Car of the Month – December, 2025
2023 Porsche 718 Boxter Spyder RS
2023 Porsche 718 Boxter Spyder RS
Engine – 4.0 liter flat six
Transmission – 7-speed dual-clutch PDK auto, rear-wheel drive
Horsepower – 493 hp @ 8,400 rpm, 332 ft-lbs of torque @ 6,750 rpm
Curb weight – 3,108 lbs
0-60 time – 3.2 seconds
¼ mile time – 11.5 seconds
Top speed – 191 mph
Number built – 7,955 (2020-2023 worldwide)
MSRP price – $164,000 (base price)
The Boxster began life with a 204 hp/2.5-liter flat-six. Nearly 30 years later it is ending with 500 hp from the same 4.0 liter engine that powers the 992 GT3.
There has never been a Boxster quite like this before, and because there will never be another, there was virtually no requirement to hold anything back. Conveniently, much of the hard work had already been done: up to the beltline, the Spyder shares much with the trailblazing GT4 RS.
Balance – for the 718 Spyder RS, it’s all about that single word. All the driveline components, engine, transmission, suspension and brakes work together in harmony, with each part of it being perfected on its own to make the bigger picture flawless. The 718 Spyder has a chassis that seems to completely ignore the fact that it is missing a hard top.
It is the hard top (or lack of it) that defines the Spyder experience. Without a frame or any kind of automation the entire roof, including its various mechanisms, weighs just 18.3 kg, helping to make the new model 40 kg lighter than the 2016 981 Boxster Spyder. The extra 125 hp over the 981 adds to the excitement of this new and apparently final model of the Porsche Boxter Spyder.
The 718 Spyder RS provides the cerebral overload you might expect given that its GT3-based engine breathes in only inches from your earlobes. This is a stunning finale for the gasoline-powered Porsche Boxster, a model that has delivered decades of superb sports cars. This is a car that’s multi-layered in its appeal; there is a delicacy of touch to all its controls that can be appreciated, at any speed.