The Ultimate Porsche Boxster Break-In: Northern California in My 4.5-Liter DeMan Spyder

Take it easy? Run it hard? Change the oil right away or wait for the first service stop in the manual? Vary the RPMs constantly, or keep them low? While opinions may differ on the best strategy to break in a new factory sports car, I’ve always followed my own rule of common sense: Just drive the thing like you plan to drive it for the rest of its useful life, only slightly more gently, for the first few thousand miles.

But this was no factory sports car. I’ve just bought what I believe is the best sports car on the planet based on unquestionably extensive experience: I got a 2022 Porsche 718 Spyder in Frozen Berry Metallic, with a manual transmission. It’s almost perfect from the factory, but there’s still room for improvement, which is why I called DeMan Motorsports of Blauvelt, New York.

Sent there straight from the dealership, with 7 miles, the window sticker, and the pre-delivery plastic still on it, my car found itself soon without an engine. Rick DeMan and his team removed the naturally aspirated 4.0-liter engine and 6-speed manual transmission, heavily reworking both. The car now features a high-compression, 4.5L race-spec motor making five-hundred and sixty-five horsepower, and four-hundred and forty pound-feet of torque. This is roughly 150 hp and 130 lb/ft more than stock. DeMan then shortens second-through-fifth gear in the transmission, blowing the Cayman Complex completely out of the water. The result is a car that has, roughly, the power-to-weight of the almighty Carrera GT. And in my case, just for funnies, it’s pink.

I have waited sixteen months for this car. You see, the Volkswagen Group had a little whoopsie back in February, where a cargo ship carrying a couple thousand cars from VW group’s portfolio caught fire and sank deep in the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Bentleys, Lamborghinis, possibly a few Bugattis, and a slew of Porsches and Audis were lost for all-time, including one pink roadster destined for yours truly. Fortunately, no one was hurt in the accident, and $450 million in cars can be replaced eventually.

The second car was delivered to DeMan Motorsports in September. Then, with new engine fitted, it spent a couple weeks at the spa known as Larry Kosilla’s AMMO NYC studio getting a full paint correction and protective film. (If you’re interested to know why a brand new car needs a paint correction, I did a very thorough podcast with Larry about this very topic.) Then I shipped it to HRE Wheels in Vista, CA for a set of ultra-light R101 wheels in Frozen Polished Champagne, saving three lbs per corner and adding a bit of pop to the finish by drawing out some of FBM’s gold flake. Finally I collected it myself and took “Strawberry Shortcake” home the second week in December.

Rick DeMan recommends a pretty specific break-in process for this engine to ensure maximum longevity for use in a street car: Drive for 8-900 miles at light throttle, under 6,000 RPM, varying the load and engine speed where possible. Then drive another 3-400 miles at increased throttle and increased max engine speed, but only in the lower four gears, and stay off the redline. Then, perform an oil change and nut-and-bolt check between 1,200 and 1,500 miles. After that, it can run free, but no track work until the second oil change at 3,000 miles.

Does this seem highly specific? Somewhat intense? Possibly overkill? Maybe so, but when you’re spending deep in the five figures for a high compression, high performance engine and you want it to last a long time in your brand new six-figure sports car, just listen to the guy who built the thing. My strategy to minimize the pain of the break-in was straightforward: Do it all at once! To keep my engine speeds in check, I would need a road trip with my wife, who gets carsick if I drive like Road & Track pays me to drive.

This year’s Route to Vine is going to be exceptional. I know, because I made the route last year, and last year was brilliant. I was tasked by our events team to somehow improve on it, and I actually believe I have. But the most important part of route-making is a reality check, presenting us with a mission.

We left Los Angeles, Yetis full of coffee, at 5 AM. It was well before “traffic,” yet I’m never surprised by how many people are out driving at that hour. Nevertheless, we covered nearly 300 miles in four hours and change, stopping for breakfast at the iconic Pea Soup Andersen’s, most of the way to our destination. My car still uses the factory valved exhaust, which we kept in quiet mode for the highway transits so we could hear music and talk over the ample wind noise offered by the non-insulated, manually operated Spyder top. Set to quiet and at an 80 mph cruise, you’d never know the car had been modified. It even returned 21 mpg at a 79 mph average for the highway leg!

The Route to Vine begins on the iconic San Francisco Presidio, heading north over the stunning Golden Gate Bridge, through Sausalito and San Rafael, and into the rolling hills of the Nicasio valley.

It wouldn’t be a Road & Track experience without the Track, so like last year, we have rented Sonoma Raceway for our guests to lap their own cars one one of the best and most famous circuits in America. We will also be giving ride-alongs with R&T hot shoes and pro-drivers in this year’s hottest new sports cars, and in KTM X-Bow race cars by Sonoma’s in-house pros. And there will be chances to win a trophy and prizes with our timed autocross event.

After a day at the track, we will proceed over the mountains and drop into the Napa Valley, ending at the luxurious Hotel Yountville.

We arrived in Yountville, in the heart of Napa, California, which is famous for being more-or-less owned by celebrity chef Thomas Keller, in the afternoon. I was immediately thankful for my decision to specify the car with 18-way sport seats rather than the hardcore, fixed carbon fiber buckets. The sport seats offer plenty of lateral bolstering and thigh support for windy roads or even for track work, but with adjustable lumbar and the kind of softness you really want for four days on the road.

Yountville is a small, one-street town focused really on three things: wine tasting, eating, and Thomas Keller. There are some cute shops, including one that sells almost exclusively Panama hats (a must if you’ll be attending Car Week in Monterey this coming August). More importantly, it’s a nice walk on a sunny street after a long day in the car. We ended the day by “scouting” Bottega Napa, which Route To Vine will be dining at this February, and experiencing a phenomenal Italian meal, excellent service, and several delicious local wines.