The arrival of the GT4 RS meant it was only a matter of time. Porsche had done what it had never before; it stuffed the 911 GT3’s 9,000-rpm naturally aspirated flat-six into a 718 Cayman. The result was dramatic.
Never mind its 493-horsepower output, an extra 79 hp over the GT4, the RS gained a close-ratioed seven-speed PDK, weight-saving carbon components, and beefed-up aero pieces complete with a swan-neck rear wing. Its intakes sat just behind your head, ensuring no conversation, tune, or lingering thought could come between you and its blaring note.
It was inevitable then that the Porsche 718 Spyder RS would come next, only that it didn’t arrive as expected. While it has the same 4.0-liter engine bolted to its back, an identical PDK, and most of the GT4 RS’ aero, its roadster form meant it could never be a fully dedicated track car.
Porsche factored this in from the start of its development, designing the most extreme Boxster ever solely as a road car. As such, you’ll find softer suspension hiding beneath its arches, a modest ducktail instead of a towering wing, and a two-piece top you’ll have to break down and stow yourself.
Most importantly, its engine intakes remain tucked behind your ears, now unmuffled by metal or glass. It doesn’t sing. It transitions from a guttural bassy note at low revs to a deafening shriek as the needle on its tach approaches its 9,000 rpm redline. Yet even then, as your ears ring and your head pounds, the feeling behind the wheel is bittersweet.
The Porsche 718 Spyder RS arrives at a crucial moment for the German carmaker and the broader sports car scene. Later this year, it will go out of production, as will all gas-powered Cayman and Boxster models, with a yet-to-be-announced electric successor expected to debut in the coming months. The fear is, of course, that it will swell in size and weight as a result of its need to make room for a battery pack.
It’s still far too early to get on the soapbox, though. If the Taycan has taught us anything, the folks at Stuttgart know how to build a thrilling EV. Still, the Spyder RS represents one of the final opportunities you’ll ever have to buy a mid-engined Porsche powered by a high-revving naturally aspirated engine. While the 911 will carry atmospheric aspiration as far as it’ll go, the Spyder RS symbolizes the end of an era.
That’s the bitter, but what about the sweet?
There’s plenty. The experience of driving a Porsche 718 Spyder RS can only be described with superlatives and melodramatic praise. It is among the most thrilling, best-sounding, and finest-driving sports cars of the last decades. It’s the kind of car you can’t live without after you’ve experienced it.
It first draws you in with its steering. Even before you pick up the pace, it chatters with feedback from the surface below. It may not convey as much road texture as a hydraulic setup in older Porsches, but it’s excellent as far as electric power systems are concerned. It’s nicely weighted and loads up well as your speed increases. The Race-Tex wrapped wheel itself is small, paired with a quick rack, resulting in an instant response from the front end.
The RS sits 1.2 inches lower than a standard Boxster while its front and rear tracks widen. Peek beneath its front fenders and you’ll find a pair of MacPherson struts, each with a main and a helper spring like you would in a 991.2-generation 911 GT3 RS.
Although the Spyder gets reduced damper rates to create a more compliant ride, it comes standard with Porsche Active Suspension Management, which allows you to quickly firm things up when needed. Likewise, its ride height, toe, camber, and anti-roll bars are all individually adjustable.
You need not mess with any of it, though. The Porsche 718 Spyder RS perfectly balances comfort and performance for street use. Although still firmer than a Spyder or GTS 4.0, the roofless RS doesn’t crash over bumps like its coupe counterpart nor translate unnecessary harshness to you behind the wheel. Instead, you get the feedback you’d want pulsing through the chassis without the added roughness of driving something mainly track-oriented.
As such, the RS isn’t a car that requires a special occasion or a perfect road to enjoy. While its engine revs to the moon, it’s equally happy to putter around town thanks to its quick-shifting seven-speed PDK. It’s practical, too, retaining the front and rear storage capacity that makes the Boxster a versatile sports car. Even deploying and stowing its two-piece roof becomes second nature after a few attempts. It’s still far from a quick setup should dark clouds begin to loom overhead.
Point it towards your favorite mountain road, open the valves in its exhaust, firm up its shocks, and you’re instantly reminded that it is still the most extreme Boxster ever produced.
Tipping the scales at 3,214 pounds, it’s a featherweight by modern sports car standards. Thanks to its use of carbon fiber front fenders and hood, the RS is 59 lb lighter than a PDK-equipped 718 Spyder. The $12,570 Weissach Package and a set of magnesium wheels cut 22 lb of unsprung weight.
More importantly, the RS feels practically massless on a winding road. Its ultralight wheelset certainly contributes to the feeling. Still, in a space where sportscars often rely on clever tire and suspension tech to disguise their heft, the Spyder RS has nothing to hide.
Despite its softer suspension, there’s no body roll to speak of. The Spyder RS flows through a twisty road with effortless balance, constant feedback, and tremendous speed. The performance of its $8,000 carbon-ceramic brakes is excellent, and they make no unwanted noise around town. The resulting driving experience is cohesive, deeply involved, and thrilling.
Its 911 GT3-sourced 4.0-liter naturally-aspirated flat-six will go down in history as one of the greats. It revs to 9,000 rpm, a full 1,000 rpm more than a 718 Spyder, and produces strong power throughout the rev range.
Flat out, it’ll spring to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds and complete the quarter-mile in 11.3 seconds while maxing out at 191 mph.
Oftentimes, you’ll rocket out of a corner, look down at the tach, and realize the needle is only halfway there to the redline. Contrary to what you might expect from a high-strung engine, the power isn’t hidden away on a top shelf, although getting there is exciting nonetheless.
A blast up a mountain road with the top down is a recipe for the most delightful headache you’ve ever had. The buzzing shriek that comes on as the redline approaches is deafening. It’s unlike any other modern production car in that it isn’t coming from its twin pipes but from its rear-mounted intakes. It’s a noise that’s as authentic as it is loud and will be sorely missed in an electric future.
Still, there’s an elephant in the room, and that is its price. This 2024 model-year tester starts at $163,650, including a $1,650 destination and a $1,300 glass guzzler fee. If you’ve been adding up the optional extras mentioned up to now, this car’s $211,090 as-tested price should come as no shock.
Yet after experiencing it, it’s hard to fault anyone who puts up the money to have one, or even those who pay even higher sums on the second-hand market.
It’s not always immediately apparent that you’re behind the wheel of something special. As counterintuitive as that may sound, it can sometimes take a few hundred miles for a bond to form or a perfect Sunday morning drive on an impeccable winding road before the automotive epiphany comes. In other instances, a car’s greatness can remain hotly contested for decades.
Take the Lamborghini Countach as the ultimate example. It’s been over 50 years since it went into production, and while its status as an automotive icon is not up for debate, you’ll find no shortage of diametrically opposed opinions on whether or not it’s any good to drive. This won’t be the case with the Porsche 718 Spyder RS.
It is the ultimate swan song for Porsche’s mid-engined featherweight and a fitting sendoff for one of the most beloved sports cars in recent decades.
