Development is well underway for the Porsche 718 Spyder RS, the track-honed roadster derived from the Cayman GT4 RS coupe. We’ve previously photographed the car testing at the Nurburgring, but these latest shots provide our first look at the new drop-top on public roads.
With its vented bonnet, wheel arch louvres and vertical aero channels, the car is immediately recognisable as a fully-fledged RS. This pre-production car shares its centre-lock wheels with the GT4 RS too, and the simplified fabric roof is reminiscent of the previous-generation lightweight Boxster Spyder.
The new roof frees up a sloping double-bubble rear deck, which kicks up to form a sizable active ducktail spoiler. Given that the coupe version is fitted with an enormous rear wing, Porsche appears to have slightly reprofiled the 718 Spyder RS’s front splitter to maintain a suitable aero balance.
There are also new top-mount air intakes for the mid-mounted engine. On the GT4 RS, the intakes are integrated into the rear side window, but the fabric convertible roof of the Spyder means they have to sit further back. If the GT4 RS is anything to go by, the original side intakes will be repurposed for cooling.
At the rear of this prototype, the diffuser and twin exhaust set-up remains the same as the standard 718 Spyder. The RS’s engine, however, will be a 4.0-litre 496bhp flat-six taken from the 911 GT3. Expect a redline of 9,000rpm and a 0-62mph time not too far off the GT4 RS’s 3.4 seconds. The Spyder should get close to the 196mph top speed of the Cayman, and will come equipped with an automatic PDK gearbox
Given the GT4 RS was priced from £108,370, we can expect the convertible variant to cost slightly more. With less interference between the driver and the excellent engine, the Spyder RS may even be the better option.
Read our full review on the Porsche Cayman GT4 RS here…