Porsche Boxster Spyder - New York 2015

Well obviously it's not being shown with the roof up!

Porsche has a fearless honesty about its products that other few other car companies would dare to match. On the stand in New York there was absolutely no attempt to hide the fact that, however gorgeous the Boxster Spyder looks, it's basically a stirred-together parts bin special.

Exige Roadster comparison?

But what a handsome bitsa it is. Porsche's engineers and designers - even its PR managers - were happy to list where all the various components had come from. There's the same 3.8-litre Carrera S engine as the Cayman GT4, Carrera S brakes, suspension settings that split the difference between the Boxster GTS and the Cayman GT4. With awesome spannering skills and a detailed knowledge of the Porsche parts database you could probably have a go at building it yourself...

We didn't get to see the roof in place on the show stand, although we're promised that it will be more practical than the last Spyder's virtual mankini, even if it won't end up as the sort of car to keep you snug through a long winter. We're promised the new car's roof is easier to operate and more rain tight than its predecessor's. But you just know they could offer the Spyder with a bin bag in the boot as weather protection and still sell every one they could build.