RE: Porsche 718 Spyder RS breaks cover

RE: Porsche 718 Spyder RS breaks cover

Friday 13th May 2022

Porsche 718 Spyder RS breaks cover

Thought a GT3 engine in a Cayman was cool? You ain't seen nothing yet


That a 500hp flat-six crammed into a Cayman was mesmerisingly good shouldn’t have surprised anyone; the bigger shock remains that Porsche even signed off on the GT4 RS at all. Up until very recently, it was widely assumed that the 9,000rpm 4.0-litre was the preserve of the 911 - how wrong we were.  

Now it would appear that Porsche is dishing out GT3 engines like sweets on Halloween, with a bug-spattered 718 Spyder testing with what’s alleged to be that sensational engine. How to tell? This prototype has the higher intakes just like the Cayman, the induction noise from which has already made the GT4 an RS icon. They perch a little incongruously on the Spyder as opposed to the coupe, so you can’t miss them. 

Also different are the wheels (which look like GT3 rims), with what seem like larger brake discs and perhaps a slightly bigger ducktail spoiler. Maybe the bonnet, a slightly different shade of black to the rest of the car, could be carbon - like a Weissach-packed GT4 RS - though it’s hard to be sure. The intakes remain the biggest giveaway. 

Given the response to the RS, and with the Boxster also set to lose its combustion engines in the not too distant future, a drop-top GT4 RS - or a 718 Speedster, if you will - does make sense. It’s hard to imagine a struggle to sell any of them, put it that way. And the motorsport department has already proved itself a dab hand at convertibles with the Spyder, so it’s not like there’s any question regarding the outcome. Or the quality of the soundtrack. Moreover, if the 718 Cayman is deserving of an unforgettable sign off, it only seems right that the Boxster is treated to the same thing. Can’t have enough 9,000rpm Porsches, after all…


Image credit | S.Baldauf/S.B.Medien

 

Author
Discussion

Spinner20

Original Poster:

112 posts

119 months

Friday 13th May 2022
quotequote all
Want but can't have.

ajap1979

7,900 posts

186 months

Friday 13th May 2022
quotequote all
Spinner20 said:
Want but can't have.
Yep!!

Antj

1,041 posts

199 months

Friday 13th May 2022
quotequote all
Never expected them to do an RS version of the Spyder, Will look out for this next week, my brothers house is next door to the Porsche test centre in Welcherath so should see it coming and going if it's on test.

Got to be envious of the lucky few who get these,

stuckmojo

2,955 posts

187 months

Friday 13th May 2022
quotequote all
Wow.

Can I order one?

Didn't think so.

Cynical in me wonders if there are more engines than demand or ability to make GT3s


epom

11,399 posts

160 months

Friday 13th May 2022
quotequote all
Yes, thanks.

esotericar

745 posts

26 months

Friday 13th May 2022
quotequote all
article said:
Also different are the wheels (which look like GT3 rims)
No, they look like GT4 RS rims.

Dohnut

522 posts

45 months

Friday 13th May 2022
quotequote all
Kinda always preffered these to their Cayman siblings and in RS guise... Oooh! Matron!


Pan Pan Pan

9,777 posts

110 months

Friday 13th May 2022
quotequote all
Dohnut said:
Kinda always preffered these to their Cayman siblings and in RS guise... Oooh! Matron!

The hard top version of any car, always handles better than the soft top, so I would go with the Cayman rather than the Boxster / Spyder versions. The only downside is not being able to hear the engine, as well as in the soft top.

WCZ

10,492 posts

193 months

Friday 13th May 2022
quotequote all
perfect

rjfp1962

7,611 posts

72 months

Friday 13th May 2022
quotequote all
Hood up, No thanks! eek

Hood down, Perfect! thumbup



Edited by rjfp1962 on Friday 13th May 12:52

thewarlock

3,234 posts

44 months

Friday 13th May 2022
quotequote all
That's not what the roof is actually going to look like on the production car though, is it?

Chubbyross

4,537 posts

84 months

Friday 13th May 2022
quotequote all
I’ve always thought the Boxster, whether Spyder or not, looks pretty terrible with the roof up. Down, they look fabulous. I’d take a Boxster over a Cayman every time. But that’s just me.

Roadrunner996

207 posts

175 months

Friday 13th May 2022
quotequote all
I'll wait for the targa version or wait a bit longer for the speedster version . In the meantime there will be a 'black' version then we just need to wait for the next big Porsche anniversary for a real 'special'.....

wyson

2,066 posts

103 months

Friday 13th May 2022
quotequote all
stuckmojo said:
Wow.

Can I order one?

Didn't think so.

Cynical in me wonders if there are more engines than demand or ability to make GT3s
Porsche video said they won’t limit numbers, but won’t flex the GT production line to meet demand, which amounts to the same thing.

esotericar

745 posts

26 months

Friday 13th May 2022
quotequote all
wyson said:
Porsche video said they won’t limit numbers, but won’t flex the GT production line to meet demand, which amounts to the same thing.
Be interesting to see if demand holds up.

People complain about limited supply but they make massively (truly, massively) more GT cars now than ever before. Like an order of magnitude more than the 996 and 997 era. Economic outlook looks a bit sketchy. If it all does go to hell in a handbasket, I suspect it'll suddenly become a lot easier to buy one of these cars. Don't think it will take that much in terms of a drop in demand to expose the actually very plentiful supply.

wyson

2,066 posts

103 months

Friday 13th May 2022
quotequote all
esotericar said:
Be interesting to see if demand holds up.

People complain about limited supply but they make massively (truly, massively) more GT cars now than ever before. Like an order of magnitude more than the 996 and 997 era. Economic outlook looks a bit sketchy. If it all does go to hell in a handbasket, I suspect it'll suddenly become a lot easier to buy one of these cars. Don't think it will take that much in terms of a drop in demand to expose the actually very plentiful supply.
Porsche video said they expect most people who want a GT car will be able to get one, even if they have to wait a few years.

The spinner of plates

17,649 posts

199 months

Friday 13th May 2022
quotequote all
stuckmojo said:
Wow.

Can I order one?

Didn't think so.

Cynical in me wonders if there are more engines than demand or ability to make GT3s
I think it’s more of a case that electrification has changed the entire medium-long range planning.

May as well do all the crazy stuff before the final curtain. Sadly.

Wab1974uk

981 posts

26 months

Friday 13th May 2022
quotequote all
stuckmojo said:
Wow.

Can I order one?

Didn't think so.

Cynical in me wonders if there are more engines than demand or ability to make GT3s
Maybe giving the world the cars they have been asking for, before the final nail is knocked into ICE cars?

Isn't the next Boxter / Cayman / Macan all going to be EV only?

cerb4.5lee

30,189 posts

179 months

Friday 13th May 2022
quotequote all
I bet the engine in this sounds lovely with the roof down. cloud9

redroadster

1,729 posts

231 months

Friday 13th May 2022
quotequote all
That would my epic ride of choice.