Porsche Boxster Cayman has bagged the World Performance Car of the Year award for 2017. The gutsy sports coupe from Porsche took away the honours from tough competitors like the Audi R8 Spyder and the McLaren 570S out of an initial entry list of seven cars from around the world.
The Boxster Cayman becomes the fifth Porsche to bag the World Performance Car title. Previously the 911 GT3 won in 2014, the 911 in 2002, the Cayman S was the winner in 2006 and the Boxster/Cayman was awarded in 2013.
The process of selecting world car awards began in September last year in Paris. It was followed by test-drives in Los Angeles and moved to Geneva where top three finalists were chosen. Finally, the declaration was made at the stage of New York Motor Show. The vehicles were scrutinised and voted by an international jury panel comprised of 75 top-level automotive journalists from 23 countries around the world. To qualify for the World Car of the Year award, the contender vehicles must have a minimum annual production rate of 500 units.
Speaking about their accomplishment, Klaus Zellmer, president and CEO of Porsche Cars North America, said, “We are honoured that the 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman were selected as World Performance Car by such an esteemed, global jury. With its striking appearance and superb performance and handling, the 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman follow in the footsteps of our legendary 718 mid-engine race cars.”
Previous World Performance Car winners were the Audi R8 Coupe (2016), the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT (2015), and then three Porsche wins in a row: the 911 GTE in 2014, the Boxster/Cayman in 2013, and the 911 in 2012. Ferrari won the 2011 World Performance title for the 458 Italia while the Audi R8 V10 won in 2010, the Nissan GT-R in 2009, the Audi R8 in 2008, the Audi RS4 in 2007 and the Porsche Cayman S in 2006.
