Porsche Boxster Spyder car review

Porsche’s new Boxster Spyder is much more than simply a special edition, with a different wheel design and go-faster stripes applied by the dealer.

The Spyder tag is Porsche’s designation for its open-roofed cars with a particular driver focus, just as the name was applied to the diminutive roadsters of the 1950s that played their part in building the firm’s reputation.

Porsche Boxster Spyder gallery:

The greatest effort has been spent in losing weight, with a reduction of 80kg being the result – worthwhile dieting when you consider it drops the kerbweight to a quoted 1,275kg.

This has been achieved by deleting the air conditioning (-12kg) and stereo (-3kg) off the standard equipment list, along with the fitment of lighter carbon fibre backed sports bucket seats (-12kg), aluminium doors (-15kg), lightweight 19-inch wheels (-2kg) and a further 15kg saving thanks to ripping out of the interior door handles (there are now just red fabric pulls), cup holders and door cards.

The biggest single saving however is also the most controversial and dramatic element of the Spyder recipe: the new roof arrangement. Offering what Porsche describes as ‘meeting the basic needs’ for weather protection, it dispenses with electric power in favour of manual effort of the type usually required to erect a tent.

It now weighs 21kg less, and lives under a distinctive aluminium rear panel that saves a further 3kg. This new panel features two humps that are elongated to the rear of the car, dramatically altering the Boxster’s overall proportions.

Uprated 3.4-litre engine

To make the most of these changes, Porsche has upped the power of the 3.4-litre direct injection flat six to 320hp, and fine tuned the chassis, dropping the ride height by 20mm, fitting revised springs and dampers and widening the track. A limited slip differential is standard fitment for the rear axle.

I drive the Spyder with the roof off to begin with, and find that an already great car has been made yet more appealing. Everything the Boxster does, the Spyder can do with just that little bit more conviction and precision.

It feels more responsive – both to the throttle and the steering wheel – and its sprinting ability and agility suddenly make the regular car feel slightly bloated and indifferent. It’s not, of course, it’s just that by removing some weight and lowering the centre of gravity the Spyder is match fit, and it shows.

Breathing through the optional sports exhaust, the Spyder exhales a rich and melodious bark and accelerates to 62mph in 5.1 seconds in manual form, with the PDK equipped model supposedly faster still. The top speed is quoted as 166mph, but Porsche advises that you should limit yourself to ‘just’ 124mph if you have the roof up to avoid it becoming detached in the breeze.

So what of that roof then? It certainly looks intricate when you inspect it closely. Porsche’s press briefing aligned the Spyder with the Caterhams and hardcore Lotus Elises of this world – something that given the relative comfort, solidity and ease-of-use from what is essentially a developed Boxster, seemed surprising. Surprising that is, until you’ve driven it with the roof on.

Part-time roof 

It’s a reasonably fiddly affair to erect, but once you’ve got the hang of it Porsche believes it’s a two-minute job. It’s actually split into two parts: a back panel behind the occupants head and a top section that is stretched down to a pair of locating hoops set into the rear body panel. Unfortunately, once the roof is completely assembled, it clings to the top of the rakish side glass with only light elasticity, so it’s at the mercy of the rush of air at speed, with gaps appearing on the car we drove.

The upshot is that wind noise at motorway speed is tremendous, requiring a full on shouting match for driver and passenger to hear each other, and there was also the alarming sight of rain droplets making their way into the cabin.

In light of this, driving the Spyder with the hood up seems like something only to be tolerated when absolutely required, and that makes the car very much a fair weather friend – especially with the inclement climate so typical in the UK.

That’s a great shame; because it means there are fewer opportunities to drive the Spyder – where it really does excel - and fewer people that can probably justify owning a Spyder, as it’s very much a second car.

If it’s a compromise you can make, you’ll need to find £46,387 (£3,879 more than a Boxster S) to put a Spyder in your garage. It’s the kind of purchase that seems a bit crazy, until you drive it on a great road with the sun shining…