On the face of it the Porsche 550 Spyder and the new Porsche Boxster are a world apart. One is a primitive car famous for killing James Dean, and the other a diet 911 for people who cannot afford the real thing. But peel off all the extra garnish on the Boxster and you find what’s left is remarkably similar to the 550. They are both lightweight, open-top sports cars designed for driving fun.

And that argument about the Boxster being a discount 911 does not hold water anymore, not with the new 981 around. The new Boxi is a fabulous car in every sense. We actually believe it is better than the 991 Cabrio, mainly because it’s better looking, cheaper, and no less fun.

This is a video of these magnificent cars side by side at the Moscow Motor show:

The 550 Spyder started off international motorsports success for Porsche with an impressive win in the Targa Florio race in 1956, which was one of the toughest and demanding street races of its time with 720 km and more than 60.000 curves to drive.