Spyder’s web

It is fitting that the latest – and lightest – convertible in Porsche’s esteemed range should make its international debut in Los Angeles this month. A city that luxuriates in both sunshine and status symbols is uniquely suited to appreciate the Boxster Spyder’s sleek lines and instant sex appeal – we’re already smitten and we live 15,000 kilometres away. 

Joining the Boxster and the Boxster S, the Spyder is basically an open-road, year-long summer tourer, designed to be filled with young, well-heeled beautiful people on their way to revoltingly hip pool parties on Venice Beach and one of the yachts moored there. Without you. This is basically no-weather driving, where the only moisture expected near the car is a carelessly shaken dirty Martini – the canvas roof, should you ever need to employ it, might just keep out the spray from a country-club sprinkler, but probably not much else. 

 

Still, as we live in one of the driest corners of the world, maybe it’s the ideal Amman car for at least eight months of the year. The compact 3.4-litre, six-cylinder offers a punchy 320bhp, a top speed of 267kph (with the roof open, no less) and, perfect for Mecca Street getaways, a 0-100kph acceleration of 4.8 seconds – and all with an admirable 

9.3-litres per 100 kilometres fuel consumption. The editor’s miniscule Suzuki barely gets that. 

 

Looks-wise – and, come on, why else are you buying it? – it is a polished pebble of a car, with a Carrera-like profile, and a pleasingly low road-hugging stance. And all that white should go down well should you decide to drive it to Jeddah and back.

 

Sales of the Boxster Spyder will begin sometime in February 2010, and will set you back around $80,000.