2023 Porsche 718 RS Spyder Goes Topless, Flashes Sexy Weissach Bucket Seats

The 2023 718 Boxster Spyder RS is essentially a Cayman GT4 RS for sun lovers, and Porsche’s test team has definitely been lapping up the sun while lapping the Nürburgring in development prototypes ahead of the car’s official launch.

We’ve caught the RS roadster testing multiple times before, but only with the skimpy convertible roof in place. Thanks to the most recent spy shots though, we’re finally able to see what the hottest 718 looks like with the roof down, which is how most owners will plan to use it.

The images give us a clearer look at the new air intakes located above each rear wheelarch, something not fitted to the regular non-RS Spyder. One of the defining characteristics of the Cayman GT4 RS is its crazy induction noise that results from the 4.0-liter engine’s air intakes being rerouted behind your head. That exact setup isn’t possible on the Spyder due to the design of the rear deck, but judging by the proximity of those intakes to the driver’s ear, the roofless RS is going to sound every bit as epic.

Related: 2022 Porsche 718 GT4 RS Unveiled As The Most Extreme Cayman Ever

And because Porsche has been kind enough to drop the top on its development cars, we’ve been able to get a sneak look at the interior, where we can see a tasty set of bucket seats with the “Weissach” logo of Porsche’s motorsport department stitched into the headrests. That feature is only available on the Cayman GT4 when you select the optional Weissach Package that brings a stack of interior and exterior carbon components, so unless Porsche threw these chairs in the test car because they were lying around spare, we imagine a similar upgrade pack will be offered with the Spyder.

Cayman GT4s without the Weissach pack still comes with a set of carbon buckets (regular sports seats are available at no cost if you must), but have “GT4 RS” stitched into their headrests, so we imagine the ragtop will get “Spyder RS” on its seatbacks by default.

The Spyder misses out on the Cayman RS’s double spoiler arrangement, settling for a small ducktail at the trailing edge of the long rear deck cover. But it does get the same saw-tooth vents in the top of front fenders whose wheelarches are rolled inwards just behind the front wheels, and the same NACA ducts on the frunk lid.

It’s also likely to serve up the exact same mechanical specification as the Cayman GT4 RS, which means a 4.0-liter flat-six pinched from the 911 GT3 that sends 493 hp (500 PS) and 332 lb-ft (450 Nm) to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch PDK transmission. Those numbers compare well with the 414 hp (420 PS) and 310 lb-ft (420 Nm) of the stock 718 Spyder, but that car does give the option of a six-speed manual transmission as well as the PDK.

Based on the $42,600 price premium the $149,100 Cayman GT4 RS carries over the $106,500 regular GT4, and the $103,400 currently asked for the 718 Spyder, we can probably expect the Spyder RS to cost at least $140,000 when it goes on sale next year.

Images: Images: CarPix and S. Baldauf/SB-Medien