It’s nice to see when a modified anything comes out looking better than before the modifications. So kudos to the students at Fontys Hogeschool Eindhoven Motorsport Engineering that completed the great looking Porsche Boxster shooting brake. Yeah, students did this. It was a project for Frontys’ Minor Motorsport Engineering program. It was done in conjunction with Van Thull Development which specializes in customizing high-end cars, and Van Berlo Design. They gave guidance with the design and helped with tying it all into the existing structure.

The idea was to take a 986-generation Boxster and make it a hatchback

So the idea of taking a 986-generation Boxster and turning it into a hatchback but there were numerous factors at play. They’re a Porsche that is affordable. There are lots of them worldwide, and they are well balanced due to their mid-engine configuration. Plus, they have the great flat-six that newer Boxsters lack. And, don’t forget that being a convertible the chassis has been beefed up to handle the topless structure. So as a platform for converting into a wagon it is just asking for it.

With the flat-six buried into the chassis, it is covered with a panel which is a great starting point for making a wagon. The inspiration is said to have come from the BMW Z3 “clown shoe’ hatchbacks.

The best part is that this was done with making it a kit

The part that makes this attractive to a larger group is that the idea all along was to make this into a kit to be sold. To that end, the students tried to keep components to off-the-shelf stuff as much as possible. So the rear hatch assembly comes from a Peugeot while the door and side window glass come from a 911. 

In case you didn’t know the Boxster body and chassis are just a modified first-gen 911 from the factory. You can see its 911 origins in the windshield and door shapes. And to update the design just a bit the students used some pieces from later 997 and 991 Porsches too. For instance, the front end is all 997 Porsche to eliminate the Boxster’s original look. 

The bulk of the work was in creating the roof, rear hatch, and tying it all in

Obviously, most of the work came with fabricating the roof, rear hatch, rear fenders, and door sills. The students snuck in air intake openings to blend in with the 911 rear side windows, creating the squarer window shape needed for a wagon top. 

A typical class lasts half a year which was not enough to pull off the project. The school gladly extended the course for the other half of the year for them to finish. It felt that the work to create the shooting brake along with keeping an eye out for production capabilities was a worthwhile pursuit. 

Once the molds are finished the kits will go on sale

Once Van Thull Development finishes the molds and lays up some parts the kit will be available. The class project was just finished last month so there is still some work to be done. We would expect there to be some news by the summer of 2020. 

No shots of the interior were supplied but we would expect that there will be pieces as part of the kit that can be covered in vinyl or leather. But, as an attractive, cohesive design the kit should have enough appeal that we should be seeing a few of these pop up in the near future. We’d love to be able to walk around one or see it on the highway and check it out.