It’s official Porsche day in Motor1.com today as news from Stuttgart won’t stop coming. After seeing the updated Cayenne Coupe GTS hit the Nurburgring, we have a cooler Porsche vehicle being evaluated at the famous track. What you see in the gallery below is a test prototype of what we believe to be the 718 Boxster Spyder RS.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a test car for a hardcore Boxster and in fact, it’s the same prototype we photographed earlier in August. However, this time, the roof of the car opens and we can see the headrests embroidered with the Weissach logo, suggesting this car may be equipped with the Weissach Package.
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First offered for the 918 Spyder supercar a few years ago, the Weissach Package adds lightweight components to the vehicle to reduce its overall weight. It was later available for several 911 models and the sports car maker has hinted it might introduce it to other nameplates, including the Boxster/Cayman duo and Cayenne.
Aside from the Weissach logo on the seats, this prototype looks unchanged compared to the previous 718 Boxster Spyder RS we’ve seen. It’s certainly a long name but the RS badge will reportedly bring a healthy power boost. We believe there is a naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six engine sourced from the Porsche 911 GT3 behind the driver. It is expected to produce around 493 hp or the same power as the most hardcore version of the Cayman. Power will be sent to the rear wheels via a dual-clutch transmission.
Many aerodynamic improvements are also available. From what we can see, Porsche has installed small vents that sit above the quarter panels, modified vent housings angled towards the mid-mounted engine at the rear, and larger side vents. There may be other adjustments as well and it’s important to note that the vehicle drives center-lock wheels worthy of the RS badge.
As a final note, the 718 Cayman GT4 RS accelerates to 60 miles per hour (96 kilometers per hour) in 3.2 seconds and has a top speed of 196 mph (315 kph). We expect the 718 Boxster Spyder RS to be a bit slower considering the higher expected weight compared to the coupe.
