Porsche 518 Kaplan is a new two-seater sports car positioned as a rival to the Mazda MX-5 and Toyota GT86. The 518 nomenclature places the Kaplan firmly below the 718 Boxster and 918 Spyder in the Porsche hierarchy. The 'Kaplan' suffix comes from the Turkish for 'tiger', just as 'Macan' is the Indonesian word for tiger. The name ends with an 'an' sound, just like the Macan and the Cayman.
Aesthetically, it's more square than the Boxster, and draws visual comparisons with the 914. Like the 914, the Kaplan features a targa-top, in this case one with an electric folding roof mechanism. The wheels are pushed to the corners of the car, with short overhangs at both ends. The vents sculpted into the sides of the car feed a naturally-aspirated flat-four, which sits just ahead of the rear wheels.
