Porsche 718 Spyder RS: 500 hp open spectacle piece

Highlights Porsche 718 Spyder RS

• 500 hp 4.0 six-cylinder
• Strongest and fastest open 718 ever
• With lightweight ‘roof tent’
• In July in the Netherlands

Anyone who is not fully aware of the many versions that Porsche offers of its models will undoubtedly start to get dizzy after taking a look at the Porsche price lists. That Porsche is lord and master in coming up with new derivatives is proven today. It adds a new version to the delivery range of the 718 Boxster. But that’s not just one. The number on the license plate of this brand new Porsche 718 Spyder RS ​​already reveals how powerfully motorized it is.

500 hp. That is the power that the high-revving 4.0 six-cylinder boxer engine behind the front seats of the Porsche 718 Spyder RS ​​treats you to. The Porsche 718 Spyder RS ​​- of which the letters RS stand for RennSport – is in fact the open alternative to the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS, making it the superlative of what was until recently the strongest 718 Boxster: the 420 hp 718 Spyder. The 4.0 that pumps 500 hp and 450 Nm to the rear wheels via a PDK automatic transmission in the Porsche 718 Spyder RS ​​is the same naturally aspirated machine as the one in the back of the 911 GT3.

Porsche 718 Spyder RS

You can chase this shrill six-cylinder until the tachometer shows 9,000. In 3.4 seconds the strongest and fastest open 718 ever races to a speed of 100 km / h. Even more impressive are the mere 10.9 seconds that the Porsche 718 Spyder RS ​​needs to catapult from standstill to 200 km/h. Its top speed is 308 km/h. A special stainless steel exhaust system hangs under the absolute top version of the 718 Boxster. The 718 Cayman GT4 RS has air intakes where the rear rear windows are normally located, the 718 Spyder RS ​​has additional cooling vents next to the headrests. Unlike the Cayman GT4 RS, you will not find a large spoiler on the back of the Spyder RS. Instead, the most extreme open 718 ever has one integrated into the buttocks ducktail. Also striking are the cooling slots that Porsche has made in the front screens.

Porsche 718 Spyder RS

Like the 718 Spyder, this new top version with RS addition has a vaulted aft deck and a simple and lightweight ‘tent’ as a roof that you have to ‘install’ manually. This soft top consists of two parts that you can store in the car itself. The roof weighs 18.3 kilos, almost 8 kilos less than the copy of the 718 Spyder and even almost 17 kilos less than the copy of other 718s Boxster. The 718 Spyder RS ​​has a Porsche Active Suspension Management sports suspension (PASM) lowered by 3 centimeters and has, among other things, a mechanical rear differential lock.

Porsche 718 Spyder RS

In keeping with Porsche’s RS tradition, the 718 Spyder RS ​​has also been put on a strict diet. For example, the front lid is made of carbon-reinforced plastic and Porsche has used less sound-insulating material. Door panels with pull loops? From the party. At the bottom of the line, the Porsche 718 Spyder RS ​​weighs 1,410 kilos. That makes it 40 kilos lighter than the 718 Spyder that has not undergone an RS treatment. It is even lighter than its close Cayman GT4 RS brother, although the difference in weight at 5 kilos is not huge. As an option, Porsche supplies the Weissach package, which, among other things, brings additional elements made of carbon fiber and titanium exhaust tips to the model. The steering wheel has a ’12 o’clock mark’, lightweight bucket seats are standard and of course you will come across the necessary Spyder RS ​​logos here and there.

Dutch prices are not yet available, but you can bet that the 718 Spyder RS ​​will not be a bargain. That will of course not surprise anyone. The Dutch market launch will take place in July. Anyone who purchases a Porsche 718 Spyder RS ​​will also receive a special hand-made watch.