Porsche 718 Boxster Spyder To Provide Speedster Looks On A Budget [Updated]

Ever since Porsche’s mid-engined sports cars switched to turbocharged flat-four engines, fans have been waiting to see what will happen to their planned special editions. It appears that the wait time is almost over.

The upcoming 718 Boxster Spyder promises to provide Speedster-like thrills for significantly less money. While we’ve seen the car a handful of times in the past, the latest spy photos show a virtually undisguised prototype with a red fabric soft top doing some laps at the Nurburgring.

Starting up front, the model has been equipped with a sporty bumper that appears to carryover from the 718 Boxster GTS. Moving further back, we can see lightweight alloy wheels and a high-performance braking system with red calipers.

Of course, the biggest changes occur at the rear as the 718 Boxster Spyder has been equipped with a unique rear lid that features a double bubble design. The two humps are connected by a floating third brake light and this helps to give the model a little extra pizzazz.

The styling changes don’t stop there as designers installed a modified rear bumper and a huge diffuser which looks slightly out of place on such a small roadster. Other changes include a new dual exhaust system and a unique soft top with a sportier appearance.

While the rest of 718 lineup has turbocharged engines, previous reports have suggested the Boxster Spyder will use the same 4.0-liter six-cylinder engine that resides in the 911 GT3. The engine develops 500 hp (372 kW) in the latter model but it will be detuned for use in the 718 for obvious marketing reasons.

The final output remains a mystery but the previous Boxster Spyder had a 3.8-liter six-cylinder engine producing 375 hp (279 kW). Given that the 718 Boxster GTS has 365 hp (272 kW), it’s likely that the new model will have at least 400 hp (298 kW) and some reports have claimed the car could have as much as 430 hp (320 kW). And yes, it will have a manual gearbox.

Regardless of the final numbers, the Boxster Spyder is expected to be significantly lighter than the 718 Boxster. Like its predecessor, the car is slated to have lightweight sport seats and a minimum of equipment as both the air conditioning system and audio system should be optional.

The Porsche 718 Boxster Spyder could debut later this year but nothing is official as of yet. The German car maker has been testing the Boxster Spyder and its sibling, the Cayman GT4 for quite some time now, so we must be close to the big reveal.

Article updated with new spy photos and additional reporting