Car and Driver Ranks Porsche Boxster Among the 10 Best Cars for 2002

ATLANTA, Jan. 10 -- The New York Yankees did it beginning in 1949; the Montreal Canadiens started in 1955; the Boston Celtics began in 1958; and Porsche even did it at Le Mans starting in 1981. ``It'' is being the best among your peers for at least five consecutive years. Now the Boxster, Porsche's mid-engine roadster, joins this elite group by earning its fifth consecutive ``Car and Driver'' 10Best Award.

The 2.7-liter, 217-horsepower Boxster, originally unveiled in 1997 as a 1998 model, has been one of ``Car and Driver's'' 10Best Cars since its public introduction (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002).

``Making 'Car and Driver's' 10Best list five times in a row is a tribute to the Boxster and a great honor for Porsche,'' said Frederick J. Schwab, president and CEO of Porsche Cars North America (PCNA). ``The Boxster's performance and appeal obviously have won over the editors, as well as thousands of Boxster owners worldwide.''

Thirteen judges -- ``Car and Driver'' editorial staff members and U.S. and European correspondents -- evaluated 43 cars meeting some basic criteria: All vehicles must be regular production vehicles ready for sale by the end of January 2002, and they must not exceed the purchase price cap of $66,000.

In the review of the Boxster, ``Car and Driver'' Editor-in-Chief Csaba Csere said, ``In its fifth year of production, the Porsche Boxster remains a pillar of our 10Best list, primarily because it embodies everything about Porsches that appeal to car enthusiasts....The Boxster is astonishingly practical, with two trunks, a roomy cockpit, a fast-acting power top, and creature comforts galore. It's a sports car you can live with.''

The Boxster and Boxster S also received awards from two additional automotive publications: ``Automobile'' magazine and Ward's ``AutoWorld.''

``Automobile'' magazine selected the Porsche Boxster and Boxster S to receive its 2002 All-Star Award for Best Sports Car over $40,000. Of the 14 cars considered in the category, ``Automobile'' editors from around the world placed the Porsche roadsters at the head of the pack.

The ``Automobile'' 2002 All-Star Award each year recognizes vehicles in 14 separate categories as best-in-class performers. To determine the All-Star recipients, the magazine's editors drove all entries on country roads and racetracks for one week and voted for their top choices. This year's winners are featured in ``Automobile'' magazine's February 2002 issue.

Ward's ``AutoWorld'' selected the Boxster's 2.7-liter, DOHC, horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine as one of its 10 Best Engines for 2002, marking the second consecutive year the Porsche powerplant has received the coveted award.

``This year may have been the most competitive in the eight-year history of the Ward's 10 Best Engines competition,'' said Bill Visnic, senior technical editor for Ward's ``AutoWorld'' magazine and editor of Ward's ``Engine & Vehicle Technology Update.'' ``It may be a cliche, but it's true; the bar is continually being raised -- to the point where winning a Ward's Best Engines Award is an engine design and development achievement without parallel.''

During a two-month test period, six editors from Ward's Communications evaluated the engines of 30 cars, trucks and SUVs nominated by the Ward's staff. Scoring encompassed the crucial engine characteristics of power, torque, noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), technical relevance and basic comparative numbers. All engines nominated and tested were in vehicles with a base MSRP under $50,000.

PCNA, based in Atlanta, Ga., is the exclusive importer of Porsche cars for the United States and Canada. A wholly owned, indirect subsidiary of Dr. Ing. h.c.F. Porsche AG, PCNA employs approximately 200 people who provide