cgt04115

All this talk about 981 GT4's/RS and new Boxster equivalents really makes me think hard about this car. I think it is in the running for best looking modern Porsche and surly the lightest (2811 lbs). I used to drive a 986 S and it is a very similar car 10 years on, just small enough. Provided one is specd like a GT3RS with buckets and a manual ect, you have a very special mid engined sports car for the future.

I would like to know how many stick Spyders there are in the world. I wonder if it is less than half or what. Anyone know that figure?

It feels raw to me, it has a sense of occasion, a special feel.

I was at the dealership over the weekend and all I could think about was wow these new cars are now MASSIVE!!!! Even the new Cayman and Boxster. They are now larger than 997's to me and it is sad actually.

So instead of getting on the list for a GT4, I bought a 67 Lotus Elan to sooth the pain.......

Just some thoughts and recognition for the car everyone hopes Porsche builds tomorrow.....

Hoopumpers

Completely agree! The spyder with stick and buckets is a very special car indeed. Any current owner should keep the car and if you get an itch for something more, swap the engine to a 3.8L. Bam! You now have the best modern street Porsche in the world

Marine Blue

It remains to be seen what Porsche will actually do to the engine lineup so for now we really can't say if we have seen the last of the analog lightweights.

The Spyder is a special car, no doubt about it. It never fails to impress as a drivers car and visually. I would say the same about the last generation GT cars.

It would be interesting to see production numbers for PDK vs Manual, if I had to guess I would say 60/40 PDK/Manual.

Post up some pics of your Elan, would love to see it.

ForceReconTrojan

That's a interesting question, the breakdown of all options would be cool to know but I do wonder about manual vs PDK.

cgt04115

Elan S3 Special Equipment, ALL ORIGINAL weber carbs. One owner since 1969. Doing the head work to get the engine to 126hp and a few other of the necessary mods to keep it safe. Tips the scale at 1,500lbs.

Now there are three white LTW cars in my garage.

Spyder, M3 LTW, Elan S3 SE..... Winning.

User 41221

I am wondering if future generations will look at the manual the same way we do. The performance of the PDK is beyond question and while I understand the nostalgia behind the manual tranny/drive it yourself philosophy, I wonder if it will be looked at like trying to surf the internet on a 56k modem, or if it will be more like playing a 50's vintage guitar.

I am guessing there will be an ever smaller audience for the manual cars. I suspect either version of the Spyder will be desirable.

Marine Blue

No doubt that both versions of the Spyder will be desirable. When you spend some serious time behind the wheel and start pushing them the capabilities and the amount of confidence you gain from the feedback the car gives you is like nothing else.....except for maybe the GT Porsches.

As far as manual vs PDK, that debate can drag on forever but I'm confident that manual cars will be equivalent to a tube amp, playing a vintage guitar or growing your own vegetables in the garden. It's rewarding as hell when you can do any of these well and others admire it too. I recently took one of my friends out in the Spyder and was blasting through the gears, rev matching and banging off the shifts perfectly. He said "man I need to learn how to drive a car like you do". It's not the first time I've heard that, same thing from a car salesman when I was test driving a MT Miata (before buying the Spyder). I just can't get the same pleasure from PDK unless I'm hauling *** around a track.

Marine Blue

The Elan is incredible shape considering it's original. I bet it is a blast to drive.

Love the M3 too, one of my favorite M cars.

cgt04115

thanks! they are all very very fun.

JAhmed

Fantastic collection!

onewhippedpuppy

The Spyder is a fantastic car, it's on my short list to own one. With Porsche increasingly making GT cars, it may be the end of an era.

Lightweight is a very relative term these days. 3000 lb is a lightweight car by modern standards. I dream of a buying a 2700 lb 1997 Boxster base and making a true lightweight sports car out of it, I suspect 2400 lb could be reached without massive effort.

sjfehr

It's already widely regarded as quaint as manually adjusting timing and fuel mixtures. Word just hasn't gotten to everyone yet

onewhippedpuppy

Regarding the manual, I do find it interesting that manual transmission Porsches typically sell for a premium over the automatics. The 997 GT3 4.0 (last manual GT3) is trading for close to double MSRP. In many cases they are more than a 991 GT3.

User 41221

Yeah, that's why I draw the comparison to vintage guitars. There is almost a cult like status around certain guitars that defies playability and sound. I suspect the same thing may occur around the Porsche community, and as long as there are folks who can show younger generations the intangible side of a well shifted car, it will retain its value (at least among those folks). I'm not sure the unwashed heathens (folks like me) would pay a premium for a manual over a PDK, but I don't find fault in those that do.

ClintonM3

I've said before, a stick shift Spyder is the single malt of cars.