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January 2016 |TOPCAR.CO.ZA 73Nextyear’sBoxsterhas fewercylindersbutmorepowerMOVEALONG NOW,nothing tosee here? Whilethe imminentnew Boxster might display the trademark, modestfaceliftedPorschetendencies– new bumpers, tweaked frontandrearlamp graphics– thisearly 20 16 caris a verybig deal. That’s becauseit’s runninga four-cylinderengine. It’s not aV4like Porsche’s 919 LeMans-winner’s, althoughthe base Boxster’s oppositepiston enginedoes share its 2.0-litrecapacity. Theadvanced,direct-injection design getsonly one fixed-vaneturbo. Theoutgoing Boxster six makes 195kW:expectthe newflat-fourtobestthat with upto224kW,and monster its 28 0Nm oftorquethankstoitsforcedinduction.Pricier Boxsterswill alsorun aturbo four, a2.5-litre, with upto272kWfor the GTS edition.Theoretically, the high-end fourisbrawnyenoughtoreplace all six-cylinder unitsbar the BoxsterSpyder/Cayman GT4’s spiciest3.8-litre.Therevamped911’s upgraded infotainment systemwill completethe package.MID-ENGINED TWINS GO FOUR-POT``````PORSCHE BOXSTER/CAYMAN14``````WHAT IS IT?Not aturbodiesel,despite silly name.In fact‘tdf’ standsfor Tour deFrance,anendurance roadraceFerrariused toserially win in the’50s(well, theycouldn’tcall it F1right now,could they?). They’vebasically taken theF12 berlinetta andturnedit upto11. It’sroadlegal, but if youdon’t liveatNardoyou’ll struggle toexploit it.``````POWERTRAINF12’s naturallyaspirated6.3-litreV12getspumped from54 4kWto574, with70 5Nm oftorquefrom2500rpm.Theengine’sbeen race-fettled usingF1-inspiredvariable-intake geometrytrumpets(noless), andthe F1dual-clutch’boxhas beenwholly remapped,with 6per centshorter ratios,30 per centfasterupshiftsand 40 per centfaster downshifts.``````INTERIORHere’s where youcansee for yourselfhow they’ve saved amassive 110 kgoverthe F12. Instrumentpodsanddoorsare carbonfibre,floor matsarebarealuminium andthey’ve even pinchedthe glovebox. Fewloved oneswill beimpressedathavingtohold the tinofboiledsweets whileyou enter the graveltrapbackwards.``````AERODYNAMICSThey’vegoneto town–doubling the F12’s aeroefficiencybyreshapingeverypanel andthenpunching clever holesall over the place.Race-carbrainpowerabounds in thefrontsplitter, diveplanes,floorwings, louvres andthe bonnet’s signatureaerobridge. Therearspoiler’s gothuger, andthe rear diffuser’s three‘active flaps’ cannoweat unsuspecting smallmammals.``````PERFORMANCEIt’s asinsanely quickasyou’d hope, hitting100kph in 2.9secandachieving ‘in excessof 34 0kph’, putting itin LaFerrariterritory.More curious isthat the fronttyresare wider than therears, quashingundersteer butsurelymakingluridoversteer inevitable?Enter ‘VirtualShort Wheelbase’- Ferrari’s first rear- wheel-steersystem.CAN IBUY ONE?If you’re quick –they’re makingjust799. It’s vulgarto talk about price,so Ferraridoesn’t.Thebiggerquestionis why wouldyou?With more bulgesthanLou Ferrigno’strousers it’s thesurelythe louchest,mosttaste-averseFerrariyet.FERRARI F12 TDFFERRARI DESIGNSTRAYS INTO MAXPOWER TERRITORY13