When the Porsche Boxster first went on sale, it took the place of the 968 as the company's entry-level sports car. The 986 Boxster was a huge financial success and the mid-engine sports car has grown quite a following.

Over the years, various changes and improvements have been made, and the layout was later adapted for the hardtop Cayman.

More recently, both cars have undergone a major styling change that saw the two become even more attractive. Where the older cars — especially the Boxster — had more feminine lines, the new styling is much more masculine. With touches like the large air intake behind the rear doors and the ducktail design of the rear spoiler, the 981 Boxster and Cayman models look very appealing.

As the sports cars have matured, their performance specs have also matured, with the newest Cayman S nipping at the heels of the base 911 Carrera. While engineers have made the 911 a fabulous handling car, its mid-engine siblings have naturally much more neutral handling, making them less intimidating.

The problem with buying a Boxster or Cayman is that, as "Top Gear" host Jeremy Clarkson once said, you are telling the world that your life hasn't gone as well as you had hoped. In spite of them being two of the best cars on the road, there is a stigma by many that if you don't drive a 911, you don't drive a Porsche.

For some, the mid-engine layout is much preferred to the 911's rear-engine. The mid-engine layout has long been the preferred layout for racing (although the 911 does have a traction advantage). In reality, the German performance car maker just makes incredible cars, no matter the engine layout.

Recently, Porsche has unveiled the Cayman GTS and the Boxster GTS, which shows they are getting serious about their non-911 sports cars. Both cars have a bit more power over the S models as well as trim and styling upgrades, and the important Sports Chrono Package comes as standard. The seemingly small changes take what are already good cars and make them simply outstanding.

Just how good are these new GTS models? They make it difficult to not choose one of them over their rear-engine big brother. The Cayman and Boxster now better compete with the 911 and can no longer be seen as second-class citizens.

For the Cayman, the high-performance reputation is about to take an even larger leap forward. Rumors of a Cayman GT4 have leaked, and recent spy shots of the car testing appear to show that it is already in the works.

The new GT4 will be a track-focused race car for the street. The car will be similar to the 911 GT3, but with a mid-engine layout. Reports are that it may have as much as 450 horsepower on tap.

Will the Boxster or Cayman ever replace the 911? I think not, and it would be a shame to no longer have the legend that is the 911. It has been with us for more than 50 years, and it would be a wrong if it isn't here for another 50.

But the Boxster or Cayman are becoming better sports cars and are now more equal to the 911 than at any other time.