2004 porsche boxster 986 s 550 spyder 50th ann. ed. 6 sp manual 2d convertible

This Porsche Boxster S is an uber rare find. In 2004 Porsche wished to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of its legendary 550 Spyder and to do so delivered a limited and very special Boxster S. Worldwide only 1,953 cars were made and ours is one of those. A plaque in the centre consol confirms it is number 479 of this limited run. We are unsure of the number of these cars that were officially imported to Australia, but it is fair to say it would be very few. This is a cherished and collectable Porsche with few signs of wear. Make no mistake this is not a simple exercise in putting a celebratory badge on a car. Like the original 550 Spyder Porsche took full advantage of the Boxster’s already great handling owing to its mid-engine layout. What it then did is make several key modifications to make this special edition very special indeed. Power was increased from its 3.2 litre engine to 266 bhp, the manual 6 speed gearbox was improved to deliver a 15% increase in shift speed, the double stacked sports exhaust is unique to the car too. Handling was further sharpened using M030 sports suspension lowering the car by 10mm and 5mm wheel spacers were applied which improved the stance in a quite striking way. Indeed, larger wheels were also used as seen on the 911 Carrera and are painted in an attractive Seal Grey which contrasts with the special GT Silver metallic common to all these cars. Externally other differences which demonstrate the attention to detail and lengths Porsche went to include the special badging chrome finish to the Boxster S badge and colour coding the air intakes. Further additions were made to the interior including the use of excellent and very supportive quality leather bucket seats, the use of a steering wheel from the Porsche Turbo S, additional use of leather, chrome surrounds to the gauges amongst other quality touches. It feels like Porsche decided to go through the entire car and lift it to something quite special. The interior is a lovely place to be with little evidence of wear. The full sports bucket seats are a real feature and high quality with colour coded silver shell backs. Both front and rear storage spaces are immaculate. Sitting in this car really is a visual treat and what you would expect from Porsche. The leather steering wheel is unmarked, the dials and dash are perfect to the eye and the gear knob and carpets show few signs of wear. The hood works as it should and once down makes for a wonderful driving experience. Everything is functioning correctly and out on the open road it is superb with the famous flat six delivering a fabulous sound coupled with the sharp handling. Using a short throw 6-speed manual gearbox is a real treat. Its action has the precision of a well-engineered rifle bolt and is additive to use. The engine begs to be revved and makes this a genuinely competent and quick car and feels faster than its claimed 0-100 time of 5.7 seconds. The owner has recently fitted Pirelli PZeros all round and the original wheels are virtually unmarked with only some small paint chips to just one wheel rim. All the original books accompany the car along with its 2 sets of supplied keys. Service records and invoices are with the car too. Of note the IMS bearing was replaced as a precautionary measure ensuring confidence for the next custodian. This car is just superb and a modern classic that would be right at home in a Porsche collection. We think these cars are real sleepers and very undervalued and now rightly being recognised for the wonderful cars they are. Now is the time to invest in the rarest version of this model. It’s on the button and ready for the next owner to enjoy some top-down motoring at its finest.