Driving the Porsche 718 Spyder RS Is Like Being Strapped to a Firework

After 28 memorable years, the fossil-fueled Porsche Boxster is on a farewell tour (at least that’s the current story), as the German automaker readies electric replacements for its 718 convertible and Cayman coupe. If this is the end of an era, these model variants are going out with a massive bang via the 718 Spyder RS.

Forget what you think you know about the cutie-pie of Porsches. True to its RS moniker—which stands for rennsport (“racing” auf Deutsch)—the 718 Spyder RS is a madcap distillation of Porsche motorsport technology. The Spyder fulfills every “what if?” fantasy of Boxster fans, beginning with the furious heart of the 911 GT3: A 4.0-liter flat-six with 493 hp, a 9,000 rpm redline, and a sound that penetrates your skull like those chip implants in Severance. Unlike that dystopian TV show, the invasive nature of this vehicle leaves pleasurable aftereffects lingering long after you park and go about your day.

Compared with its hardtop Cayman GT4 cousin, the Spyder RS is tuned more for winding roads than racetracks. There’s no roof between you and nature, and the adaptive suspension is a skosh more forgiving. To see for myself, I decide to hustle a Spyder RS from Los Angeles to Palm Springs and back, including a romp on the Palms to Pines Scenic Byway. This 62-mile asphalt amusement park climbs from cactus country into the forested Santa Rosa and San Jacinto mountains, before plummeting back to the desert.

Throughout its history, the mid-engine Boxster has been a benchmark of balance and deft handling, a two-seater that imbues any driver with Senna-level confidence. The Spyder RS takes that performance to new heights. This is the most powerful Boxster to date, and it covers zero to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds, firing off shifts through its PDK automated gearbox with seven shortened gear ratios. (Sorry, manual fans, there’s no available stick.) The Porsche knocks off a quarter-mile sprint in 11.3 seconds, and will nip 191 mph while the breeze plays hell with hairstyles.

One glance tells you this roadster is different. A classic MacPherson-strut front axle, its track widened by 0.27 inches versus a 718 Spyder, is borrowed directly from the track-terror 911 GT3 RS. The rear axle stretches 0.3 inches wider, and the car hunkers 1.2 inches lower. Bristling body armor includes slats in the front wheel arches to relieve air pressure from rotating wheels. So-called “NACA” ducts slice the hood to aid brake cooling. Two more ducts direct air through the underbody and out through a rear diffuser for extra stability. A natty ducktail spoiler curls up at the rear.

Weight-reduction measures include a carbon-fiber hood and fenders, trimming curb weight to a svelte 3,214 pounds. In a classic RS cue, nylon pulls replace traditional interior door handles, which surely saves an ounce or two. My Spyder RS tacked on an optional Weissach package to heighten style and shed more mass. Exposed carbon fiber forms the hood, air intakes, mirror caps, and other body parts. Another aerodynamic “Gurney” flap integrates with the rear spoiler, with exhaust outlets tipped in titanium. Striking 20-inch forged magnesium wheels with center-locking hubs shave another 22 pounds versus standard aluminum wheels. Sound deadening? Sorry, I can’t hear a word you’re saying.

Most dramatically, a standard set of headrest fairings swell like ocean waves behind occupants. The price of that romantic style is the loss of the Boxster’s conventional power-folding top. The Spyder RS is designed mainly for postcard-perfect weather, though there is a two-piece fabric roof. The Bimini-style top will shield occupants from excess sun. A separate weather guard buttons across the back in case of serious precipitation and wind. Either piece is a fiddly, multi-step affair to erect or stow, akin to setting up a tiny pup tent. But it gets easier with practice.

Advantages become clear once that top is manually rolled up and stored beneath a folding rear decklid. The Porsche’s seamless silhouette makes it look achingly lovely and desirable as it glides down the road. With that naturally aspirated engine stuffed between the seats and rear axle, an extra set of intakes are integrated into the upper body, just behind of occupants’ heads. Whether its top is open or closed, the 718 Spyder RS immerses a driver and passenger in Nürburgring levels of intake sound, with accompaniment from a lightweight stainless-steel sport exhaust. That aural experience changes markedly as the Porsche runs through its rpm range, from a chesty bellow down low to a high rpm shriek up top. Selecting the PDK transmission’s sport mode elicits shifts to match the engine’s near-instantaneous throttle response, and off you go. 

Inside, the Spyder RS underscores its purist-focused intent. A tidy 14-inch diameter steering wheel is trimmed in grippy Race-Tex fabric, with a center marker at the 12 O’clock position. Lightweight bucket seats with carbon fiber shells, first seen on the hybrid 918 Spyder, deny graceful entry or exit; but their aggressive bolstering is ideal for the car’s dynamic capabilities. As noted, there’s no clutch pedal, but the PDK gear selector mimics a stick-shift look. Tugging the stick rearward triggers manual upshifts, with a forward flick for downshifts, akin to motorsport gearboxes. Cool metal paddle shifters are the other DIY option, including a PDK sport mode with enough shift feedback to feel through a pair of driving or racing gloves.

On the epic Palms to Pines route, the Boxster finds its natural habitat. It charges up behind workaday cars and SUVs, quivering with malevolent intent. Drivers—some of them, anyway—quickly pull into turnouts to let the Porsche by. With its adaptive suspension, optional Porsche Torque Vectoring, and sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, the Spyder RS locks onto pavement like a pit bull with a favorite chew toy. Optional carbon-ceramic brakes keep speeds in check when cliff drops loom ahead, managed by a powerful-yet-sensitive pedal that’s ideal for left-foot braking.

In contrast with today’s gratuitously powered supercars and performance EVs, the Porsche makes you work a bit for speed, and is all the better for it. On paper, there’s just 331 ft lbs of torque; a Ford Mustang Dark Horse makes 418 ft lbs of torque, by comparison. Instead of upchucks of turbocharged thrust, or instant electric torque, the Porsche lives for climbs to those 9,000 rpm heights. Make no mistake, the naturally aspirated Spyder responds eagerly to throttle, and rips through its gears: Fourth gear’s buzzsaw is good for about 126 mph. But if some new models, EVs especially, feel like riding an express elevator—fast, but so isolating and emotionless that Kenny G should play en route to the penthouse—the Spyder RS is like being strapped to a firework. When that climax finally arrives, all sonic booms and coruscating colors, the oohs and aahs have all been earned. Ultimately, few sports cars in the world can match the Spyder RS’s all-encompassing experience.

If the 718 Spyder RS performs like an upper-shelf 911—with less weight and signature mid-engine balance—it’s also priced like one at $163,650 to start. With the Weissach package (at $12,570), magnesium wheels ($15,640), and other options, my Spyder RS would fetch $211,090 in showrooms, prior to potential dealer markups. But with fans keenly attuned to any Porsche branded with the rare-and-sizzling RS letters, and the latest Boxster potentially marking the end of an internal-combustion era, certain collectors will be as aggressive in their pursuit as a Spyder RS hunting down rivals on the road.

Click here for more photos of the Porsche 718 Spyder RS.