THE NEWS that Porsche is working on a next-generation Boxster Spyder should come as no great surprise with the iconic body-style periodically returning for both 911 and Boxster models, but its adoption of six-cylinder power is the big story, if rumours are to be believed.

Despite churning more power than any six-pot before it, the four-cylinder turbo engine that powers the current 718 Boxster and Cayman range failed to satisfy many purists, but a Spyder spied testing is said to have pinched the engine of the 911 GT3.

That means naturally aspirated noise, as much as 368kW and the most power ever applied to the German car maker’s smallest sportscar. With almost 100kW more than the current most powerful variant – the 269kW Boxster GTS – Porsche looks set to unveil its first version of the model with supercar punch.

In its previous incarnation, the Boxster Spyder borrowed the 3.8-litre flat-six of the then current 911 Carrera for a power output of 287kW. Therefore a peak power figure above that and the current Boxster GTS but at a distance of the 911 GT3 should establish the ball park.

As you would expect from a small sportscar with the potential power to match a Mercedes-AMG GT S, the prototype also appears to be dressed up in larger wheels and uprated brakes.