The new 718 Gt4/Spyder are here!

[Twinfan]

Bispal said:

If you want the fastest car for the money the Spyder / GT4 is not the right car for you. Its more of a car to be savoured, its a sensory experience not a dull 7 speed, twin turbo statistics car. The gearing is not a problem its actually a rare delight to be enjoyed while it lasts.

Well said!

It's all about the engagement and involvement...

[Porsche911R]

Bispal said:

I agree with Twinfan. I really like that my 981 Spyder holds the gears a little longer than some sports cars. It's not much but it gives me a chance to savour the engine and enjoy the growing revs in anticipation. Personally I have had my fill of 7/8/9 speed dual clutch cars revving to the red line in about 1 second and not being able to enjoy the building crescendo. I drove a Superformance GT40 last week and that held its gears for far much longer and it was all the better for it. The gearing is never mentioned in GT40 reviews and it does nothing to distil the legend.

If you want the fastest car for the money the Spyder / GT4 is not the right car for you. Its more of a car to be savoured, its a sensory experience not a dull 7 speed, twin turbo statistics car. The gearing is not a problem its actually a rare delight to be enjoyed while it lasts.

Rubbish, the engine is lack lustre up top and the gearing saps what ever life there was in it !!

I bought a Cayman R for fun over my GT4, The 981 Spyder was a poor effort, with poor electrics and standard EPS, in fact it felt under tired for the 3.8, the new cars are stuck with the long gearing !!! but the 718 SPyder fixed a lot of it's issues. I guess Porsche saw the flaws also.

you want to hold onto the gears but it does 120mph in 3rd ffs !! you break the speed limit at 85mph in 2nd ! it is the ruin of the cars.

I am not a PDK fan but roll on the standard range of flat 6 cars with gear box options and a working roof.

GT4 will be a nice track car but not many people on here track so odd buying choices all to do with running a free car and overs vs what cars right for their needs.

only car I have asked for is the PDK RS. but fat chance of that, but I would buy a 4.0 Boxster flat 6 PDK with an electric roof to daily.

[Twinfan]

Porsche911R said:

GT4 will be a nice track car but not many people on here track so odd buying choices all to do with running a free car and overs vs what cars right for their needs.

Another sweeping generalisation - I assume the same applies to you and your GT3, given that you don't track it?

Or, like many others (including myself) did you buy a GT car just because you liked it?

[gtsralph]

Twinfan said:

av185 said:

The 981 GT4 ratios are a pain.

They don't bother me at all on my GTS which has the same gearbox. The extra torque and 75PS will make my GT4 quicker through the gears than my GTS and I'd rather have a manual over PDK any day of the week. I find the whole gearing thing an overblown non-issue. Each to their own though!

This fellow seems to make good progress despite the gearing..

https://youtu.be/dT1aNQA8wVQ

[notsomadmick]

Twinfan said:

notsomadmick said:

981 Spyder 'similar' in this regard. Smaller wheel & faster rack from 991 Turbo S makes GT4 and Spy feel more agile.
They actually feel more in keeping with my previous 986 - than regular versions of 987 or 981.

Having driven both cars back-to-back I would disagree - I thought the 981 Spyder felt more similar to my 981 GTS. The GT3-based chassis in the GT4 was much more 'solid' for want of a better word.

(To be fair mate, I have not driven a gt4 - so was giving my view of the 981 Spyder versus various 986/987/981 boxsters I’ve had before.)

[Twinfan]

You should try a GT4 sometime then, or if you a have a 718 Spyder/GT4 on order you'll soon see what I mean.

The 981 Spyder is a great car, but it didn't feel like the GT4 does to me.

[Maxym]

Twinfan said:

You should try a GT4 sometime then, or if you a have a 718 Spyder/GT4 on order you'll soon see what I mean.

The 981 Spyder is a great car, but it didn't feel like the GT4 does to me.

TF, how did you manage to get a GT4 allocation? Buying history +++ of other Porsche machinery?

(I'm sort of envious, not that you got a GT4 but that you beat the system apparently. And I thought you thought the 981 GT4 was no great shakes over your GTS...)

[TDT]

Maxym said:

TF, how did you manage to get a GT4 allocation? Buying history +++ of other Porsche machinery?

(I'm sort of envious, not that you got a GT4 but that you beat the system apparently. And I thought you thought the 981 GT4 was no great shakes over your GTS...)

If the fabled 6-cylinder 718 gets released - i'm sure the delta to the 718 GT4 will be just as 'marginal', although we won't hear that...lol.

Joking and ribbing aside - The difference is in the suspension package and aero.
The suspension tuning is a REAL difference in the GT cars vs the series cars.
981 Spyder really was a Super 981 Boxster GTS on X73 chassis... tuned for the road. GT4 is a locked down GT ride aimed at maximising grip loads for the purposes of Track.

The point of the GT hardware though is that that you can 'fully' adjust it for either road or track, and it has much greater precision in maintaining geometry as it introduces solid mounts, and rose joints in a number of areas dependant on the model you are looking at. This is the big upgrade for the 718 Spyder.

As for getting an allocation.... just keep asking around... and be ready to place your money down... they're building these for a few years yet - so if you're patient - it could be you too. Plenty of people have only ever bought one used car and new car from their OPC and been able to get the nod.

Edited by TDT on Tuesday 26th November 22:37

[Twinfan]

Maxym said:

TF, how did you manage to get a GT4 allocation? Buying history +++ of other Porsche machinery?

(I'm sort of envious, not that you got a GT4 but that you beat the system apparently. And I thought you thought the 981 GT4 was no great shakes over your GTS...)

I have only ever owned one Porsche, my current 981 GTS, that I bought new just under 4 years ago from the OPC that is supplying my GT4.

As for how I got an allocation? I believe it's because I have a relationship with my OPC - I'm not just someone who bought a new car one day, had it serviced two years later then got the call for a GT4.

[RSVP911]

Twinfan said:

Maxym said:

TF, how did you manage to get a GT4 allocation? Buying history +++ of other Porsche machinery?

(I'm sort of envious, not that you got a GT4 but that you beat the system apparently. And I thought you thought the 981 GT4 was no great shakes over your GTS...)

I have only ever owned one Porsche, my current 981 GTS, that I bought new just under 4 years ago from the OPC that is supplying my GT4.

As for how I got an allocation? I believe it's because I have a relationship with my OPC - I'm not just someone who bought a new car one day, had it serviced two years later then got the call for a GT4.

Glad you’ve got an allocation - think you’ve been very lucky - enjoy

[Twinfan]

It's not just luck. Although I haven't spent considerable sums of money at my OPC I am known to them as a Porsche and motorsport enthusiast - I'm not just a name in the system.

Maxym said:

And I thought you thought the 981 GT4 was no great shakes over your GTS...)

Sorry, I forgot to answer this. For road driving at normal speeds it isn't and I wouldn't change my current GTS for a used GT4. A new car specced to my preferences is a different decision. It's still total overkill for my type of driving though and I'm well aware of that

[T2TC]

Notice on the UK Porsche web site they have removed the "*limited availability" against 718 Spyder and GT4. Im sure it was there and possibly still is but I cant see it. Is this a sign that indeed they wont be limiting production volumes this time?

[Twinfan]

It was definitely there a few days ago so that's recently been removed.

There's no glut of build slots though is there?

[TDT]

Twinfan said:

It was definitely there a few days ago so that's recently been removed.

There's no glut of build slots though is there?

Yep - it was definitely there a couple days ago, even as recent as Monday, as I was playing with Spyder Spec.

Maybe Porsche have decided to convert most 718 build slots to GT4/Spyder slots - as UK customers will be unlikely to be buying the 4-pot cars now.
4-pot is for China.

[Twinfan]

Yep, it's certainly possible. I can't see the US buying any F4T models either so it makes a lot of sense. They just need a non-GT car (i.e. those 718-6 models we've seen knocking about) and that would be the new range:

718-6 Cayman
718-6 Boxster
GT4
Spyder

Plus "specials" as and when, including a GT4RS.

[anonymous-user]

I must've missed this yesterday...

Twinfan said:

I can't see the US buying any F4T models either so it makes a lot of sense.

Porsche USA said:

2020 718 Cayman T Now On The US Dealers Configurator

https://www.718forum.com/threads/2020-718-cayman-t...

[Twinfan]

It seems to have taken forever to get the T approved in the US. I still think the F4T will stay for base/T/S, but you can argue it either way.

[bobo]

hi all

im looking at either of these two. i haven't spoken to OPC's yet.

Keen to hear PH'ers views from those that are talking to OPC's on how long delivery timescales are assuming you place order today and this isnt a limited run?

many thanks

[Twinfan]

You can only order a car if there's a build slot available for your car via your OPC. At the moment, OPCs appear to have very few slots so I think all you can do is express interest and wait.

[philnotts]

So did someone get the sums wrong, this GT4 was £99,995 yesterday, now £108,995 -

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...