2012 Porsche Boxster Spied Lapping The Nurburgring

THE 2009 PORSCHE BOXSTER and Cayman twins were unveiled in November 2008, and unsurprisingly, Stuttgart's engineers are now well into development of the next generation.

Following spy photos of a Boxster prototype undergoing cold-weather testing, these new shots reveal the test car propping a leg up on the famed Nurburgring.

The prototype sports what appears to be a wider track than the outgoing model, and a Cayman mule spied last year with bolt-on guards adds further weight to the possibility.

That wider track means the next-gen Cayman and Boxster models, expected to debut in late 2011 or early 2012, may be larger and carrying more performance.

Despite the apparent advanced stage of development this test car would indicate, it's too early to know just what Porsche has in store for the engine and transmission.

Reports out of Europe have suggested that Porsche is considering a turbo-charged four-cylinder, which would help the car achieve the strict new emissions laws slated to come into effect in 2015.

Emissions of the current Cayman and Boxster, the most efficient cars in the Porsche line-up, are around 222g/km - about 100g/km more than the new laws will allow.

Porsche announced last year that it has cancelled its contract with specialist production company Magna, bringing assembly of the Boxster and Cayman in-house.