A432

Not supposing, looking at the individual part numbers they essentially are.
There are some bracket/ancillary differences but mostly the same.
Also the dynos of the S/Spyder/R I did says Porsche takes liberty with their marketing on the 3.4....

Unfortunately you're prob. right, because Porsche will lure them with that as one of the reasons, while they're essentially the same as an S.
Part of the issue is people incorrectly value peak numbers, which are pretty irrelevant.
They can optimize a map at say 7200 to make 5hp, and the rest of the curve, what you feel and how the car performs is effectively unchanged because the area under the HP curve is relatively unchanged.
(Obviously haven't dynoed a GTS and also no 3.4 991, but if their games with the S/Spyder/R are any indication, they may all be very close in output with the same hardware)

Marine Blue

So the reality is that the horsepower isn't the main reason why the handling and 0-60 times are faster on the Spyder/R vs the S models, it's the lighter weight. I love that Porsche reduced the weight but I still wish they went further with it.

A432

Yes, that and essentially having a form of X73 suspension on them. The engines are the same.

orthojoe

The published 0-60 times are marketing garbage. They are all essentially the same. Somehow 10hp nets you an extra .1 in the 0-60? Magical.

I think that the suspension is the #1 difference, followed by the weight loss.

Riz

This is what all the manufacturers are doing, putting the same engine with different states of tuning in their cars. BMW has the N55 in almost every car from the 228i to the X6. AMG has the 5.5 L twin turbo in a bunch of stuff. Nissan has the same engine in everything from the the Altima to the 370z to a bunch of Infinitis. VW and Audi have been putting the 2.0 turbo in evertthing they make. We definitely expect more from Porsche.

Tommy 5

The missing 335/345hp version of the Boxster/Cayman will be the 981.2 Spyder/R variants! They'll remove the a/c and radio, install the red door pulls and market them as lightweight versions. Emphasis on the word 'market'.

And I will probably buy one...

MKW

Residual values of Boxster Spyders show that the pre- owned market desires them, even with all the harping about the tent top, minimal HP gains at debut.

So over time the marketing suits and the targeted initial buyer both won.

hf1

As I said, the Spyder/R made efforts to shed weight and they had the excellent Sport Suspension which was unavailable on other 987 models at the time. It is the smaller weight and the superior suspension that defines how they feel/drive. That, combined with their limited production made them hold their value better than the rest of the 987 models. (This may change with the addition of the X73 SS option for the 981 models. A base 2.7L 981 + X73 "won" against the Spyder in a recent Panorama comparo by Stout.) HP (+/- 30hp) is irrelevant -- a marketing gimmick for which many, unfortunately, fall.

I'll take a 310hp S (or even a 270hp base) that is 300lbs lighter and has better suspension over a "340hp" GTS all day, every day.

GTS is no Spyder/R. It's merely an S with a package of S options. Lightness and suspension are the main ingredients of any magic sauce. The GTS doesn't have either.

Marine Blue

My theory on the 987.2 Spyder is that it will eventually be collectable. Yes the new 981 is faster and yes it may handle better than the Spyder but I personally look at it a bit differently. The 1989 Speedster values are climbing rapidly and I have read on multiple occasions that they handled much worse than the standard same year 911, weighed more and creaked like crazy. It's hard to deny that the 964 and 993 that followed were faster, handled far better and were more reliable.

So if you take this into consideration the primary reason the Speedsters have gone up in value is the appearance and rarity, nothing else. Now if you look at the Spyder you see that it has the appearance, rarity, suspension, lightness and one of the best handling cars Porsche has created. I just can't see why it wouldn't go up in value....eventually.

A432

If you look closely at the real numbers, you might be surprised that they're essentially identical.
By real numbers I mean tested by the same, non-Porsche, test driver on the same track.
Christian Gebhadt of Sport Auto on the Hockenheim Short course was 0.40 sec. quicker in an R over a 981 S (basically a wash, w/Spyder also like an R)
Randy Pobst at Laguna Seca was 0.38 sec quicker in the 981 S over the R (again a wash, w/Spyder similar to R)
Porsche would like people to believe the 5hp increments and advertising, but the 981 S/R/Spyder objective performance is essentially the same.

Schmidts Cat

What time did Pabst lay down at Laguna?

A432

1.41.26

skxf430

and, 1.41.64 for Cayman R.

Schmidts Cat

All stock. Awesome. Pro drivers are crazy good/fast

orthojoe

No kidding! And its Pobst. I don't drink, but I'm pretty sure Pabst is a beer.