Lightened Porsche roadster packs 493bhp atmo six, track-honed chassis and hardcore remit
The new 718 Spyder GT4 RS is a screaming, drop-top swansong for Porsche’s mid-engined sports car family ahead of its transition to a pure-EV drivetrain in 2025.
The final iteration of the 718 – as we know it – is the most powerful derivative of the Boxster since production began in 1995. It takes 493bhp and 332lb ft from the same GT3-based atmo 4.0-litre flat six that powers its hard-top sibling, the five-star 718 Cayman GT4 RS. Redlining at an ear-splitting 9000rpm and sending its reserves through a “lightning-speed” seven-speed PDK gearbox, it propels the roadster from 0-62mph in just 3.4sec and on to 191mph.
Porsche says the open roof “makes the highly evocative sound of the engine an even more compelling experience”, particularly given the fitment of a lightweight stainless steel sports exhaust and new air intakes mounted just next to the headrests.
Below the beltline, the Spyder GT4 RS is visually almost identical to the hottest Cayman, complete with gaping air ducts, aggressive downforce-boosting addenda, carbonfibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) bonnet and wings, and race-style 20in centre-locking forged alloy wheels.
“Designed for maximum pleasure on winding roads,” the car also brings the same track-honed chassis upgrade package as its hard-top sibling. Sitting 30mm closer to the ground on stiffer shocks, it is equipped as standard with Porsche’s active suspension management (PASM) system and features a corner-carving torque-vectoring package with a mechanical differential lock on the rear axle.
Up top, meanwhile, the RS takes its lead from the ‘standard’ (but barely less powerful) 718 Spyder in gaining a pair of distinctive buttresses on its rear deck and a prominent ‘ducktail’ rear wing in the name of enhanced aerodynamics.
The striking soft-top has been designed to incur an absolutely minimal weight penalty. Manually operated and made of a lightweight single-layer canvas, the entire structure – comprising a separate ‘sun sail’ and weather protector – weighs just 18.3kg, 7.6kg less than the non-RS Spyder’s and 16.5kg less than the standard Boxster’s. The canvas element can be stowed in the car or removed entirely to save 8kg on the move.
Porsche GT project manager Markus Atz told Autocar that the familiar styling belies the amount of work that went into refining the Spyder GT4 RS’s roof. He said: “If you reduce it to a few words, it’s just the open version of the GT4 R
