about 20 percent stiffer than the 9ll’s. The rigidity gives a good solid feel to the car and acts as a platform for the suspension system.

The suspension essentially is a MacPherson type with struts within coil springs, but it is optimized by Porsche. A multi-link layout, the design has a built-in system that corrects wheel toe position while cornering. It also allows a driver to apply the brakes in a turn and maintain full control of the car.

In a vehicle such as the Boxster, it’s obvious that whoaing is just as important as going. In this light, Porsche race-inspired technology is the source of the braking system. The Boxster’s exclusive light alloy four-piston brake calipers are in one monoblock casting for superior braking.

Also, all four brake calipers are equipped with pistons of varying diameter to avoid uneven brake wear.

Specification-wise, the Boxster’s 95.1-inch wheelbase is a little over five inches longer than a 911’s wheelbase. Its overall length of 169.9 is a couple of inches longer than a 911.

There is a plethora of handy items, such as a telescopic wheel, a power top that goes into place in 12 seconds, and a rear spoiler that comes out at 75 mph and retracts at 50 mph.

But possibly the most outstanding thing about the Boxster is its base price of $39,980. A ’97 Boxster carrying the optional equipment most owners would want probably will put the cost at about $45,000.