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Porsche confirms four-cylinder Boxster, Cayman replacement for US

Those who've been anxiously awaiting the return of the four-cylinder Porsche will be glad to know that the wait is almost over. What's more, the quad-pot Porsches won't be kept away from US showrooms but will form an integral part of the company's North American strategy. Confirmation comes courtesy of Automotive News, which spoke to the company's chief executive Matthias Muller about its return to four-cylinder power. "First of all, we will have it in the Boxster and Cayman successor," Muller told AN. "And then we will see how it works and how successful it is and how the customers will react on that, and then we will take the next decisions." The model to which Muller refers is expected to be the 718 – a new line taking the place of the Boxster and Cayman, ostensibly allowing Zuffenhausen to start from scratch rather than "downsizing" the engine on existing models. The new range is anticipated to launch sometime in the middle of next year. Porsche is currently offering a 2.0-liter inline-four with 234 horsepower in the Macan (which we get with V6s) for certain markets overseas, but the 718 is expected to get a new flat-four 2.0- and 2.5-liter displacements with output edging up to 395 horsepower. The last time Porsche offered a four-pot in the US was with the front-engined 968 that wrapped up production two decades ago, but it hasn't offered a boxer four since 1976.

Video proof the Porsche 912 deserves a second look

The Porsche 912 suffered from a bad reputation for years as a lesser Porsche among the brand's ardent fans. Some people just didn't see the appeal of a coupe that shared the 911's lines but used a four-cylinder engine. The tide has started to turn recently as ballooning air-cooled 911 prices present these cars as an interesting alternative. The latest clip from Petrolicious also makes a great argument for the 912 by showing a Bahama Yellow example cruising along French roads. Like many of us, Antoine Gaslais had a tight budget and searched for years for his dream car. Things were more of a nightmare when he found his 1967 912, though. The coupe initially didn't run and then broke down once he thought it was fixed. A buddy eventually helped him get the Porsche back on the road. Gaslais knows his 912 isn't concours perfect, but that's not the point for him. Gaslais just likes to be able to cruise. Take a ride with him through some French hamlets in the latest from Petrolicious.

Modded budget Mazda Miata takes on new Porsche Boxster in more challenges

Earlier this month, our friends across the pond at Auto Express released the first in a two-video series that would see them try and build up a second-generation Mazda MX-5 Miata that could best a standard Porsche Boxster around the track. While that first video detailed the mods to the MX-5 - a supercharger, some suspension upgrades and a new set of super-sticky rubber being chief among them - and set baseline lap times for the stock car, today, we have the results of the 5,000-pound ($8,200) upgrade job.
Of course, we aren't going to spoil those for you. You'll need to watch the full video, which recaps the upgrades before digging into a comparison of both straight-line-speed differences between the 2.7-liter Porsche Boxster and blown Miata, as well as their behavior and lap times on the track.
Take a look and let us know what you think in Comments.