Underblu

Despite being a mid engine design the 981/718 platform seems to feel a bit more visceral and raw than the more refined 991/992. And maybe closer in spirit to the earlier air cooled 911s.

JAhmed

ok

ExMB

You bored?

Underblu

It’s a reasonable question to consider. If you find it boring you don’t have to answer. There’s no reason to be snarky

NCheok

As an RS owner, my 991 is plenty visceral.

AtoB

amen

dnimi123

Having both a 718 GT4 and a 992CS... i think the two are very different vehicles (obvioulsy). My wife had a 1999 996 and it was closer in size to the GT4 which is nice but again very different. Im not sure that one could say that any cayman has any real crossover to any 911. They are just too different. FWIW, the 911 has been and still is the much better car... but now maybe the cayman is more "fun". Thats how I feel about our two cars.

Zhao

It's a modern raw car but I don't think it has much in common with something from the 90s or older. Much like something from the 90s has very little in common with something from 69/70ish.

It also feels very different from 911's I've driven. Even old 911s feel planted to me. The 718 is lively.

absame

Not sure I’d ever call a pre-1995 911 planted, but this is an unanswerable metaphysical question. Which better embodies the Spirit? 🤷‍♂️

Early 911s are the common ancestor between the 992 and the 718. They just branched off in very different directions.

And since I just traded in my 992 for a GT4 I don’t think I’d call either one “better”! They’re different.

Adrift

You’re giving the nod to the 911 as the original Porsche sports car. They made several notable sports cars before the 911. The 911 certainly has kept the lights on the longest, but the credit for the recent mid-engined line goes to the 550.

The topic does sound a bit narcissistic, on a spyder/gt4 board.

But how does a spyder/gt4 feel compared to a 550? No idea. I’m sure like a tank. lol

Larry Cable

frankly looking at my Spyder side-by-side to my 991.2 GT3 - the GT3 actually appears smaller than the 718!

as for a comparison between the two platforms - they are both great and both engaging but they are very very different drives ... and recalling the experience of driving a '93 RSA
I can say the 718 drives nothing like that either ... amazingly the rear MacPherson certinly outdoes the semi-trailing arm setup of the 964...

So I think for me the answer is no ... not in any empirical sense whatsoever but I would say the the Spyder certainly is the quintessential 2 seater open top sportscar... and probably
one of the last!

manifold danger

This isn't the first post similar to this from the OP.

Either a) the OP really loves his car and wants to spread his good vibes all over the board, or b) he's trying to convince himself he shouldn't trade it in on a 911.

And I suppose they're not mutually exclusive... because end of the day, they're both just excellent cars.

For me, the 911 truly is the better driver's car. It looks big but doesn't drive big. You can say it's more of a "tourer" but that's nonsense once you get behind the wheel... "fun" factor is different for different people, but the 911 is objectively the better car.

It's just not $50k better than a GTS 4.0, at least when it's my money I'm spending.

AND the Boxster looks better than the 911 cab.

These are obviously my opinions and are not universal, but since you asked...

Underblu

Since narcissism is a character trait I don’t think it is anyway applicable here. It probably would be better reserved to those who think they can create utopia or change the weather regardless of the cost to others.

and yes lol I suppose the current 718 would feel like a Bentley next to a 550

Underblu

My first Porsche was an aircooled Targa. While that was many many years ago, and there have been many Porsches in between, from what I recall, I do think it’s ethos is closer to the current 981/ 718 platform than the 991/992 platform.

Also, to be clear, I love the 911, particularly the GT3. I was willing to forgo my preference for an open top had a 992 GT3 been available without an ADM.

My question stems not from desire to convince myself of the virtues of the Spyder. This is my 3rd Spyder so I was already convinced. Rather my considerations stem from the rear suspension differences between the 991/992 and the 981/718 and how it effects the feel and performance of the car . Technically, a multilink setup is superior and Porsche has spent over 50 years refining the rear engine dynamics of the 911. Which makes for a superior track tool especially in GT3 guise. That said, some of us care less about seconds than feel, so maybe here, the more lively playful feel of the 718 platform is preferable to highly refined and buttoned down nature of the current 911.

It’s as simple as that. I never said the 991/992 was big bloated a grand tourer or anything else. You mentioned it, not me. So perhaps it is you trying to convince yourself of something by repeatedly dumping on the 718/GT4 as being inferior to the 911. This is a rather innocuous thread that certainly doesn’t claim that the 718/981 is better than the 991/992. Rather just my personal musings on the subjective feel and ethos of the 718. If you feel differently, perhaps starting your own thread about the 911 virtues you enjoy would be more productive.

RoadrunnerGTS

Certainly not. 718 is far easier to get near the limit than a 911 is, and 911 requires more skill at the limit. Example, a 911 GTS with nannies off would be more "raw" than a GTS 4.0 with nannies off.

TBH, these comparison posts to validate 911 vs 718/981 are tiresome and click-bait. By this an other prior posts, you seems to feel the need to validate your 718 against 911's. Why?