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Porsche Boxster Named 'Automobile Magazine's' 1998 Automobile of the Year

7 January 1998

Porsche Boxster Named 'Automobile Magazine's' 1998 Automobile of the Year

   Boxster Also Selected as One of 'Car and Driver' Magazine's 10 Best Cars
                                   For 1998

    DETROIT, Jan. 7 -- "Automobile Magazine" today announced the
Porsche Boxster was selected its 1998 Automobile of the Year.  In presenting
the award at a press conference in conjunction with the North American
International Auto Show in Detroit, "Automobile Magazine" Editor and
Publication Director, David E. Davis, Jr., stated, "'Automobile Magazine' is a
celebration of great cars -- great cars with a definite enthusiast skew.  We
evaluated some wonderful sedans and sport utility vehicles this year, but the
Boxster turned out to be a great sports car, a great Porsche, and a great
value for the enthusiast owner.  It's our kind of car!"
    The award, itself, is an impressive cast bronze trophy created by noted
sculptor Richard Pietruska of Pasadena, California.
    In its January 1998 issue, "Car and Driver" magazine named the Boxster one
of the 10 Best Cars of 1998.  When choosing the model in the 16th annual
competition, "Car and Driver" Editor-In-Chief, Csaba Csere, wrote, "Couple the
Boxster's performance with the pleasure of a convertible top, which is
particularly rapid acting and easy to use, as well as the practicality of
front and rear trunks, the exhilaration of race-bred handling, and the
glorious beauty of its show-car-inspired lines, and you have one of the most
desirable cars of the year."
    These awards represent the most recent laurels the Boxster has received
since its introduction to the North American market in January of 1997.  Last
fall, the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) acknowledged the
Boxster as the Best New Sports Car and Best New Design for 1998.  Earlier, the
staff of television's nationally syndicated automotive program, "MotorWeek,"
selected the Boxster as the 1997 "MotorWeek" Drivers' Choice Award winner for
Best Sports Car.
    The mid-engine, two-seat Boxster roadster is Porsche's first all-new
sports car in 19 years.  It is equipped with a 201-horsepower, 2.5-liter,
liquid-cooled boxer engine, five-speed manual or five speed Tiptronic S
automatic transmission, four-wheel independent suspension and four-wheel disc
brakes with ABS.  Its folding convertible top can be electrically opened or
closed in 12 seconds.
    The Boxster has not only earned critical acclaim from the automotive
press, it has also received an enthusiastic response from the public.  Sales
of 6,992 Boxster models in 1997 helped Porsche achieve its best sales result
in North America since 1988.

SOURCE  Porsche Cars North America, Inc.