The new Porsche 718 Spyder RS ​​becomes the most powerful mid-engine convertible in the German manufacturer's range

The Cayman and Boxter models were once considered a kind of entry-level models in the Porsche range, somewhat incomplete and inferior in sensations, which could give you a prelude to the Porsche world when you couldn't afford the real models in the 911 range. But in the last generations, with their transformation into the 718 family, became cars with complete personalities of their own and with equally consistent and absolutist engineering. And now we witness the moment when a new 718 Spyder RS ​​debuts, with a 500 HP engine, which has only 1,410 kg (3,108 lbs) to propel!

The engine comes from the Porsche 911 GT3, just as it happened with the 718 Cayman GT4 RS. So, we are dealing with a naturally aspirated engine, in 6 cylinder boxer, in 4.0 liters, which easily reaches 9,000 rpm and which delivers 500 HP and 450 Nm. The engine remained mid-mounted, however, ahead of the rear axle, as is always the case with the 718 model family.

With this engine, the new Porsche 718 Spyder RS ​​reaches the first hundred in 3.4 seconds, and in just 10.9 seconds from the start, the speedometer needle reaches the 200 km/h mark. So, with 500 active hp and such acceleration parameters, the new model is one of the top supercars, a league that the Boxsters of yesteryear would hardly have dreamed of.

And the maximum speed is in the same league, or, the new model reaches 308 km/h (191 mph). And in a world where cars are getting heavier and heavier, the 1,410 kg (3,108 lbs) weight of this new Porsche is a real relief to car enthusiasts. It was achieved by using carbon fiber reinforced plastic on several body parts, such as the hood, but also by applying a soft top roof without an automated closing mechanism, being one that must be closed and opened manually. Thus, the entire roof, with all its mechanisms, weighs only 18.3 kg (40.3 lbs), 7.6 kg (16.8 lbs) less than the standard Spyder and 16.5 kg (36.4 lbs) less than the 718 Boxster. And those who want to get rid of another 8 kg (17.6 lbs), can manually dismantle their roof, leaving it at home.

The new 718 Spyder RS ​​also comes with suspension with different settings, but also with several distinct design elements. It's exactly that precise dosage of the ingredients, so as to make the final recipe appreciable by the finest connoisseurs, and something tells us that this car is certainly one worthy of being collected in the long term. Or, a car with a naturally aspirated engine, big and powerful, with such a pure engineering approach to weight, it's as if it comes with a collector's item certificate from day one. Now it costs from 155 thousand euros ($170K) upwards, but in about 5-8 years it will sell double, almost certainly.