Help - Battery has died

Hi All, During the past week, my battery has totally died and whilst I can get into the car I cannot open the bonnet to replace the battery. The battery was left on charge for 30mins via the cigarette lighter and remained completely dead and my fuse box has no 12v plug as per later cars. My locking wheel nut is in the front boot with the spare wheel which I cannot access so I assume the only remaining option is to take apart the bonnet release handles (without making a mess of the allen key covers) and try to pull the wire manually as the lack of power seems to have locked the handles which I had previously assumed to be fully manual - they now don't open at all. I understand bonnet release can be accessed via 3 allen key bolts, but the seat (also electric) is tight up against them. Is there any easier way to get the bonnet open so I can remove the battery as two breakdown vans have now failed in the last 5 hours.... I really never thought how dependent a car was on the bloody battery until now. Any advise would be really appreciated as this is really ruining my bank holiday plans. Thanks, Steve

If you do not have the red post then a Porsche Technical Bulletin advises: Open the door. Using an external battery, connect the negative lead to the door stop. Connect the positive lead to both sides of fuse "C3". With the door open, move the door latch with a screwdriver into the closed position. Using the key, lock and unlock the door. The front and rear hood releases can now be operated. Let us know if it works?

Here's another way. Open the rear lid using the emergency release cable. Get a bent wire and fish between the lower edge of the light unit, and pull it out. Pull the cable while lifting the lid. Once you get the lid open, there is a positive terminal under a plastic cover, near the alternator. Using a jumper battery, connect the positive to the terminal, and the negative to the stud at the rear of the air filter housing. Lock and unlock the car with the key in the door, and the release levers will unlock. The alarm will probably go off, but once you get the front lid released, switch on the ignition to silence it.

Thanks for your responses. I will try to fix it tomorrow morning in the daylight - i am wondering if it is just me, but I admit this design seems entirely bonkers and I now realise if the battery ever dies again i am really stuck (luckily it is in a secure garage now). I admit Mark's solution seems easier but I want to ensure i don't fry any of the electrics putting this charge through the fusebox. Would anyone advise a preferable option before i begin? And is there anything that can be done to insert an override/emergency access in case this happens again in future? Thanks, Steve

One thing is to keep the puzzle lock in the car, not the designated place in the front boot. Another is to re-route the emergency release to somewhere more accessible, but this could be a security risk. If you drop me a Private Message I'll tell you where one possible location is.

Go with Mark's way first, as it is easier if you have a fuse tap, or a couple of 1/4" blade connectors to go into the fuse box.

Would the battery charger work through the lighter socket if the ignition was on? Just a thought Tim