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We remain firmly convinced of this droptop’s greatness.

BY ERIK JOHNSON

Standing as we were during this press launch amidst Porsche racing luminaries such as Derek Bell and Hurley Haywood—in addition to current Porsche racing stars like Jörg Bergmeister and Patrick Long—didn’t make formulating an opinion of the revised-for-2009 Porsche Boxster very easy. It may have had something to do with our gawping, wide-eyed awe at a gathering of drivers who had 10 combined wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 10 combined wins in the 24 Hours of Daytona, six combined wins in the 12 Hours of Sebring, and four combined American Le Mans Series championships. You try to concentrate under those circumstances.

The Boxster itself cleared things up; it’s that good. Indeed, after gathering our wits, we came to the conclusion that the Boxster remains one of the world’s best cars, and this year’s addition of direct injection (for S versions only) and Porsche’s new PDK dual-clutch automated manual gearbox only make it more so. Bombing around the Streets of Willow Springs road course in Rosamond, California, the Boxster’s carry-over strengths and its latest improvements were readily apparent.