Porsche 718 Spyder RS

FIRST DRIVE Time in the RS proves that it demands commitment, but that it also offers a huge amount in return

- Richard Meaden

THE Porsche 718 Spyder RS is the most extreme Boxster ever made. It's also the first soft-top Porsche to be given the hallowed RS nameplate. And, as if those two landmarks weren't momentous enough, according to Porsche, it is also the last Boxster to feature a combustion engine.

With a starting price of £125,499, this is also the most expensive Boxster ever. Order books opened in May, and UK deliveries are expected at the end of the year.

We travelled to the Swabian Alps just south of Porsche's HQ in Stuttgart to get an early taste of this era-ending sports car.

Closely related to the Cayman GT4 RS, the 718 Spyder RS features the same magnificent 4.0-litre naturally aspirated flatsix engine. Also found in the tail of all 992 GT3 models, this motor is an all-time great. Revving to a screaming 9,000rpm and developing 493bhp and 450Nm of torque, it punches the 1,410kg RS Spyder from rest to 62mph in just 3.4 seconds, and on to a top speed of 191mph.

Although aimed at purists, the Spyder RS is not track focused like the GT4 RS. Where the racy Cayman features a superstiff suspension set-up and an aggressive aerodynamic package aimed at delivering ultimate lap times, the Spyder RS is aimed at maximum enjoyment on the road.

It hits the spot with PASM adaptive suspension softened by approximately 50 per cent next to that of the GT4 RS, plus dialled-back aerodynamics that cancel lift at higher speeds, rather than generating positive downforce. The result is a less extreme road car, but one that looks great, slices through corners, goes meaningfully faster and feels more aggressive than the already fabulous 718 Spyder.