Well, as a relatively impartial observer (I do not own the 987 version nor am I on the list for the 981 version), I would say that overall ALL 981's look much better than 987's no matter what version. The 981 is just plain much more desirable overall - Spyder's included. For those that own and love the 987 - fine and good for you. For others the new car will do well. Oh BTW by Porsche standards I do not see the pricing of this new Spider as unreasonable - IMO it's preferable to the base 991 cab at lower cost, so what's not to like?