ISPYA718

Will the addition of PDK devalue the GT4/Spyder.? It is not a limited run car, although the 981 was difficult to obtain in both iterations, certainly low volume and difficult to get an allocation - unless paying ADM. The 981 Spyder seemed to be in the shadow of GT4, but was very unique in terms of numbers, and certainly was greeted to rave reviews. It has sustained a very good resale value, perhaps better than GT4. The addition of PDK in the 982 - which harkens back Cayman R and 987 Spyder production where it was an option, perhaps will increase numbers and may devalue the car. The manual only in the 981 would have eliminated some customers who don’t know how to drive manual or they do and family members don’t, are using the car as DD and manual doesn’t make sense, or perhaps are looking for more track use, manual is just not desirable, or a combo of all - so the manual only car may have dissuaded people from buying the car.

With the addition of PDK, it does lose some of its uniqueness IMHO, as you can’t buy a new manual ME NASP convertible and brings it in line with other brands that have DCT only - Ferrari, Lambo, etc. I doubt the C8 Corvette played into their decision, but PDK will bring the numbers closer (I know it’s not a numbers car but marketing I’m sure have input). So now the car finds itself in the space of other Mid-Engine DCT cars for comparison. It will certainly draw comparisons now with DCT cars. I think it will do very well. Also a well specced PDK will bring it around $130,000 and there are a lot of great pre-owned sports cars in this range. I know you could spec the manual up but nobody else currently offers the manual option so nothing to compare it to. The car was marketed as a drivers car and was supposedly the rationale for manual only last time around. So was PDK introduced because they could sell more vehicles, satisfy customers demand and make Porsche buyers happy, provide choice - learned from 2014 GT3 of having only one option, yes to all, or something else? Interesting to see the impact of PDK will have on demand and sales of GT4/Spyder.

dmk2

I hope the PDK versions sell well. It will keep the best modern Porsche alive a bit longer.

Yes, I too love 911s but they are no match the Mid-Engine cars.

VVG

This will still be a rare car and will hold its value quite well. That being said, I bought my Spyder for me to enjoy, pure and simple. Even it was worth $0.02 in five years, I would have still spec'd it the way I did and still bought it.

n4v4nod

Question... Did the PDK hurt the 987.2 Spyder value? I think not. IMHO, it made the manuals even more valuable!

ISPYA718

Agree - it will be interesting to see final percentages and if there was a pent up demand for PDK.

Drifting

If PDK means that they will continue to sell NA Boxster and Caymans longer, then I'm all for it. Anything to keep NA engines in Porsches.

wcw67

I feel the same way about my GT4 VVG. Spec'd it for me and don't give a lick about resale lol. Cant wait to see it now

Benjamin Charles

Although the 718 GT4 and Spyder are not limited production cars - try getting hold of one from a UK Porsche dealership-
the Spyder in particular is like gold dust.......many dealership groups were only allocated 4 build slots

tcsracing1

The PDK will sell well. Especially GT4. Better track car with PDK.
Stick spyders will hold value well. Most people want the Spyder in Stick and if they sell less sticks, they will be saught after in the future.

ISPYA718

Thanks interesting that allocations remain difficult to obtain given it is not a limited numbered car. Also given economic predictions you would think they would want to meet the demand. I was not speaking about value strictly in the economic sense but also in the uniqueness of the rarity of the car.

VVG

"Not Limited" is a relative term. It is determined based on production capacity and anticipated demand. It is not going to ever be built in the same numbers as a Macan, for instance. The 911 GT3 technically isn't limited either, but in reality, it becomes so.

ISPYA718

It will be interesting to see uptake on PDK. And the original ethos of the 981 bring manual only. Still there was a reason - ahem - that Porsche shifted gears. From car and Driver article “We give kudos to Porsche for originally offering the flat-six–powered 718 Cayman GT4 and Spyder with the sole option of a six-speed manual transmission, lending a helping hand to the #SaveTheManuals campaign. However, now customers who don't want to row their own gears can opt for Porsche's lightning-quick-shifting seven-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission.”

evilfij

The 991.2 GT3 numbers would be interesting to compare. IIRC, it was 55/45 manual to PDK. Thrown off a bit because it was PDK only at first and manual only if you wanted touring package. Figure there was some pent up demand from 991.1 being PDK only and disappointed people who wanted a 911R.

It would not surprise me to see about 50/50 manual/PDK in GT4/spyder in US/Canada.

ISPYA718

A good parallel- although as you point, reversed in terms of what transmission came out first and how this will impact the sales ratio in the 982. The allocations orders for 2021 in PDK may, as you indicate, garner a very close split in uptake. It will be interesting to see if there is pent up demand for PDK and how is is manifested in the final numbers.

tthellott T

having PDK first follow-by MT with the same (or less) money would be different story than selling MT first follow-by PDK option with 3k+ cost. totally different sales pitch and it will end up different numbers... i guess