Porsche adds Boxster, 911 Black Edition trims, confirms future four-cylinder power

Because there is no such thing as too many variations on any one Porsche model, the Stuttgart-based maker of attainable sports cars has added a new Black Edition trim to its Boxster and 911 model lineups. Wearing black paint over all-black interiors, Porsche says the scheme emphasizes the “timeless, upscale elegance of the sports car.”

Porsche Canada tells us the Boxster Black Edition will retail for $67,400, adding $8,000 to the base car’s MSRP. For that, you get 20-inch Carrera wheels, auto-dimming rearview mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, Sport Design steering wheel, bi-xenon steerable headlights, dual-zone climate control, heated seats, navigation, and upgraded stereo.

The 911 Carrera Black Edition, also based on the entry-level version of the car, includes 20-inch 911 Turbo wheels, steerable LED headlights, heated sport seats, auto-dimming rearview mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, Sport Design steering wheel, Bose surround-sound stereo, and front and rear park assist. Here, the premium is less dear at $5,100, but adds up to a $101,300 MSRP. Black Edition treatment will also be available in 911 Carrera 4 and Carrera Cabriolet models at prices ranging from $112,400 to $119,300.

Porsche previously used the Black Edition label for a trio of special editions in 2011, based on the Boxster, Cayman and 911 models; all three of those cars also came with an extra 10 hp from their respective engines. Both of the latest so-named models are set to go on sale in July.

In other Porsche news, Porsche has confirmed that North American versions of the next-generation Boxster and Cayman will use four-cylinder power, according to a report from Automotive News.

This topic came up last year, but at the time these engines weren’t confirmed for our market. Now that that much seems a sure thing, speculators have turned to specifications and it’s being suggested displacements could include 2.0L and 2.5L; more certain is that the engines will be turbocharged and offer up to 395 hp.

Porsche hasn’t sold a four-cylinder model on this continent since the 968 model of the mid-1990s.