There is a reason I keep coming back to the 981 generation of Porsche. The more modern performance cars I drive, the more I think Porsche absolutely nailed this era. It is modern enough to jump into and use whenever you fancy, beautifully built, properly equipped and genuinely quick, but it still comes from a time before everything became turbocharged, enormous and obsessed with screens. The engine is naturally aspirated, it sits directly behind you, the chassis is beautifully balanced and the whole car feels like it was designed around the person driving it rather than around a set of headline figures. A 2015 Porsche Boxster Black Edition, PDK, just 32,662 miles, backed by Porsche main-dealer and independent specialist history, freshly serviced and inspected by us, and presented in the sort of condition that tells you almost everything about how its previous owners have treated it before you have even opened the service book. The Black Edition is a brilliant specification because Porsche did not try to turn the Boxster into something it was never meant to be. There is no enormous wing, no stripe down the side and no desperate attempt to make it look like a GT car. Instead, Porsche took an already beautiful car and made it look more expensive, gave it the equipment people actually wanted and added just enough detail to make those who know, know. Black bodywork, black electrically operated roof, black interior, body-coloured rollover bars and those 20-inch Carrera Classic wheels. It sounds simple written down, but standing in front of it the combination just works. The wheels are especially important because they break up the black beautifully and give the car that classic Porsche look without making it feel overstyled. Then there are the Bi-Xenon headlights with Porsche Dynamic Light System, the discreet Black Edition sill guards and the Porsche crests embossed into the headrests. Nothing screams for attention, but there are little details everywhere. They were offered late in the 981 generation and you simply do not see them in the same numbers as ordinary Boxsters. It is not a numbered GT model and I am not going to pretend it is, but it is a much more interesting specification than a standard car and, when you combine Black Edition with this mileage, this history and this condition, finding another genuinely comparable example becomes considerably harder. Black is probably the least forgiving colour you can put on a car. It shows everything. Poor washing, tired paint, bad preparation, neglected trim. There is nowhere to hide. That is exactly why a really good black car has so much presence. The paint has that deep, glossy look a black Porsche needs. The body still feels crisp and beautifully straight, the Carrera Classic wheels give it exactly the right contrast and with the roof down the shape looks even cleaner. The 981 has aged unbelievably well anyway, but in this specification it really shows how little Porsche needed to do to make the Boxster look special. The nose is low and clean, the cabin sits right in the middle of the car and the rear quarters rise around the engine before dropping away again. There are no fake vents or enormous pieces of aero trying to convince you it is exciting. The driving position is almost perfect. You sit low without feeling buried in it, the dashboard is simple, the SportDesign leather steering wheel feels right in your hands and the view forward is exactly what a Porsche should feel like. Behind you sits the naturally aspirated flat-six, and that one fact changes the entire personality of the car. You squeeze the throttle and the engine answers. Keep your foot in it and the character changes as the revs build. Roof down, you hear everything happening behind you and you very quickly start holding a gear longer than necessary because that flat-six sounds better the further around the rev counter you take it. There are brilliant manual 981s, and I understand exactly why people love them, but Porsche's PDK is one of the reasons this car works so well as something you can actually use. Around town it is effortless. On a motorway it disappears into the background. Then you find a decent road, take control with the paddles and it becomes another thing entirely. The changes are immediate, clean and perfectly timed, meaning you can concentrate on the steering, the chassis and that engine behind you. The engine is sitting in the middle of the car rather than hanging out behind the rear axle, and you can feel that almost immediately. The Boxster changes direction with this lovely natural balance, as though the whole thing is turning around your seat. The steering is accurate without being nervous, the car feels compact enough to place properly on a British road and there is a flow to the way a 981 covers ground that makes you want to keep going. So many modern performance cars only really come alive at speeds where enjoying them properly becomes difficult. The Boxster manages to make a sequence of bends, a downshift and an open stretch of road feel like an event without demanding you double the speed limit to get there. You are not simply removing a roof for the sake of sunshine. You are removing the barrier between you and the engine. Suddenly the flat-six is right there. You hear the changes in induction, the harder edge as the revs rise and the little mechanical sounds that disappear when there is a roof and insulation between you and the drivetrain. There is something lovely about getting into a car like this on an ordinary day, dropping the roof and turning a journey you have done hundreds of times into something you actually remember. This particular one also has the equipment to make you want to use it rather than save it for three perfect Sundays a year. Heated seats, two-zone automatic climate control, front and rear ParkAssist, PCM with satellite navigation, cruise control, automatically dimming mirrors, rain sensor and Sound Package Plus. None of that sounds as romantic as a flat-six engine, but once you actually own the car it is exactly the equipment you are glad somebody specified. Porsche effectively took the options most buyers would have wanted and created a more complete Boxster around them. The result is a car that feels special enough for a Sunday morning but comfortable and straightforward enough that you can find yourself reaching for the keys on a Wednesday evening simply because the sun has appeared. At 32,662 miles, it has done enough to show that somebody actually enjoyed owning it, but nowhere near enough to have lost the lovely tight feeling a well-kept 981 should have. More importantly, the maintenance history supports the mileage properly. It began its servicing within the Porsche main-dealer network and remained there for years, with Porsche Centre Reading, Porsche Centre Nottingham and Porsche Centre Leicester all appearing through the history before the car moved into independent specialist care. Today, 22 August 2026 at 32,662 miles, we have carried out an engine oil and filter change, replaced the spark plugs, checked the brake fluid and completed our full vehicle inspection. I do not want the next owner buying a lovely history file and immediately wondering what service item comes next. The whole point of our preparation is to take a good car and make sure it is ready to be enjoyed. The replacement 718 became turbocharged in its regular forms. It was faster and more efficient, but something changed. The 981 belongs to the generation before that change, and every year that passes makes the recipe feel a little more special. But there is something wonderfully honest about a 981 Boxster. It is a sports car that seems completely comfortable with what it is. It does not need to pretend to be a 911. It does not need 600 horsepower. It does not need a giant wing. This is exactly the sort of provenance we look for when buying an older Porsche. The car has a clear history beginning within the Porsche main-dealer network and continuing through Porsche Centre Reading, Porsche Centre Nottingham and Porsche Centre Leicester before moving to an independent Porsche specialist and now receiving our own preparation at The Vertex Collection. What I like most is how well the physical car supports the paperwork. At 32,662 miles, the cabin, controls, bodywork and general feel of the car are consistent with something that has been enjoyed carefully rather than simply accumulated miles. You can tell when somebody has viewed their Porsche as something worth looking after, and this one has that feel throughout. The history on this Black Edition is a major part of the reason we bought it. It is accompanied by its maintenance record and supporting history, showing years of Porsche main-dealer care followed by independent specialist maintenance and now fresh preparation here at Vertex. It is exactly how I want a service book to read. The early years are firmly within Porsche's own network, the mileage builds naturally and maintenance continues as the car gets older rather than falling away. The Black Edition was one of those Porsche special editions that made an already excellent car more complete rather than simply adding badges. This example benefits from the specification that makes the model so appealing: It is the complete specification that makes the Black Edition so good. Carrera Classics and PDLS give it the visual presence, while heated seats, climate, PCM, ParkAssist and cruise control make it something you genuinely want to use. The exterior retains a lovely deep finish and the simple Black Edition colour scheme gives the 981 shape real presence. The 20-inch Carrera Classics remain a perfect choice against the dark body and the black fabric roof sits beautifully when raised without disturbing the shape of the car. The cabin has clearly been treated with the same respect. The partial leather remains smart, the Porsche-crested headrests are a subtle little reminder that this is the Black Edition and the SportDesign steering wheel and principal controls retain the clean, quality feel you want at this mileage. I already love the 981 generation. I think Porsche got the proportions, chassis and engine absolutely right, and I think every year that passes makes the naturally aspirated cars more interesting. We have now completed our own preparation on 22 August 2026 at 32,662 miles, including an engine oil and filter change, new spark plugs, brake-fluid check and full inspection. I genuinely think the 981 is one of those cars we are going to look back on and wonder why we did not appreciate them even more while they were sitting in front of us. Supplied with our complimentary 12-month Autoguard Premium Warranty, with optional 24 and 36-month upgrades available. Nationwide delivery available. Part exchange welcome. Tailored finance options available, subject to status.