Continuing this week’s lightweight theme, Porsche have announced the lightest car in their current range – The Boxster Spyder. Weighing in at just 1,275 kg or 2,811 lb, the Boxster Spyder will be making its world debut at the Los Angeles Motor Show in December.

The Spyder weighs considerably less than the Boxster S, has a lower centre of gravity and an all-new sports suspension so it won’t come as a surprise to find it improving upon its already very talented sibling.

Fitted with essentially the same 3.4-litre six-cylinder with DFI engine as the Boxster S, but with an extra 10bhp, the Spyder has 320 bhp to play with.

Equipped with Porsche’s PDK double-clutch transmission and the Sports Chrono Package, the new Spyder, using Launch Control, is claimed to accelerate from a standstill to 62 mph in 4.8 seconds on its way to a maximum speed of 166 mph with the roof open. Fuel consumption on the combined cycle is 30.4 mpg.

The concept behind the Boxster Spyder links back to the the legendary 550 Spyder built back in 1953, both models sharing the same mid-engine roadster concept, low weight, and a high-degree of agility.

The 550 Spyder was the first sports car from Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen developed specifically for racing but also homologated for the road. In the years following its production, the unique 550 Spyder weighing only 550 kg or 1,213 lb, scored numerous victories on race circuits and in the road races so popular at the time.

The 550 Spyder was followed by other extremely successful Porsche Spyders such as the 718 RS 60 in 1960.

In 2004 and 2008 Porsche dedicated a limited edition of special Boxsters bearing name Spyder as a reminder of these legendary racing cars. By contrast, the new Boxster Spyder is a regular, specially developed and upgraded production model with extensive modifications over and above the Boxster and Boxster S.

The Porsche Boxster Spyder will reach showrooms from February 2010 and will sell for Euro 63,404 in Germany which would translate to around £46,000 in the UK.