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981 Spyder!!!!

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Old Feb 20, 2015 | 02:19 PM
  #76  
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Originally Posted by Marine Blue
Porsche doesn't make a habit of creating disappointing cars these days and I wouldn't be surprised if this Spyder or Club Sport version isn't a stunner. I'm curious to know far they go with the lightweight theme.
My thoughts exactly. They really nailed the right mix of parts for the GT4, so why not simply take the roof off a boxster and fit it with the parts from the GT4?

Also, I dissagree that it is impossible for porsche to do the simple top. We had no problem selling Boxster Spyders even in the northeast part of the US, and resale values are high: There clearly is demand for a limited run of these cars, and one could even make a business case for it from a brand publicity standpoint.

So Porsche, if you are listening, build a run of Spyders with the simple manual top and the rest of the parts from the GT4 at the same price and you will have a winner.

Last edited by arena-RTR; Feb 20, 2015 at 03:44 PM.
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Old Feb 20, 2015 | 02:34 PM
  #77  
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Originally Posted by MKW

You dont hear Carrrera GT and 918 Spyder guys complaining they have to pull over and manually remove / install their hard " targa " tops if it starts sprinkling , do you ?
This is something I've been meaning t bring up but somehow always forget. People who complain about the top technically should also complain about any of the older Porsche Targa tops which can't be easily stowed in the car or any other car with multistep roof removal/install like the Elise, multiple Ferrari's etc. No it's not as convenient as pushing a button but as you noted, how many of us live in places where rain could pop up randomly. Only places I know like that are Florida and the Gulf Shore states.

Last edited by Marine Blue; Feb 20, 2015 at 02:52 PM.
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Old Feb 20, 2015 | 02:51 PM
  #78  
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Those last pictures are very revealing. Is Porsche going to change the bumpers or are they sticking with these which appear to be from the GTS?

The double humps will look awesome and once again they are very well executed to blend perfectly into the body lines (at least from the side view).

I can't wait to hear how much power, how light and what other improvements they make. Imagine if they put the GT4 suspension into it!
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Old Feb 20, 2015 | 03:36 PM
  #79  
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Originally Posted by 987720
So noticed that if you look under the hood attachment point that there is a "Spyder" logo. Along with this and the "Spyder" embroidery on the seat headrest. This means Porsche will be branding this simply as "Spyder" versus the "Boxster Spyder" on the 987.2. Makes sense as the Cayman GT4 is simply branded the "GT4".

wasn't there a rumor a couple months ago that in the next gen " 982 " they will retire both the Boxster ( with its unfair esp in England " hairdresser " name - baggage hx ) and Cayman nameplates and replace it with a marketplace ( not just internal devel number ) three digit name similar to the " 911" line so that they can finally invert the oddball pricing scheme to the automotive market standard of the convertible ( the former " Boxster " ) costing more so that they can finally put out both coupe and convertible with the same officially rated hp , like the 911 series ?
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Old Feb 20, 2015 | 04:52 PM
  #80  
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Don't hope for any GT4 parts in the Spyder.
Tires are 235/35 265/35
ride height look the same as GTS
The spyder is not developed in the same departement as the GT4. It's a mainstream car.
3.8 will come, manual only
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Old Feb 20, 2015 | 05:32 PM
  #81  
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Originally Posted by MKW
unless one lives somewhere where it alternates between sunshine and rain constantly through the day ( like Hawaii or Florida ) or where there is a threat of pop up thunderstorm weather all humid summer ( rest of the country besides California ), what is the big deal with the 987 Spyder tent roof system ?

Here on the Peninsula of the SF Bay Area ..never even use the A/C on any of my sports cars in the summer because it never gets above 75-80 degrees

Gonna be 70/ 80 s here again today in California like everyday most of past two months ....no real rain x 2 mos ....the " back side " of the Polar Vortex slammin everyone else !

http://www.ferdinandmagazine.com/por...der-roof-video

Motorized or manual brackets would add back weight to the Spyders iconic bimini top ..perhaps the 981 Spyder will incorporate a quick to deploy manual drop / fold away / raise rear tonneau to eliminate the fiddly snaps if you urgently need to weather proof but they should keep the full manual simple to install/ remove tent / bimini . You dont hear Carrrera GT and 918 Spyder guys complaining they have to pull over and manually remove / install their hard " targa " tops if it starts sprinkling , do you ?
I think a company like Porsche should be able to find better solutions to weight savings than that Spyder top. And I bet most people don’t use their Carrera GT and 918 Spyders as daily drivers. Boxster owners do.

I briefly considered getting a 987 Spyder a few years ago, but after I saw some videos about how the top was installed, I quickly decided against it. If I had that top in the Portland area, I would only drive the car with the top down in the summer, when I was 100% sure it wouldn’t rain. And during that time, I would not want to park it on the street, without a roof. That’s too many constraints for me.

You can’t just stop anywhere you want and spend 5 minutes getting out of your car and assembling your top when it starts raining. And then when the rain subsides, you can’t always stop and take the roof off again. Out of curiosity, what do you do when you’re stopped in traffic with the roof down and it begins to rain?
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Old Feb 20, 2015 | 05:52 PM
  #82  
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Originally Posted by acky
Don't hope for any GT4 parts in the Spyder.
Tires are 235/35 265/35
ride height look the same as GTS
The spyder is not developed in the same departement as the GT4. It's a mainstream car.
3.8 will come, manual only

Yes, I guess this makes sense..

Then again, the x73 sport suspension is no slouch


Where are you getting the info about the tires?
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Old Feb 20, 2015 | 06:38 PM
  #83  
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Originally Posted by arena-RTR
Yes, I guess this makes sense..

Then again, the x73 sport suspension is no slouch


Where are you getting the info about the tires?
But, the front-end looks almost identical to GT4, except the lack of aggressive front-wing. The ride height isn't as low as GT4. Didn't Porsche surprise everyone with GT4's specs and the price? So, I am hoping, wishfully, that the Spyder will be close to GT4.

The taped out rear deck looks interesting. It's gonna look awesome. The tiny plastic rear window is a good excuse to leave the top down at all times! Can't wait!
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Old Feb 20, 2015 | 07:33 PM
  #84  
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Originally Posted by arena-RTR
Where are you getting the info about the tires?
He is correct... If you look at the photos, you can read the tire sizes.
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Old Feb 20, 2015 | 07:54 PM
  #85  
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Porsche never used GT specific parts on non GT cars in the past, that will not happen.
Think about that.
You will not see any parts which are developed at the motorsport department for the GT4 on the Spyder.
The engine is a normal 3.8 little bit modified to fit into the 981 chassis. That is not a GT development.
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Old Feb 20, 2015 | 08:17 PM
  #86  
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Originally Posted by Sportwagen

Out of curiosity, what do you do when you’re stopped in traffic with the roof down and it begins to rain?
in 30 years of owning many Porsches, only one of them has ever been driven in the rain ; none were ever driven to work ; none have ever had its A/C turned on except to run it every few months to keep the compressor from seizing up ; none have ever been driven more than 2500 miles per year

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Old Feb 20, 2015 | 08:41 PM
  #87  
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Originally Posted by MKW
in 30 years of owning many Porsches, only one of them has ever been driven in the rain ; none were ever driven to work ; none have ever had its A/C turned on except to run it every few months to keep the compressor from seizing up ; none have ever been driven more than 2500 miles per year

LOL, I guess that explains it. Yeah, for you guys that only drive your Porsches in perfect weather, I can see why you wouldn’t find the Spyder top bothersome.

But if you’re wondering why some of us find that the Spyder top is such a PITA, it’s probably because we take our cars out as often as we can. And some of us drive top down as often as we can, even if we might get a little wet once in a while. Even a Miata-like manual top that you can put up from the driver’s seat at a stop light would work fine, but the Spyder contraption is a deal-killer.

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Old Feb 20, 2015 | 08:45 PM
  #88  
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Wouldn't make sense for the 981 Spyder to share any suspension parts with the GT4. Consensus is that the GT4 will be even firmer and more track-focused than the 991 GT3, and suspension for both of those cars is designed to work with the aero; that is not what the 987 Spyder was about, nor should the new one be. The X73 suspension is exactly what the 981 Spyder should have, and the 3.8 would allow Porsche to justify the huge price leap this car will take over the 987 version (figure somewhere between the Boxster GTS at $75k and the GT4 at $85k; the 987 Spyder was low-60s).

It will be tough to get much weight out of the 981; it is already very aluminum intensive, and the new bucket seats have to weigh more than the old ones (given the electric motors). Especially if lightness of the top is compromised by an increase in convenience. Still possible to get to 2,8XX, though with radio and AC delete.
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Old Feb 20, 2015 | 08:47 PM
  #89  
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Living in Washington, I can see the classified ad for my Boxster now: "2010 Boxster S. Usually driven in rain, A/C always on to eliminate dampness from driving a convertible. Top frequently raised at the onset of torrential downpour, except for those times when it wasn't safe to pull over immediately. Kept garaged and waxed."

I would love a Spyder, but the roof seems a hassle to put on and off every few hours of a drive. Strangely, if there were a manual, old-school lift-off Targa variant of the Cayman, I would be all over that. I bet the roof, when folded in half, would fit neatly on the engine cover.
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Old Feb 20, 2015 | 08:52 PM
  #90  
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Originally Posted by Nick B
Strangely, if there were a manual, old-school lift-off Targa variant of the Cayman, I would be all over that.
Strangely, Porsche does not offer that variant. Yet.
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