Porsche Boxster Spyder
The roadster the purists kept asking for.
375-hp 3.8, no PDK, 2,486 built.
3 reviewers · 3 videos
Reviewers strongly agree on its performance and handling.
across 3 reviewers
Performance
4.0/5strong consensus“This makes 375 horsepower, so 10 less than the GT4, and 309 pound-feet of torque.”
positive · Zygrene · ▶ 2:20“it's still a plenty characterful little engine, revving up to 7,500 RPM, beautiful sound with the Porsche sport exhaust open.”
positive · Jubbal & Cars · ▶ 8:24“it's got the soundtrack it's amazing this thing possibly a little bit too raucous”
positive · JayEmm on Cars · ▶ 15:10Handling
4.5/5strong consensus“I love the front end of this car. For a road car, it's just about perfect.”
positive · Zygrene · ▶ 5:56“Steering is actually telling me what's happening at the front end, despite using EPAS.”
positive · Jubbal & Cars · ▶ 5:22“the car's got quite a bit of grip these have a mechanical limited slip differential operated by the Porsche torque vectoring system so it does some clever stuff and it works very well”
positive · JayEmm on Cars · ▶ 18:42Fun to drive
5.0/5strong consensus“I think this is probably one of the best Porsche driving experiences you can have for the street sub 100k.”
positive · Jubbal & Cars · ▶ 16:33“The balance of ease of use and mechanical connectedness is just perfect.”
positive · Zygrene · ▶ 5:40“absolutely Sensational really does deliver the experience that you want from a Porsche”
positive · JayEmm on Cars · ▶ 13:38Daily drivability
4.5/5strong consensus“I will say though, this suspension setup for the Spider is very nice for the road. This is a pretty harsh, unforgiving, bumpy road. The suspension feels great.”
positive · Zygrene · ▶ 4:58“this is so much more compliant. This really is optimized for the street, for the canyon.”
positive · Jubbal & Cars · ▶ 6:50“if you like to use your cars on a frequent basis this is so usable so much fun”
positive · JayEmm on Cars · ▶ 33:15Value
4.5/5strong consensus“So, great hold the value, but how are they to drive?”
positive · Zygrene · ▶ 0:23“I think this is probably one of the best Porsche driving experiences you can have for the street sub 100k.”
positive · Jubbal & Cars · ▶ 16:33“servicing one of these is also going to be considerably less about half or a third the price”
positive · JayEmm on Cars · ▶ 25:01Mechanically, the 981 Spyder is the MA1.24 3.8-litre flat-six — the 991 Carrera S engine, all but identical to the 981 Cayman GT4's unit, here rated at 375 hp. It was offered with a six-speed manual only: no PDK, a deliberate statement that defines the car. The hardware is GT4-grade — mechanical limited-slip with torque vectoring, 20mm-lower suspension, 911 Carrera S brakes, and, uniquely among 981 Boxsters, the quick steering rack from the 911 Turbo. Where it places in the lineage, this is the open GT4: the last naturally-aspirated, manual-only flat-six Boxster before the turbocharged four-cylinder 718s arrived in 2016, which is exactly why values held. Porsche built 2,486. It keeps the hand-raised fabric top of the 987, trading outright civility for the lightest, most analogue configuration in the range. For many it is the high-water mark of the breed — the Spyder formula at its most uncompromised, just before forced induction and the GT-grade 982 cars changed what the badge meant.
Hear it in the reviewer’s words
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Manual-only — no PDK was ever offered, by design. Shares the 981 Cayman GT4's 3.8 (slightly detuned here). Keeps the hand-raised two-piece fabric top.