Automobile Magazine, April 1998, Volume 13, Number 11
to subscribe: 800-289-2886 or 303-604-1465

Front of the Book, Inside the Industry

Fit and Finnish, Quality-minded Valmet helps Porsche bring more Boxsters to market.
by Paul Lienert

Inspecting the paint at Valmet.

Excerpts:

... "They speak the same language as us - quality," says Wendelin Wiedeking, the fussy forty-five-year-old president and CEO of Porsche...

... "Based on the Public reaction to the Boxster, we thought we could sell 30,000 units [a year], but Zuffenhausen was designed for only 20,000," says Wiedeking. "Last year, the factory built a record 32,000 cars, including 911s, but our orders were much higher. We couldn't fill the need, especially in the United States. Once it became clear that we needed extra capacity, we focused quickly on Valmet."...

... "Valmet's quality was equal to Zuffenhausen from the start," maintains Porsche's Valmet production boss Günther Wolf. "All their tolerances meet our standards. We're exactly the same on body and trim fit. In some details, Valmet is even better that us."...

... Valmet currently is slated to product about 5000 Boxsters in 1998, but the factory is poised to react quickly if demand for the new 911 surges and Porsche is forced to move more Boxster production to Finland...

Four Seasons Test, Porsche Boxster.

"Our Porsche Boxster is here, and life is good," reads the first logbook entry. Not ten days into its yearlong test, the Boxster went down to Kentucky and opened up a can of whup-ass on the twenty new cars also vying for our 1998 Automobile of the year award. Here are a few notes from that trip:

1484 Joe Lorio: "Now I know why there are so many churches along this route -- because if you drive a Boxster through here you'll get religion. In the German roadster triad, the Boxster is the one built for play, not for posing. The steering speaks directly to the driver and is beautifully weighted. The engine sounds great as it climbs to the top of the rev range. Power comes on strong as long as the revs are up. The most smiles per mile of the bunch."

1666 Jamie Kitman: "As far as I'm concerned, the world needs more cars like this. [Art director] Larry Crane denigrates the pedal placement for heel-and-toe shifting, but that aside this feels like a real sports car. It's the only car in this adventure with steering feel and brakes as strong as you'd like."

1796 Jim Ramsey: "It looks like a 550 Spyder and sounds like a Porsche, yet it exhibits none of the undesirable Porsche traits. The handling is excellent, the power is very adequate, the brakes are powerful, and the steering is as direct as Howard Stern."

2210 Richard Feast: "I drove this far too fast!"

Automobile Magazine reports: 6/96, 3/97, 2/98
Price as tested: $45,706
Months in service: 3
Miles to date: 9701
Observed fuel economy: 21.3 mpg

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