On the face of it, here we have two very similar propositions: both two-seater sports cars, both packing over 200bhp and with the potential to crack 150mph.
The practical reality though is that in many ways they couldn’t be more different, both in their background and in the way they go about getting to that magical ton-and-a-half: one was a calculated attempt to extend the appeal of the Porsche brand downwards into a more affordable market, while the other was Honda’s single-minded celebration of its engineering prowess.
Despite that though, it’s a fair bet that anyone looking for a credible modern classic roadster with sufficient pace to make it a step up from the likes of the MX-5 may well have both of these on their shopping list. Here, we try to decide which is the best modern classic ownership proposition.
Porsche Boxster
For many readers, this comparison is over before it’s even begun: for anyone suddenly priced out of the 911 the Porsche Boxster represents an affordable way to achieve a dream. Growing up with air-cooled VWs as I did myself, a six-cylinder Porsche was always an ultimate goal and to discover that it was a realistic proposition was a delight.
It was this thinking which informed Porsche’s decision to produce the car in the first place: declining sales in the crucial US market combined during the mid 1990s with financial pressures back home generated by the newly reunified German economy to see profits falling and workers being laid off.
Porsche’s position wasn’t helped by the 911 looking increasingly antiquated. Despite an extensive update into the 993 generation in 1994, the car’s bodywork was still based largely on the structure of the 1964 original and although the air-cooled six gave the car its signature soundtrack, it was coming to the limits of its development.
At the other end of the slender range, the entry-level Porsche of the time was the 944, itself descended from the VW/Porsche 924 of 1976. Alongside these, the 928 was still plugging along, expensive both to make and to buy and never a big seller despite its capability.