The Sunday Times Magazine • 49Engine
3995cc, 6 cylinders,
petrol
Power
414bhp @ 7600rpm
Torque
310 Ib ft @ 6800rpm
Acceleration
0-62mph: 4.4sec
Top speed
187mphFuel / CO 2
25.4mpg / 251g/km
Weight
1,420kg
Price
£73,850
Release date
On sale now
Nick’s ratingThe Ruffometer
Porsche 718 Spyder
1,258mm1,801mm 4,430mmyou’re being carpet-bombed.
This is not a car for backache-
sufferers, either. The ride is taut
and it jars over potholes. Hit a
rumble strip and it sounds as
though you’re driving over a
corrugated roof.
Porsche is keen to stress that
it hasn’t dropped the Boxster
name, it just hasn’t attached it to
this idiosyncratic model. The 718
logo borrows kudos from
Porsche’s motor sport history.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s
the company successfully raced
a series of one and two-seaters
called 718s.
There’s a hint of yesteryear in
the instrument cluster — a big
200mph speedo next to a big rev
counter, both proper analogue
dials. There’s plenty of old-
fashioned switchgear too, which
makes a pleasant change from all
the usual swiping and scrolling.
There is an infotainment panel,
but it’s a modestly proportioned
7in touchscreen.
Is the 718’s seat-of-pants
performance enough to deflect
those jibes about it being a poor-
man’s Porsche? Those who know
their Porsches will realise it’s not a
cheap substitute. There may even
be some — say it softly — who
prefer it. The 911 has become a
serious car for serious drivers.
These days fewer than 20 per cent
of 911s are sold as convertibles.
Some beard-strokers will bore you
to tears on the advantages of a
hard-top version, with stuff about
weight and scuttle shake, and why
having an engine over the rear
wheels (as opposed to in the
middle, like the 718) is best.
True, the 718 Spyder may not be
the fastest, but it’s up there with
the liveliest of the Porsche pack. It
can afford to ignore Top Trumps
statistics because it’s not a legend
like the 911 and doesn’t have to
stay ahead of the competition. If
the 911 is a grown-up, the Spyder
is a hormone-charged adolescent.
The perfect antidote, then to
winter torpor. Unfortunately the
company is stuck with a backlog of
orders, which means waiting
between three and six months for
delivery. Who knows, by the time
it arrives you may be emerging,
blinking, from lockdown. The sun
may even be shining. There’ll be
no need for the heater even with
the roof down, and when you take
it for a blast you won’t have to
pretend you’re on your way to
collect essential supplies nIt’s up there with the liveliest
of the Porsche pack. If the 911
is a grown-up, the Spyder is a
hormone-charged adolescent
If you are the type of person
who slips on racing boots and
gloves, you’ll want the six-speed
manual gearbox to savour the full
driving experience. Once
picturesque roads come to an end,
and you find yourself back on the
M25, you may pine for Porsche’s
PDK automatic system.
I said it’s stripped-down, but
I have to admit that Porsche had
ransacked the options list and
added them to the test car. As well
as carbon ceramic brakes (£5,597)
painted in high gloss (£581), it
came with full carbon-fibre bucket
seats (£3,788), red seatbelts (£194)
and a fire extinguisher under the
passenger seat (£105). This is
presumably so you can casually
mention that you take it track-day
racing at weekends. If your aim is
to impress, it may be better to fork
out on racing boots and gloves
— accessories that send the same
message but don’t imply the car
could suddenly burst into flames.
The Porsche Chrono package
including a digital stopwatch and
lap timer comes as standard on
Spyder models, but the excellent
Burmester surround-sound
system is an extra £2,769.
And herein lies a problem. The
Spyder is as hardcore as a 911, but
add a few options and it’s also as
pricey. The car I drove cost
£92,122 compared with £82,795
for an entry-level 911 Carrera.
And you get less for more.
Unlike the 911, the 718 Spyder has
no rear seats. Admittedly it’s hard
to squeeze an adult into the back
of a 911 without their face being
pressed against the rear glass, but
that space can be useful for a set of
golf clubs or an extra weekend bag.
The 718’s other issue is its
roof, or rather the opening
mechanism. It unlatches
electrically, but then you have to
walk round the back and help
bundle it away under a rear panel.
It’s simple to do, but the car has to
be stationary and you have to get
out. If it suddenly starts sleeting,
you’ll need to grin and bear it
until you can pull over. That said,
I drove roof down through sleet
without getting wet, thanks to the
deflector and the warm “airscarf ”
created by the heater.
It’s important to note that,
even when raised, the fabric roof
offers no more than basic
protection from the weather.
In the interest of lightness it’s
not triple-skinned or padded. In
a downpour it sounds as though
Head to head
Porsche 718 Spyder v
Jaguar F-type R-DynamicPricePower0-62mphTop speed£73,850 £75,505414bhp 444bhp4.4sec 4.6sec187mph 177mph