Image: Porsche
Image: Porsche
Image: Porsche
Image: Porsche
New ModelsBy: Ryan De Villiers
Make no mistake, the Porsche 718 Spyder RS is the most unique and high-strung model to debut this year. Here’s all you need to know about Porsche’s latest soft-top RS-badged athlete.
Image: Porsche
Expanding the 718 Spyder lineup, the soft-top variant affords its would-be occupants an increased sensation of freedom. The aforementioned soft-top is manually operated and is composed of two key elements namely; the sun sail, which protects its occupants from harsh sun rays and the weather deflector. In total, the sunroof and all its accompanying mechanical parts weigh 7,6 kg less than the regular 718 Spyder and 16,5 kg less than the 718 Boxter’s roof.
As eye-catching and alluring as the exterior is, the interior is a marvel in its own right. The steering wheel is adorned in Race-Tex and features a contrasting yellow 12-o’clock marking. Maintaining the race-ready nature of many RS models, the 718 Spyder comes standard with bucket seats made of lightweight CFRP. The seats are a medley of black leather and perforated Race-Tex material in the seat centre.
Image: Porsche
Propped up as an equal to the 718 Cayman GT4 RS, the soft-top 718 Spyder is motivated by the sonorous 4,0-litre naturally aspirated flat-six found in the 911 GT3 Cup car and features an astonishing redline of 9 000 r/min. Its power plant allows the RS-badged Spyder to sprint to 100km/h from a standstill in 3,4 seconds, which is on par with the Cayman RS but slightly quicker than the non-RS 718 Spyder sibling.
The engine is mated to the firm’s venerated seven-speed PDK transmission that the firm claims afford 718 Spyder RS pilots with lighting-quick shifts. In total, the soft-top RS weighs 1 410 kg which is 40 lighter than the non-RS Spyder and 5 kg lighter than the high-strung 718 Cayman GT4 RS.
Image: Porsche
The open-top RS borrows many elements from its RS stablemates to offer greater performance through winding roads. The soft-top is outfitted with the Porsche Active Suspension Management system, which has lowered the car by 30 mm. Additionally, the Spyder RS is gifted with Porsche’s torque vectoring system, a limited-slip differential and 20-inch forged aluminium wheels. In terms of the driving experience, the 718 Spyder is a little softer and more relaxed than the ready-to-race 718 Cayman GT4 RS.
Image: Porsche
The car will debut later this year in June at the 75 Years of Porsche Sports Cars event in Stuttgart, where it will then go on to make an appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England.
Get your hands on a new or used 718 here with CARmag.
Keyword: The 718 Spyder RS is the first open top Rennsport-badged Porsche