Boxster Spyder production
#18
To answer the OP's question: No, it is still going on. I turned down an allocation for early 2011 Spyder production from US dealer in December and others have posted about their orders expected for delivery in Spring of 2011.
With the announcement of the MY2012 Cayman R last November, I anticipate we will also have a MY2012 Spyder, on the existing 987 platform. I also believe that PTS (Paint to Sample) will be allowed shortly on BOTH Spyder & Cayman R, possibly coinciding with date that the MY2012 Spyder begin production in late Spring or early Summer of 2011.
The first hint of PTS on these models came in the 'confidential' Cayman R order guide leaked by Planet 9 over one month ago. The second hint was the Meteor Grey Spyder at the Detroit Auto Show, which listed the cost of the exterior paint as $5,500, exactly what Porsche charges for PTS and not the lesser $3140 that pertains to a designated 'Special Color', like Cream White. Porsche would not be bothering doing this 'teasing' unless: a) MY2011 & 2012 Spyder production is continuing; and b) PTS in different colors (like Meteor Grey) was not already approved for series production!
Like a few others here, I pushed my dealer to find out from PCNA when PTS would be available. The emphatic answer that came back from Atlanta, both in November and December of last year, was "No". I then took it up with Porsche Exclusive in Zuffenhausen and via other direct contacts I have at the factory. It turned out they also didn't know...or would not tell. But given the hints, I am very confident that PTS will become a reality soon on both the Spyder and the Cayman R! z356
With the announcement of the MY2012 Cayman R last November, I anticipate we will also have a MY2012 Spyder, on the existing 987 platform. I also believe that PTS (Paint to Sample) will be allowed shortly on BOTH Spyder & Cayman R, possibly coinciding with date that the MY2012 Spyder begin production in late Spring or early Summer of 2011.
The first hint of PTS on these models came in the 'confidential' Cayman R order guide leaked by Planet 9 over one month ago. The second hint was the Meteor Grey Spyder at the Detroit Auto Show, which listed the cost of the exterior paint as $5,500, exactly what Porsche charges for PTS and not the lesser $3140 that pertains to a designated 'Special Color', like Cream White. Porsche would not be bothering doing this 'teasing' unless: a) MY2011 & 2012 Spyder production is continuing; and b) PTS in different colors (like Meteor Grey) was not already approved for series production!
Like a few others here, I pushed my dealer to find out from PCNA when PTS would be available. The emphatic answer that came back from Atlanta, both in November and December of last year, was "No". I then took it up with Porsche Exclusive in Zuffenhausen and via other direct contacts I have at the factory. It turned out they also didn't know...or would not tell. But given the hints, I am very confident that PTS will become a reality soon on both the Spyder and the Cayman R! z356
As others have repeated on numerous occasions, the Spyder is an incredible sports car!
#20
number of manual vs PDK
Hi. I'm new to the forum. Thanks to all for the very useful information posted thus far. Does anyone know what the number of manual vs PDK spyder in US. The majority of spyders on the market now are PDK. Manuals are a rare find.
#21
I'm not sure if anyone has done that research. I do know that manuals do not last long when on the market.
#24
#26
#27
EDIT
981 Boxster manual: 2,910 lbs.
987 Boxster Spyder manual: 2,811 lbs.
2.5 986 Boxster manual: 2,756 lbs.
Last edited by perfectlap; 06-13-2013 at 07:06 PM.
#29
Boy, I had forgotten I had written this post in January of 2011! It sure makes me look like the 'Oracle' from Carmel! But it all came about pretty much as I predicted, didn't it!
Let's see if I can recap all the production figures we know or at least have an educated guess of the numbers!
*******************************************
From Rennlist's MJones (real name Brian W). Allocated MY2012 Spyders
to US dealers - 125. Emailed to me by him last summer (2011).
From Jabbey (John) - Sales of MY2012 Spyders in US and Canada - 141.
In summary: So these two figures for MY2012 are fairly close. Perhaps the mix is 125 for US dealers and 16 for Canadian dealers. I don't think it includes any sales in Mexico, although that country is part of North America.
*********************************************
From Jabbey (John) over on Planet 9
"Re: Spyder Production Numbers
So an update. Had some free time and analyzed the VIN data. Although the last digits of North American bound VINs are sequential, VINs incorporate a series of patterns on digits left of the year designation, and rolls at each 100 units. By observing the pattern, I was able to fill in the blanks, find the bounds, and validate what's real. So what I found/confirmed:
MY2011
First VIN: WP0CB2A81BS745001
Last VIN: WP0CB2A80BS745751
750 MY2011 units to North America
MY2012
First VIN: WP0CB2A86CS745061
My VIN: XXXXXXXXXXX745195 (only 7 built after mine)
Last VIN: WP0CB2A89CS745202
141 MY2012 units to North America
So, confirmed total for North American Spyders is 891 units.
John"
Here are two explanations of his methodology. I include both so that we don't miss anything that helps explain what he did:
As explained by Jabbey (John) in Rennlist:
"First VIN: WP0CB2A86CS745061
My VIN: XXXXXXXXXXX745195 (only 7 built after mine)
Last VIN: WP0CB2A89CS745202
141 MY2012 units to North America
The runs typically start with XXX1. Knowing that, I did a VIN validation using a variety of web services that validate North American VINs. I also had to figure out how to bump up the 9th digit of the VINs as it's not constant. Only the bump up in the final number "5195...". So that's how I figured out 5061 was the beginning of the MY2012 run. I also had the advantage of knowing about 5202 being right near the end. But I validated that there is no 5203. So, that's how we get the 141 vehicles.
I'll post it again sometime, but for MY2011 there was a comprehensive Excel file created. It has hundreds of MY2011 North American VINs, but not all. I just filled in the gaps, bumping up the VIN number and validating them against the VIN checker sites. Note: Even with a valid VIN sequence, you have to make sure it's really a car. That is, you can put in a VIN for a Spyder and get a false positive hit on things like CARFAX. But, it's easy to cross check it. And, those sites will state "Boxster Spyder", but there will be 0 records. I stopped at the VIN number that brought back a Spyder, and was the last one with vehicle history records on one ore more of the sites."
As explained by Jabbey (John) in Planet 9:
"First, rather than using a simple web search that would have quickly shown me the meaning of the 9th digit in a VIN, I looked at all the historical VIN number data I had from published documents on the Spyder which had hundreds of cars. Essentially, I found the pattern in those numbers and thought this was p-car unique. It's not, but it was fun to mine the data. That digit is just a check-sum value and can be calculated. With that, I was able to construct any VIN and validate it through things like Carfax and Autocheck. So, I found the first MY2012 Spyder VIN that had record hits. Then I went to my VIN knowing it was one of the very last cars built (5195). I bumped up the VINs using the pattern and did the search on Carfax and Autocheck. It ended at 5202. I also know that you and other posted information about these last cars coming into the US and it aligns with those last cars built in July 2011.
For the MY2011, there was pretty good data out there, but I used the same technique. I kept bumping up the VIN with the right technique, and validating against the sites until I got bad results. A bit crude, but I have a high degree of confidence in the number of vehicles for North America. I can't imagine this task was on the top of my wife's Honey-Do list, but it was cool to get closer given that PCNA wasn't going to help me out here."
My note on figures above: We have less confirmation of the MY2011 Spyders for the US and Canada but I accept the 750 figure as very plausible. Hopefully, Jabbey (John) can read this post and fill in on any thing I left out re: his methodology!
***********************************************************
Over at Pistonheads, two figures have been bandied about UK sales for both MY2011 and MY2012 Spyders. 212 from a source at Porsche UK or 230 according to UK registration figures. But close enough to give you a general idea of the size of the population. Folks seem to think most of the UK cars are MY2011 models.
***********************************************************
Total World Wide Production of MY2011 and MY2012 Spyders
A) A German employee of PAG at last August's 2011 Quail-based Porsche test drive center confirmed to me in person that total MY2011 & MY2012 combine worldwide production of Spyders was approx. 2000 and not exceeding that number!
B) Over at Pistonheads in England, someone has reported on that website that total worldwide Spyder production was 1883. But that person now can't find the exact source of his information but he claimed came from PAG in Germany.
C) Over at Planet 9, an individual sent a letter/email to PCNA to get production numbers and was told that information was proprietary and would not be released.
"Hello Mr. Mancini,
Thank you for taking the time to email us. Unfortunately, we cannot
provide you with the production details you are requesting. This
information is considered proprietary and is not released.
If you have any questions or concerns you would like to further discuss,
please feel free to contact our Porsche Contact Center at 1-800-Porsche
option 3.
Kind regards,
Beth
The Porsche Contact Center
1-800-PORSCHE
(1-800-767-7243)"
D) I asked an employee of PAG at the Salt Lake City Parade two weeks ago for the information and he said he would try to get it for me. Will confirm if/when that figure is sent to me.
**********************************************************
I will let others opine as to what all of these figures means in terms of value and collectability. However, no other recent Porsche series model other than the gt2 RS & the Limited Edition 4.0 gt3 RS have been built in such low production numbers!
Saludos,
Eduardo
Vail Valley, Colorado
Let's see if I can recap all the production figures we know or at least have an educated guess of the numbers!
*******************************************
From Rennlist's MJones (real name Brian W). Allocated MY2012 Spyders
to US dealers - 125. Emailed to me by him last summer (2011).
From Jabbey (John) - Sales of MY2012 Spyders in US and Canada - 141.
In summary: So these two figures for MY2012 are fairly close. Perhaps the mix is 125 for US dealers and 16 for Canadian dealers. I don't think it includes any sales in Mexico, although that country is part of North America.
*********************************************
From Jabbey (John) over on Planet 9
"Re: Spyder Production Numbers
So an update. Had some free time and analyzed the VIN data. Although the last digits of North American bound VINs are sequential, VINs incorporate a series of patterns on digits left of the year designation, and rolls at each 100 units. By observing the pattern, I was able to fill in the blanks, find the bounds, and validate what's real. So what I found/confirmed:
MY2011
First VIN: WP0CB2A81BS745001
Last VIN: WP0CB2A80BS745751
750 MY2011 units to North America
MY2012
First VIN: WP0CB2A86CS745061
My VIN: XXXXXXXXXXX745195 (only 7 built after mine)
Last VIN: WP0CB2A89CS745202
141 MY2012 units to North America
So, confirmed total for North American Spyders is 891 units.
John"
Here are two explanations of his methodology. I include both so that we don't miss anything that helps explain what he did:
As explained by Jabbey (John) in Rennlist:
"First VIN: WP0CB2A86CS745061
My VIN: XXXXXXXXXXX745195 (only 7 built after mine)
Last VIN: WP0CB2A89CS745202
141 MY2012 units to North America
The runs typically start with XXX1. Knowing that, I did a VIN validation using a variety of web services that validate North American VINs. I also had to figure out how to bump up the 9th digit of the VINs as it's not constant. Only the bump up in the final number "5195...". So that's how I figured out 5061 was the beginning of the MY2012 run. I also had the advantage of knowing about 5202 being right near the end. But I validated that there is no 5203. So, that's how we get the 141 vehicles.
I'll post it again sometime, but for MY2011 there was a comprehensive Excel file created. It has hundreds of MY2011 North American VINs, but not all. I just filled in the gaps, bumping up the VIN number and validating them against the VIN checker sites. Note: Even with a valid VIN sequence, you have to make sure it's really a car. That is, you can put in a VIN for a Spyder and get a false positive hit on things like CARFAX. But, it's easy to cross check it. And, those sites will state "Boxster Spyder", but there will be 0 records. I stopped at the VIN number that brought back a Spyder, and was the last one with vehicle history records on one ore more of the sites."
As explained by Jabbey (John) in Planet 9:
"First, rather than using a simple web search that would have quickly shown me the meaning of the 9th digit in a VIN, I looked at all the historical VIN number data I had from published documents on the Spyder which had hundreds of cars. Essentially, I found the pattern in those numbers and thought this was p-car unique. It's not, but it was fun to mine the data. That digit is just a check-sum value and can be calculated. With that, I was able to construct any VIN and validate it through things like Carfax and Autocheck. So, I found the first MY2012 Spyder VIN that had record hits. Then I went to my VIN knowing it was one of the very last cars built (5195). I bumped up the VINs using the pattern and did the search on Carfax and Autocheck. It ended at 5202. I also know that you and other posted information about these last cars coming into the US and it aligns with those last cars built in July 2011.
For the MY2011, there was pretty good data out there, but I used the same technique. I kept bumping up the VIN with the right technique, and validating against the sites until I got bad results. A bit crude, but I have a high degree of confidence in the number of vehicles for North America. I can't imagine this task was on the top of my wife's Honey-Do list, but it was cool to get closer given that PCNA wasn't going to help me out here."
My note on figures above: We have less confirmation of the MY2011 Spyders for the US and Canada but I accept the 750 figure as very plausible. Hopefully, Jabbey (John) can read this post and fill in on any thing I left out re: his methodology!
***********************************************************
Over at Pistonheads, two figures have been bandied about UK sales for both MY2011 and MY2012 Spyders. 212 from a source at Porsche UK or 230 according to UK registration figures. But close enough to give you a general idea of the size of the population. Folks seem to think most of the UK cars are MY2011 models.
***********************************************************
Total World Wide Production of MY2011 and MY2012 Spyders
A) A German employee of PAG at last August's 2011 Quail-based Porsche test drive center confirmed to me in person that total MY2011 & MY2012 combine worldwide production of Spyders was approx. 2000 and not exceeding that number!
B) Over at Pistonheads in England, someone has reported on that website that total worldwide Spyder production was 1883. But that person now can't find the exact source of his information but he claimed came from PAG in Germany.
C) Over at Planet 9, an individual sent a letter/email to PCNA to get production numbers and was told that information was proprietary and would not be released.
"Hello Mr. Mancini,
Thank you for taking the time to email us. Unfortunately, we cannot
provide you with the production details you are requesting. This
information is considered proprietary and is not released.
If you have any questions or concerns you would like to further discuss,
please feel free to contact our Porsche Contact Center at 1-800-Porsche
option 3.
Kind regards,
Beth
The Porsche Contact Center
1-800-PORSCHE
(1-800-767-7243)"
D) I asked an employee of PAG at the Salt Lake City Parade two weeks ago for the information and he said he would try to get it for me. Will confirm if/when that figure is sent to me.
**********************************************************
I will let others opine as to what all of these figures means in terms of value and collectability. However, no other recent Porsche series model other than the gt2 RS & the Limited Edition 4.0 gt3 RS have been built in such low production numbers!
Saludos,
Eduardo
Vail Valley, Colorado
#30
No, you really wouldn't. The 'time' I have in my hands is byproduct of retirement and low testosterone! My advice - keep busy, stay gainfully employed, marry well and never get old!
Saludos,
Eduardo
Colorado
Saludos,
Eduardo
Colorado