When examining the sleek and powerful Porsche 718 Spyder RS, one might describe it as a Cayman GT4 RS that’s shed its roof and its wing. However, such an assessment doesn’t do justice to its unique characteristics. You see, it doesn’t contain the rollover protection typically coveted on the racetrack or the downforce crucial for maximizing the velocity at which one can navigate a turn, known as the apex speed. The Spyder RS, intriguingly enough, affords more driver engagement than a military surplus store provides olive-drab green. Its construction is such that it’s light on weariness since it offers a comfortable ride as well.
Question the Spyder RS’s racing capabilities due to the RS suffix, translating to “rennsport” in German, or motor racing? Rest assured, it will not only meet expectations but likely surpass them. Despite this promise, an oddity exists: Andreas Preuninger’s team, the masterminds behind all of Porsche’s GT cars, neglected to attempt a lap time at the famous Nürburgring track. Strange indeed, considering the Panamera and Cayenne have both left their marks on this very course.
This new creation may well represent the zenith of road car innovation. Situated tantalizingly close to your left ear, the 4.0-liter’s intake offers a mesmerizing valvetrain trance with every race to 9000 rpm—a trance only disrupted by the steadfast brakes. The standard iron rotors are commendable, but those with concerns about unsprung and rotating mass may opt for the carbon-ceramic stoppers at $8000, which lighten the car by 40 pounds. Magnesium wheels can also be had, shaving another 22 pounds, but not without the Weissach package ($14,730) which adds aesthetic features like exposed carbon-fiber components and a duck-like spoiler with a tiny carbon lip.
Adding nearly $40,000 to a $163,650 Boxster that’s likely to avoid the racetrack might appear to be exorbitant, except to those with an inclination for visible carbon fiber. Judgment on such matters, of course, is withheld.
Now, regarding the Spyder RS’s peculiar harmony with public roads, the GT team embarked on an unprecedented journey with an RS car: the reduction of spring rates. Compared to the GT4 RS, they are 55 percent softer in front and 43 percent at the rear. Other modifications include the absence of wing and underbody strakes, a 2.0-inch reduction in front splitter length, and a 0.2-inch higher ride. Yet, the heart remains the same—a 493-hp 4.0-liter engine, complete with individual throttle bodies for each cylinder and dry-sump lubrication.
The sole available seven-speed dual-clutch transmission might seem counterintuitive for a car intended for the road, where a manual gearbox might have been more at home. However, the constraints of spinning speed, torque capacity, and fitment deemed it impossible. The silver lining is the Spyder RS’s unshakable launch control, allowing it to sprint to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds. Our own tests with the GT4 RS suggest it might even challenge this figure. In essence, expect similar acceleration numbers between the two, with the Spyder RS weighing a mere 11 pounds less, according to Porsche’s claims.
In this vehicle, we observe a convergence of grace and raw power, a machine that equally seduces the eye and the road. It’s more than a sibling to the GT4 RS; it’s a statement of what’s possible when form and function fuse with art and engineering.
#porsche
Get More Great Car Videos – Subscribe: https://goo.gl/BSIaFc
