Spyder RS

Anyone getting one to add to their garage?

Seriously thought about it as a replacement for my Boxster GTS 4.0 but my wife, who is the primary driver,  says “Nein” to the roof.

I am tempted. Been offered one from my dealer- who says will be less than half of the 4RS they getting. But there has been almost no hype about this car at all, even though I have always liked the sound of the Boxster over the Cayman.

Fingers crossed I should be getting one to replace my Boxster! I tend to only drive the Boxster on non rainy days with the roof down, or to the track. So the manual roof of the Spyder RS is acceptable to me given the car's other benefits

Due to the debacle I had with my dealer, and having to build a relationship with a new one, crystal ball says ‘unlikely’. Sucks because out of all the cars they’ve announced this is the one I really want. Oh well, shit happens.

Sleazus- you are kidding.  What a load of crap.

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Are you saying that Porsche won't get you one if you give them money and are a serious buyer? I find that hard to believe.

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Lol. Plenty of serious buyers. Too few cars. Couple that with the fact that dealers won’t/can’t sell interstate, and you have a situation where some dealers/locations it is relatively easy to get a car, others it is nigh on impossible. I have no doubt if I wanted a GT4RS I could get one. Spyder RS (half as many allocations) it is looking unlikely at this stage. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

Well, there you go. I didn't realise that these type of "special" models are already all sold before they make them and simply are not for people who are not "special" customers. Seems a shame somehow.

There is a high level of kissing ass required even if you have a relationship with whatever dealer. Everyone is trying to get the "last of" before things go electric- especially RS cars as people seem to think that the value will only increase.  Which I doubt. Playthings should depreciate, and car manufacturers are already showing they can/ need to continue to make ICE cars longer than the politicians are blah blah blahing about. Buy and enjoy is my mantra. Life's too short- and this demographics of blokes who talk on a P-car forum are pretty much older dudes in the second half of their lives. But yeah- I still have to pucker up and kiss some salesperson's ass to get an allocation.

Porsche 718 Spyder RS Review (2023) | Autocar reads very well....  get your order in people.

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At least in Sydney forget it, they were all spoken for a year ago.

I just got a belated Xmas present from my Porsche dealer today - ie I am getting a March 2024 production slot for a Spyder RS!!!! I am beyond stoked.... 2023 couldn't be ending in a better fashion! http://www.porschecode.com/PRWQI749 Feel free to rip into me about my build

Mate, 10 points for balls on the colour choice 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 . I really like it. Enjoy!!

Congrats. Nice build! They look good in GR, especially with the additional hood stripe.

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Thanks Greg! I decided to embrace my age with a full blown mid-life crisis red Thanks WGA... I aspire to one day have a garage that is half as good as yours! I'm so excited about this car, that I've ordered a custom number plate for the first time in my life. I know everyone probably says this when they order a special new car... but I can't ever see myself selling this!

Nice one! Looks good. You’re the one who will be driving it so who gives a toss what anyone else thinks.

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It'd never sell anyway.  Photos and configuration show it's LHD, not beige/white /silver/black and missing the manly clutch pedal 🤣 🤣 🤣 I'm a yellow guy myself but the red looks sensational, congrats.

How is this for a spec... PRGN3DU7 http://www.porsche-code.com/PRGN3DU7 I would like the PCCM but not Weissach. Not sure about the yellow brakes against the red interior, but I like the red interior as it matches the little red pull hoop on the exterior of the car.

Personally I think the Vandium with the yellow calipers and the red interior looks good. But like I said above, you're the one who has to like it, not me. If I get the call (I won't) but if I do, this is what I'm doing: http://www.porsche-code.com/PRBAU9X1

Just spoke to the dealer, no car for me. At this point I really don't care though as after this I'm done with Porsche as a new car brand.

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You must be offering the wrong Rolex, or haven't you done your quota on SUV's & Taycan?? Funny you mention this, more and more I see this recurring theme even with You Tubers, the sentiment towards Porsche as a brand is deteriorating...

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Let's just say that I really don't know the handshake as 4 months ago I offered to buy whatever they wanted off the floor and I got a stern "it doesn't work like that". Oh really? Well how about you tell me exactly how it works then? Because based on my interactions there is no system at all, or at least no above board one. Its all cool though, I'll just save my pennies and talk to the bloke from Maranello instead.

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Maybe the dealer reads your posts on PFA 😂

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I'm sorry to hear that you are missing out Sleazius Out of interest, w hich Sydney dealer do you go to? I'm still not sure what the secret handshake is either. I think my differentiating factor(s) was/were the amount of track and club time I was putting into my Boxster, the decent results I was getting at the PCNSW supersprints, and also converting a lot of my friends and workmates to sports cars (~50% going to Porsche) along my journey. I guess servicing my Boxster and Macan regularly at the dealership helped as well, but that shouldn't be very different to lots of other people.

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I highly doubt it, they honestly don't give a toss what any of us think. Demand is such that they'll just sell them to someone else. Its not a big deal mate - I had to change dealers so I wasn't expecting a car. I'd already decided that this was my last new car from Porsche, I'm sick of their game (easily the worst to  deal with of any maker, but for Luxury / Prestige, whatever you want to call it, simply atrocious). I buy quite a few cars, and Porsche's service and process is the worst of any of them by a wide margin (at least in Australia). The dealer that originally f**ked me over was Parramatta. Given that I don't have to worry about staying on anyone's good side, I'm happy to name and shame.

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I’ve heard all the stories about this sort of thing but my experience is the complete opposite.  I’d never previously bought a new Porsche, never bought anything from Porsche Brighton, no relationship with them at all, was not a Porsche club member at the time, never been to any of their launches or events etc.  I was confident I was on the outer and would miss out but I got the call up for a 4RS in their second batch.  No requests to buy anything else or secret squirrel grips or whatever, just a simple “come in and place your order” and a year later the car was delivered 🤷‍♂️ They’ve been great to deal with all the way along the journey.  Brighton is part of the Preston Motor Group along with Doncaster.  Not sure if that has any bearing on how they go about it, as opposed to dealing with a Porsche owned dealership like Melbourne? Also, a guy I know just picked up a 4RS from Melbourne at essentially list price in recent weeks so not all is lost.  Albeit the Spyder sounds like it will be more rare and so prices stabilising might take a while longer.

From all accounts the problem is in Sydney. Lambo for example allocates 60% of cars to Sydney, Porsche doesn't do that so demand is off the hook.

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Frustrating.  Sounds like Sydney dealers have become complacent and arrogant.  I suspect my experience would be similar to yours if I tried to order a Spyder RS or 3RS or 911 S/T or Dakar or……. Fuckers have had it too easy with more demand than allocations on most of their models.   We need a recession to put them on their heels for a bit and level up the playing field….. 🤔 😂

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I can confirm this is the case also with the Victorian dealerships for these models... Changing the criteria to qualify for allocations every other week 🙄

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To be fair, I'll probably get a 296 GTS - it is double the price. The Spyder RS is comparatively a bargain. I love Porsche as a brand - really don't like their dealer process. Sorry to hear this, previously Vic was definitely an easier time to get the GT models.

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Wow a 296 GTS that’s awesome!… ok now I don’t feel bad for you at all 🤣 I’m obviously very happy with my dealer in Sydney because of the SRS allocation. But even before that, I was very happy with their servicing (well definitely my specific service guy) and my sales guy. I’ve heard of issues with people not being able to get their warranties extended unless their tyres are N spec. Yet apart from tyres, my dealer allows me to have aftermarket coilovers, camber plates, rotors, pads, lines, etc. And they have still covered me for $$$ amount of warranty work. They know exactly how much and how hard I track the car. The latest free warranty work was for leaking driveshafts, and the *entire* roof mechanism got replaced for a 2nd issue with its day to day operating , + other smaller miscellaneous requests. The roof was huge to me as the outer canvas of the roof on a 5.5 yr old daily driven Boxster (120,000km) has significant wear/fold marks on it. I put ~1000km on their brand new (delivery km) loan car whilst the work was being done. In previous services, I noted some rattling in the drivers seat after a vigorous track day. I was told that the warranty doesn’t cover rattles, but of course my service guy comes with a workaround and notes that the warranty can be used for ‘excessive lateral movement’ and gets the inner seat lining replaced, fully solving the problem. My wife’s Macan GTS has had similar levels of warranty work done solving any and all problems I bring up. He basically goes out of his way every single time for me for any issues I bring up. I appreciate I may be the exception rather than the rule (esp given the responses in this thread). But the Porsche dealership experience has been nothing short of exceptional for me! My sales guy is a massive car enthusiast, bigger than I am, and his enthusiasm just leaks through any professional facade he might try and put up. Every time I’m in for service stuff, I pop in for a quick ‘car enthusiast’ chat (doesn’t even have to be about Porsches), so I never feel like I’m spending idle time in a waiting room. He was showing me pictures of his last 4 day road trip with a bunch of like minded enthusiasts. I was so impressed by what I saw, I got myself invited to the group and plan to join the next road trip, because what can be better than spirited driving, talking over good food and good scenery about said spirited driving (+ cars in general), and then waking up the next morning to do it all again! Once again, I’m not saying everyone else is wrong, and I have no doubt about the shitty experiences other people are reporting. But yeah, I don’t have obscene money, or influence, or whatever… but I have been treated very well, even in Sydney.

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I must say on a servicing front, like yourself, my dealership has gone out of it's way Ian718, certainly no complaints there. It's on the sales side that things are very hit and miss or at least that's my recent experience. Hopefully the majority of customers are having experiences like yours.

Servicing is fine, unfortunately their sales process is not for me.

Well Sleazius given that Porsche are transitioning quickly to EVs I do not think that is your favoured way to hoon around so not much left in the lineup other than perhaps 992.2 GT3 so perhaps you do indeed need to go with the other horse brand and go V12. But it is sad that cars end up being flipped by many whereas true enthusiasts are not able to source one.

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Hey Ian, Questions on your build if i may? 1. Why the smoking package (is there a use for it aside from the obvious?) 2. Any reason you are leather wrapping the steering wheel column? 3. Sunvisors in Race-Tex : why? Thanks mate, and congrats on the build - I saw the GT4RS is GR as well - it’s a bold colour! I’m still a bit conflicted when it comes to colours for this car 😕 Are cars really being flipped much anymore ?  I’d find it hard to believe that in this market there is huge amount of profits in these mid-tier sports cars?  But of course, open to your thoughts! Why would u go an SRS if u can afford a 296? The GTS is surely an instant classic? How many more batches of 718 GT products left i wonder?  One of the sales guys mentioned that production ceases in August next year?  Has anyone heard different?

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1. Aesthetics (I don’t smoke). I didn’t option the smoking package option on my current 718 Boxster and I regret it. The square hole you get instead collects dust and isn’t super useful. I have since seen many 718s with the smoking package optioned and it gives a much nicer flow to the interior without the square depression (at least in my opinion). 2. The ‘steering column casing in leather’ also gives you deviated stitching (in my case carmine red). My interior design plan is dark with red highlights, so this option is cohesive with that plan. 3. Once again to make the overall interior design consistent. Weissach Pack gives you a mostly racetex interior. So it would look kinda weird to have racetex everywhere and suddenly plastic sunvisors (once again in my opinion). Thanks Shookie! Do you have a Spyder RS allocation confirmed? Which dealer do you go to? I’ve had a sensible agate grey coloured Boxster and got my wife a boring white coloured Macan. I’m ready to fully embrace a louder colour now I’ve seen quite a few different colour combo 4RSes in the flesh (of course my #1 pick was a GR 4RS with WP :)). In general I preferred the louder coloured ones compared to the white/grey/silver/black ones… at least for an RS car. Having said that none of the 4RSes looked bad imo, it was just different levels of good. And then with a tasteful custom PPF job, some of the ‘not loud’ coloured 4RSes have looked absolutely amazing.

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Performance hybrids that make a good noise are fine by me - full electric - hard pass. Its not to say I don't want an electric car, far from it. 3rd class driving is better than 1st class walking. I just have no interest in performance EVs until they come with solid state batteries (or whatever technology is going to keep the weight down, and the charging times short). There are so many old cars that I've never experienced, so I guess there is plenty from the back catalogue to keep me interested until I kick the bucket. I'll get over it.

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All 3 of the options you've asked about lift the quality of the interior. If you don't option the smoking package you get a stupid cubby that fits nothing. Without the leather steering column it is plastic and looks out of place in a $400k car. Sunvisors is the same thing, if you don't spec them they're just plastic and look pretty average. Re: why SRS? SRS I've wanted since the rumours started on rennlist years ago. I won't go into the back story but effectively the dealer claimed I was never on the list when I could prove otherwise. Needless to say I walked from that dealer and it left me in nowhere land in regards to sourcing a car. Finally, just because you can afford something, doesn't mean that you want it. I'll take a 296 as a replacement, it isn't actually what I want. I'm tempted to get a Spyder and do a Deman conversion now with the shorter gear ratios. That'd be a car to keep until I kick it.

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Ok, so you agree with Ian in getting these three options, is there anything else you would fit over and above / differently to what he has? I follow The Smoking Tire and know what you mean re Deman - and agree a better torque curve and a meaty exhaust is never a bad thing M y only consideration is that I don’t like driving manuals (i started to accrue income  in the era of paddle shifts) - Would you spec the Spyder in manual  or take a stab at paddle shifts? So I also empathise with you re the speculation. I put a deposit down for the SRS when the 4RS came out several years ago. My thinking was that Porsche has typically released coupe/convertibles in pairs over the last few years - I think i was the first one to put a deposit down and the sales team were happy to take the money, even based on pure speculation, and on a refundable EOI basis. Thanks for your answers - definitely food for thought. Yeah my mrs loves any colour as long as it’s grey (I have an agate grey boxster too ) so possibly looking at vanadium, but difficult to picture as the colour varies in different YouTube clips I’ve seen.  More  questions if i may 1. Would you know what the material for the internal A pillars are? Ie Racetex? In which case the racetex visors make sense. 2. I’m in two minds about racetex in general - my alcantara steering wheel regularly needs a brush and clean, and i wonder how difficult an interior such as this would be like to keep clean, and how stain resistant and sun resistant it would be longer term? 3. I had PPF on the agate grey, and it looked the same, maybe a tad more shine, but not much in terms of “pop” . Sounds like the PPF you talk about it different? 4. Having a think about a black setup, non WP - this would be about $385K (and in my eyes still looks pretty amazing) , vs a WP kitted out spec - $415K  - that’s a good 30K of savings. Am i penny pinching or for a car like this would it make some form of financial sense you think? 5. One thing that boils my oil is those red seats….in my eyes it looks really cheap, and almost makes me want to go for the light grey option, BUT I’ve seen the latter on a GT4RS and it looks boring.  Any thoughts? My Mrs flunked a spec that made the seats go black  (instead of grey / red) , but perhaps its a glitch in the configurator….

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Smokers package finishes the console off, see image below pilfered from 718 forum.  As others have said the open cubby is useless, not big enough for a phone and who uses coins any more 🤷‍♂️ I didn’t wrap steering column in mine and frankly never even thought about it or missed it. Ditto re visors, I couldn’t tell you what mine are covered in, never taken any notice. Personally a hybrid hypercar holds zero appeal relative to a GT Porsche.  I’d buy a used 4RS for $400k and keep the other $400k in the bank 🤷‍♂️ i have heard various stories about ongoing production but yes august 24 end of 718 RS production is commonly mentioned.  Having said that, when I collected my car end August 23, I was told that Porsche Brighton were only expecting to get a handful more 4RS allocations beyond orders already placed.  So while they may continue building them, very few coming our way.  Haven’t heard since whether that has changed.

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1. The internal Spyder RS documents which I got my hands on have a labelled picture stating the internal A pillars are racetex. But it fails to specify whether that is on all cars including non WP. The labelled picture is of a WP car, so I am certain for WP, but not 100% for non-WP. 2. Yeah fair point. I have racing/track gloves which I will wear when driving the car, so I'm not fussed about a racetex steering wheel. I'm pretty fastidious with my 'special' cars, so I have faith that the racetex interior will last, as long as properly and regularly maintained. But I agree that racetex is harder to keep clean. 3. These are the 2 specific examples I was thinking about when I wrote that comment... have a look at: Warren: https://porscheforum.com.au/topic/18625-cayman-gt4-rs/page/39/#comment-394032 Chris: https://rennlist.com/forums/718-gts-4-0-gt4-gt4rs-spyder-25th-anniversary/1334104-gt4rs-hood-and-spoiler-stripe-vinyl-alternative.html Chris (caferacer) in particular turned his car from a non-WP 4RS to looking damn awesome imo. So yeah... I meant tasteful custom vinyl patterns, along with the regular PPF as well. 4. I have zero care about the financial sell value of the car since I don't plan to sell it. I have a strong affinity to the Boxster/Cayman platform, and this represents peak ICE Boxster... so I can't see what I would replace this with. My main issue with WP is that it didn't have any performance benefit. And on principle that annoyed me, because I consider myself a 'function over form' person. One of the things I love about Porsche is that there are no fake vents anywhere on their cars. Yet the whole 4RS and SRS Weissach Packs are the carbon fibre equivalents of a 'fake vent'. The exposed carbon fibre is either replacing painted carbon fibre (so no weight benefit). Or it is replacing plastic (so no weight benefit). And if plastic does the job fine, then the structure doesn't need the extra strength that carbon fibre brings. So the carbon fibre is basically showboating for no functional purpose... And it annoys the crap out of me that I love the look of it... But I have come to embrace the fact that I am at least in part a 'fake vent' person... and I am paying for the WP simply because I think it looks nice. In terms of it being worth it... that's subjective... but personally I am not penny pinching for this car because it is the end and peak of an ICE era. If I like something, I will just spec it. I didn't get the magnesium wheels because I think the OEM steel wheels look better for the street, and there will be superior aftermarket options to go fast at the track (I am waiting for other people to do the hard work and figure out the suspension and brake changes to make the best wheel/tyre options possible ). I didn't get PCCB because I think the surface transform aftermarket ceramic option is better if ceramics are important. Or I might need to change the rotors to be smaller to fit a more appropriate wheel size for the track, which will unlock better tyre choices. Edit: thinking specifically about your Black SRS... I think black doesn't need the carbon fibre as much as red, and the plastic could arguably suit it better if you were going for the batman type spec. Red and carbon fibre just go really well to my eyes (well it does on my friends GR GT4RS w/ WP). And also I am a massive sucker for the GT2RS style painted central stripe. 5. Your Mrs chose this option to turn the seats centres black: Interior trim package with decorative stitching and embroidery in contrasting colour With decorative stitching in contrasting colour: dashboard upper section including instrument shroud, upper section of door panels, door centre panels, centre console side sections, door panel armrests, door pulls, centre console main storage compartment lid, steering wheel, gear lever, seats, embroidered headrests. Free choice of colour from all available standard and special colours. Only in conjunction with Race-Tex interior with extensive leather items. Note: if this option is selected, the seat centres are finished in black Also if the red seat centres bother you that much, you could just go for a high end aftermarket option. Eg. Garry at https://www.classicfx.net/porsche-seat-covers/ has done lots of high quality work which has satisfied many fussy Porsche owners.

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Thank you, this is great, the photos puts a nail on it. I will option accordingly. With the visors, one line of thinking could be that the 4RS has a roof so the stock visors might blend into the roof material ? SRS might be a bit different in that regard? Are there any options you specced your 4RS that  retrospectively stand out and you are really happy about or that you wish you had done differently? Thanks for the comprehensive response - some excellent suggestions - those seat centres in that link were amazing, especially the black(?) and white spotted one in the end , inserted into the seat with the red stitching was classy. Re WP, one small consolation could be the exhaust tips, apparently they do make a difference in sound? I’ve been thinking about PCCB, however a friend of mine that has it, says they are pretty noisy when they aren’t at full temp. Would you mind expanding on the after market ceramic options and why they are better ? Speaking of wheel / tyre, any ideas on what tyres will come with the car? CUP 2’s  u think? Last question  - good pickup on the “interior trim package with …..” -  Aside from the seat centres in black, does this option gain anything / lose anything in comparison to the standard WP interior enhancements? I also note the option is circa 5K, and maybe better spent with the aftermarket link you gave?

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If you are serious about this, then I would strongly consider talking to @chuckay . His Deman modded 981 GT4 performed *extremely* well on track. And although the driver mod is obviously a huge part of the equation (and he did a whole lot of other mods on the car), he blitzed people at the PCNSW sprints. It would be extremely unlikely to push your car harder than he did, and if he didn't have many issues, then the Deman mod is looking very favourable indeed! I know the one review you are referring to which suggested the WP in the SRS changed the sound markedly (so she suggested don't spec it). I have very little faith in that review since some of her other 'facts' in the article were wrong. And no one else has ever suggested anything similar. I wouldn't 100% rule it out. But the probability of that review being correct is extremely low imo. https://www.surfacetransforms.com/what-we-do/technology/ Surface transforms ceramic brakes use long chain carbon fibre rather than chopped carbon fibre. Supposedly it makes the brakes more durable. And they can be refurbished unlike Porsche OEM PCCBs. Personally I'm okay with noisy brakes as long as they are superior in track conditions. Of course I would like it to be quiet on the street. But I'm not sacrificing track reliability for noise. Tyres will either be N spec Cup2s, or Dunlop Sport Maxx Race 2. Cup 2s have the cooler looking side wall. But the word on the street is that the Dunlops are better on the track. I don't really mind, as I'm going to put on A052s, as soon as I wear out whatever tyres the car comes on. I would definitely go with the aftermarket seat centre option. I only forwarded that Porsche OEM option to you because you specifically mentioned your wife accidentally clicking it in the configurator. Happy New Year in 10 mins btw!

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I’m very happy with WP after deliberating on it.  But given Spyder doesn’t get Carbon engine cover and larger carbon side intakes, I reckon non WP is worth considering,  I prefer painted bonnet over carbon. The racetex finish with WP really lifts the interior.  If no WP then you definitely want leather dash.  The basic plastic looks cheap. doubt very much that exhaust tips change the sound as @Ian718 says front axle lift is a must, smokers package tick, Bose no cost tick, clubsport pack (cage, extinguisher, harness) tick but again in a Spyder perhaps not relevant? the rest is cosmetic and personal preference tyres as @Ian718 says, Dunlops appear to the faster of the 2.  I got Cup2s, I’m 4 months in, just over 4,000km and 2 track days and tyres are well used. I reckon one more track day and they will need replacing.  I’m also planning to try A052 next.

The other person who mentioned a noise difference was Matt Farah. He specifically said it was related to the intakes on wp vs non wp cars. Given he was one of the few reviewers who drove both, I'd be inclined to believe it. He also mention it was cabin noise, not exterior noise. This should not be an issue on the Spyder though. WP on the Spyder is (in my opinion) just a way to extract more money from customers who wish to access PTS. The best thing to do is figure out what your primary use will be for the car and spec accordingly. For example my GT3 has steels because I was going to track it. Had I got one of these I was going PCCB (and flirted with sofas) because I had no plans to hit the track.

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Wow! As usual, please post pics when you get it or it didn't happen! Unfortunately the link you provided doesn't work for me, but it sounds like you're building a car that you want and not making another white/silver/black dull econobox with the plastic fantastic interior. I agree with the extra interior touches including the smoker's pack. Yes, Porsche should have leather, smoker's pack, etc as standard but they know people will pay extra for them. I'm forever shocked that the used market doesn't value a premium interior as opposed to the budget spec standard plastic interior. It's just bloody nice to sit in a thoughtful interior with nice materials. Sitting in a plastic Porsche reminds me of sitting in a Camry! Lol!

I disagree- I like the simple basic interior finish. When I am driving an RS I am not looking at the interior material as I cant multi-task. However, in saying this, for the SRS I am going leather since this is a road car and probably wont see the track.

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Thank you, i will do the same with Bose / smokers /axle etc, but unfortunately I don’t think the Spyder has a “club sport” option :(. - that extinguisher looks sweet! I think i;m with @ian718 in that the WP, although aesthetic only , elevates the look/purpose of the car - (possibly similar in concept to racetex in the interior?). However agree that it is not as nice / useful as the 4RS application - that engine bay in CF is just wonderful to look at. Did you put any contrast dials? Eg white / red ? I’m considering a red chrono and seatbelt combo

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A very happy new year Ian! Thanks again for that link to surfacetransforms! i have  some more questions 1. Steering column in leather -  i checked it, and noticed that the contrast stitching was automatically applied. Could this be a configurator error given that there is a second option  for column in Leather including contrast stitching ? ( also note when i selected the latter, it completely removed  WP) 2. Any thoughts on the watch? I was pretty excited until i saw the price, and also that most GT  and some non GT cars have that option as well - so perhaps takes away from the exclusivity? 3. The paint matched key ring -  $700 dollars for a tiny painted key ring, or am i missing something here? 4. The racetex sunvisors - i noticed that although the sunvisors could be optioned in racetex, the whole upper section looked like standard  plastic / fabric? 5. Interested in your thoughts here - Not sure where the  “plastic search and destroy” mission ends here but i noticed that the  whole area underneath the drivers/passengers armrest is also plastic  - given there is so much effort into racetex’ing everything, would something like this now start to stick out a bit? Whats your opinion on the  “end trim in Racetex” , Fusebox in leather and  Door sill guards in leather? 6. Floor mat option- don’t Porsche usually throw these in? Thanks again! Why leather as opposed to racetex ? What sort of seats are you getting?

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Ok , I’m slightly confused, isn’t PCCB better suited to track and steels for standard road use? Also WP for SRS ->  i think its just Fomo - eg. i skimped on the CF option on my Macan, and i still regret it today, its like male jewellery Having said that i am still a bit conflicted as the CF bonnet does take away from the ‘classic’ nature of the car, but at the same time a tiny bit of bling on the bonnet might look nice? I’m still up in the air with the colour and just can’t justify PTS in my  head - Having said that I saw an aubergene 4RS with WP and it looked sublime, but just doesn’t translate to an SRS look. Argh. Saw these two PTS on the web - both look interesting?

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PCCB works great on track BUT the catch is replacement cost. They are subject to wear and cost several thousand dollars per rotor to replace. Guys who track either spec steel and replace accordingly or spec PCCBs and put them on the shelf, replacing with aftermarket steel rotors. ST rotors are the ultimate track rotor for a carbon ceramic setup. PCCBs just don't survive heavy track use...

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Just got to hotel following a flight to Japan with 2 youngish kids. So reply may be slightly incoherent… 1. I need to double check this with my sales guy when I get back from Japan. My understanding is that the standard steering column in leather applies the deviated stitching in the standard grey or red. The other option was if you wanted to do a deviated stitching beyond those 2 colours. Eg say you got a PTS green and wanted green deviated stitching throughout. Not 100% sure on this. 2. No interest as I don’t wear or collect watches. 3. Err it has an OEM leather pouch with deviated stitching and err… I really can’t justify the $700 no matter how hard I try. I was going to try this option at least once though. If it sucks then I will never option it again. 4. Err I’m not sure. I will check on someone’s 4RS when I get back to Australia. 5. Hmm. I just liked the overall vibe of the WP interior whenever I sit in the 4RS. I didn’t go searching for any remaining plastic. And whatever plastic was remaining certainly didn’t jump out and catch my eye. 6. True… they did for my other two… 7. PCCB are ideal for the street in my opinion. Minimal brake dust, and in street application the brakes may outlast the car. Admittedly your friend didn’t like the noise. However if you choose to take the PCCBs to the track, there are multiple reports on rennlist and elsewhere about the PCCBs needing to be replaced very quickly (which is quite cost prohibitive). The reports seem to suggest it depends on which generation PCCB you get. I sound like a salesman for surface transforms… but they have supposedly solved the ceramics dying within a few track days issue.

The ceramics dying is supposedly something to do with the heat cycling. As above, they're perfect for the road, not the track. No brake dust is a huge win. The steering column option as long as you go for the default red or grey will be applied automatically. The steering column deviated stitch is what you select if you have taken the deviated stitch option in another colour. If you want the key painted in a colour matching your car get on ebay and buy the keyfob shell. You can save yourself $680 and buy one for $20 landed (gotta love the porsche markup). The leather vs alcantara or racetex thing is just personal preference. I personally hate the feel of alcantara so I try to eliminate it from my cars where possible. Others love it and try to option it all over the place. Most Porsche dealers are struggling to shift cars at the moment so I'm sure if you head to a dealer you'll be able to try a car that has either to make an informed choice. I tend not to sell cars, so if I spec them I tend to go all out. Other people are fine as long as they get the engine / transmission they want, the rest of the car can feel like a Corolla. There are no right or wrong answers when it comes to these things. Just pick what you like.

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Thanks! Enjoy Japan - earthquakes aside, its an amazing place to visit Thank you, esp re the steering column clarification. Agree re Porsche having challenges shifting cars. Lots of used stock around , even 4RS’s. This contrasts their new cars where they are selling at RRP and hard to get allocations. Very strange times. Also hearing rumours about Porsche going agency model?

Does anyone know how much a set of surface transform whole set are in Aust?  None of the suppliers seem to list the price.

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PR Tech in Sydney quoted $22k (fitted) for gt4 surface transform rotors. This was back in 2021, so represents a ballpark figure only.

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I'm guessing based on the inflation of automotive parts over the past two years that could be substantially off now.

Yeah, almost certainly... I was debating even writing that reply, but then decided one shitty data point was better than zero data points. I hope to have a similar conversation with Richard in the next 9 months or so! Then I can update the thread with the amount of $$$ that have been extracted from me

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Thanks for the comments on my car.  I had the same thinking as you on WP, its an appearance package, and the $30k can be used for stuff to make you go faster like ST brakes, camber plates, second set of wheels and tyres.  That'll actually make you faster. Enjoy the car, will be a fun thing! Also I have steel braked and am 12 months in and am onto third set of pads and about to do replacment rotors.   Considerably cheaper than if I had pccb's.

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Ian, another question - saw some other forums that have you starring in it I believe you mentioned the door pulls in carmine for the red deviated stitching? My SA mentioned that the pulls were guards red? I have seatbelts and sports chrono in guards based on the pulls being guards. Any chance you can ask you SA to double check the colour of the pulls when you are back from japan? Thanks!

I got the dealer to include trickle charger, all weather floor mats (I hate dirty/wet shoes on carpet mats!) and car cover.  They happily obliged when I bought 992 GTS demo and again with the 4RS.  It’s the least they can do when you’re spending $400k and they refuse to negotiate on price! They also threw in a Porsche track day at Phillip Island at no cost with the RS. and with the GTS they gave me some Porsche credit to spend on caps and a mug 🤷‍♂️ 😂

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Thanks Chris! I aspire to get to the track as much as you have done! Although the main limiting factor is how much my wife is happy for me to go (which leaves her with the 2 kids)... and that is a dangerous thing to push to its limits I will ask my SA when I get back to Australia (won't be back till 14 Jan though). Having said that we will then just have 2 SA's with differing opinions... so who do you trust? I reckon the answer is pretty clear. 99+% likely it is carmine red. The configurator specifically says: Standard interior with Weissach Package, with extensive items in leather and Race-Tex, Black and Carmine Red Nowhere does it say guards red. And then when selecting the door pull colours, it conveniently doesn't have Arctic Grey or Carmine Red in available options to select. Whereas for the seat belts (which is still default black with the WP interior) the Arctic Grey Options and Carmine Red options are suddenly available. And then you can change the 'red' WP interior door pull to an optioned Guards Red door pull without throwing a code on the configurator (you know the one where it says "You want to add:" "So the following option will be removed:". That heavily suggests the WP 'red' is not guards red. I actually think the most telling thing will be for me to check the internal documents for the Spyder RS when I get back home. That should have the 'official' Porsche word vs those of an SA (who could easily misremember). I'm honestly happy if they give me nothing but the car and a pat on the back. I'm over the moon to get the peak ICE Boxster/Spyder. Having said that... It can't hurt to ask!

Well done again. It is indeed the peak of the ICE Boxster and in the future, rather than becoming a "classic", it will become legendary, in time.

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Hey Ian, i decided to visit the dealer today. You’ll be pleased to know that you are correct and there was a mistake made, and i changed my build accordingly! Thanks again.

One thing for potential future SRS owners to note (if they intend to track the car) is that the recommended top speed with the top up is only around 200kph. its unlimited with the top down but, AFAIK, all convertibles are required to run with the top up on tracks in Australia unless you have fixed roll bar installed. (Please correct me if this is wrong). This restriction would mean backing right off down the main straight at Philip Island.

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I take your word about Victoria since unfortunately I haven’t been lucky enough to go to the track there yet. In NSW I’ve run every single track and configuration (except Bathurst) on the Boxster with the top down and been allowed to without a roll bar. PCNSW makes me wear a closed helmet rather than open face if the top is down, but that’s it On the farm (70 north) you aren’t even allowed to wear a helmet! edit: perhaps the rules are different for actual racing. I was referring to PCNSW supersprints and casual trackdays where overtaking on corners is discouraged and if someone is faster than you, you are supposed to let them by you on the straight (supposed to being the operative word/phrase)

There is a chap in a 991 speedster that gets around the island with his roll on deodorant popping out the top (helmet). Sure wouldn’t help the aero.

Yep he was down there in November at Evolve running around in my group with roof down.  He’s a tall guy, I don’t reckon he would fit with roof up so maybe he gets dispensation 😂

Cam Walker. Tall fella. Lovely guy. Good driver.

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I do not recommend doing the Deman engine if you track your car. This is off topic, but anyone who is seriously considering one can PM me. Short version: For road/mountain runs its fine, on track don't do it.

PM sent.

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Dang- these are so expensive compared to OEM. Sure it may be better tech, and can be refurbished but $22k is something I will never ever get back when selling the car. OEM are $14k so I think I will go with these. Thanks for the info Ian.

And that 22 would likely be more these days. Insane.

It would literally be cheaper to buy in USA, pack into my 2 X 23kg suitcases, and fly them home- maybe even on a cheap Fiji Air business class flight.

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The good news is the food in the fiji lounge is top notch in Nadi. Reminds me of the time my father-in-law packed a lawn mower in his suitcases from a US trip because of the price difference back here.

Anyone considering an aftermarket exhaust for the Srs? Saw a YouTube clip with a 4rs and a jcr straight pipe arrangement , sounded amazing.

You may struggle to do anything beyond the exhaust, OAP and headers will trigger a CEL if anything like an AU delivered 4RS.

I signed the contract for mine today and I couldn’t be happier. I have about a month to finalise the specs on the car. I had my heart set on PTS but while it is on the configurator, I have missed the boat for PTS. I think I will change my mind a dozen times over the next month. I am at this point thinking of going with yellow though

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Hooray for colour. So many boring Camry spec GT cars these days. These cars need to be something interesting. Good choice.

yes, definitely yellow

Mate has one on the way.  He hasn't shared the specs yet, so I will await it's arrival with bated breath.  He has another car in vivid green, so who knows what this will end up as.....

Australian production cutoff is supposedly August as they can’t comply any cars after January 1.

How many Aussies on here are getting one? It seems there are at least 6 on rennlist.

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*raises hand* My Spyder RS is due in Port Kembla May 22-24! Ooooh it so close I can taste it! Also just updating people on the price of Surface Transforms as of today - $28.5k (PR Tech Sydney) And on a slightly related note, Manthey Racing camber/toe kit was $4.4k

Congrats  and also ouch!

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Drug money 👎🏻 . I’m not sure I’d notice the benefits on my 4RS so haven’t bothered with that malarkey.

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Wow, post photos! You must be one of the first!! knowing the price of ST,  and if one was tracking 2-3 times a year tops (I remember u we’re going to track a lot more than that) , is PCCB more pallatable u think? Given it takes about 7 -  8 months from order to register  , how do u figure august? What about muffler, can that be changed without impacting warranty ? Also , what is CEL?

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Check Engine Light I reckon.....

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They can be complied until March 2025 supposedly, my initial info was incorrect. Last builds are in August however, that hasn’t changed. You can get a flash to deal with it, although that will probably void the warranty.

My mates PTS Spyder RS has arrived at port. Assume. Few others in the same boat (pun intended).

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Hey Shookie, I was just talking to my guy at PCW yesterday (organising stuff around the SRS) and he showed me all the incoming Spyder RSes to the dealership. The first lot of SRSes is coming to Oz is on the Hoegh Traveller - which was in Perth 6-10 May, is in Melbourne now, and is in Port Kembla (Sydney) 17-20 May. My SRS is coming on the next boat (Hoegh Tracer) which will be in Port Kembla 22-24 May. He was guessing approximate time frames were: at the dealership by 1st week of June. Delivered 2nd week of June. I will definitely post some pics My PPF guy was estimating 10 days for the job (I had a couple of smallish customisation requests). So by the time PPF is finished it will be the 3rd or 4th week of June. I will be in Europe at that time, so I don’t think I will be driving the car until July (it will sit in the dealership on display until I get back). When is your SRS due to arrive Shookie? (and which dealer?) Let me know when you go to the track, and I will try to join you! In regards to ST, I think PCCB is the better option for your use case scenario. I’m still unsure of the best option for brakes (depending on end goals for track wheels/tyres) - but I will avoid commenting further on mods to avoid derailing this thread… happy to talk in PMs if you prefer! Ooh! What PTS colour did your mate go for?

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Do you know what he went for colour wise?

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First I’m hearing that a PTS is coming here, most dealers were saying no to PTS at the time of my order, wonder how he got his done? Mines on the Hoegh Target, gets in late June. which dealer is yours again? Mines Parra.  Also may I ask who you decided to go with re PPF and why? Approx costs?  Are you double ppf’ing anywhere?  Re track… yes that would be great, although looking to track it probably later in the year.  Is Eastern Creek your go to ?

He got purple. Not sure which purple. But renders of it look great.

Was on my short list too (viola metallic). But it is more likely I would have gone for signal yellow if given the opportunity.

What percentage of allocations are allowed to get PTS in Australia ?

Not a percentage - your allocation has to fall into a PTS window. Traditionally we don't tend to get many at all. When i did a bit of research on rennlist about 991.2 Tourings last week here: I also found out that 15% of all touring deliveries were PTS in the US. Globally that is extremely high but it does potentially give you an upper limit of deliveries here that will have PTS available to them - unless of course Porsche upgrades their paint shop again.

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PCW got one SRS PTS slot. My dealer is Willoughby (PCW = Porsche Centre Willoughby, sorry I use quite a few acronyms...). For PPF I went with Ryan Sharpe at Australian Detailing Services in Mona Vale. I live in the Northern Beaches, and Ryan is the best PPF guy there. Cost was a bit under 10k for the XPEL Ultimate Fusion (the one with the ceramic integrated into the PPF) full car coverage. Double layered behind front wheels, in front of rear wheels and behind rear wheels. Ceramic coat the wheels, and also a very new product - XPEL windscreen film. Also some small customisation stuff - attempting to have the rear PORSCHE lettering aurum covered to match the wheel colour and the number plate letter colour. Inspiration from the 992 911 SC look. I'm still not 100% sure about it, and if it looks tacky then it will be quite easy to remove as it is vinyl. Ryan also said he can get a couple vinyls of slightly different coloured gold/aurum/bronze to try and match things nicely. Obviously you could get the PPF a lot cheaper, but in my opinion you pay for the skill and workmanship of the application more than anything else. Looking at the quality of the work they do on cars far more expensive than my own made me happy to choose them and accept the price. I am very familiar with Eastern creek/SMSP (all 4 circuit configurations) and certainly SMSP has a very fun high speed Turn 1. But on the vast majority of track days at Eastern Creek they don't allow passengers or 2nd drivers. If you haven't done that much track time, you may find it very fun and eye opening to be a passenger. In that respect Luddenham (although a much less higher speed track) might arguably be the better choice.

Hey Ian, have you looked at car insurance? Are you going through porsche or have others in mind?

PM sent

here's my recommendation https://www.mbinsurance.com.au/

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Ditto, my 4RS is with them as was my previous 992 GTS.  Good to deal with and well priced albeit (touch wood) I haven’t had to test drive their approach to claims

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Doug, claims process is a bit manual and some things seem to take a little bit longer perhaps than you'd expect, but overall the claim experience was fairly good.  I was the not-at-fault driver though - someone backed into me in a car park - so not sure how different the experience would be if I was at-fault......

Gets the Harry tick of approval!

Interesting g he doesn’t complain about it being TOO loud - I read somewhere that the Spyder RS is louder than the 4RS - not sure how that can be or if correct?  If I wasn’t interested in track days (cage a must), a Spyder would be great in the hills.

Is it louder with the roof on or off? Might be a clue there 🤔 😅

A mate is picking his up in the next few days, but at -3 this morning here, it may be a little while before he takes the roof off to check.....

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In cabin noise is lower in the Spyder RS than the GT4 RS according to the reviews I’ve watched. Harry is usually the one who busts out the dB results but didn’t in his Spyder RS review for some reason (having too much fun?). I think it was Matt Farah who drove them both fairly close together and he was adamant it was quieter. That said even if it is 10% quieter it is still probably the second loudest in cabin car on sale right now. Not that anyone can buy one if they wanted to.

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A friend here (Tony) drives an old Targa. I call him Iceman, as he drives it with the roof off rain, hail or shine, and believe me, we've been driving in the Adelaide hills when it's bloody cold and pissing rain! I swear he's mad

I once drove a clubman from Sydney to Melbourne in 11 degrees and hail.  No roof at all.  Only got wet at red lights of which there were few 🤷‍♂️ .  Rain gets blown up and over the top……mostly,

Anyone know what happens to sportex if it gets wet? I assume nothing as I’ve watched detailing videos where they shampoo the steering wheel and scrub at it with a brush to bring it back once dirty.

Just had to pick up my car and managed to see (kind of) my first Spyder RS. Was pretty much covered in all that white bagging they put over the cars for shipping which is why I say kind of. The owner was there to take a look before it goes off to put PPF on it and was pretty excited as you'd imagine. Was in one of the grey colours (i'm guessing Arctic, it didn't look metallic) before anyone asks - the SA was there and apparently they've only delivered grey/silver ones so far (shock I know).

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Hi mate, it’s a small world indeed ! And yes I was pretty chuffed :-)) here’s what happened next ! 9656cd6a-f2c3-4d20-bcce-e16b9ccc2e1b.mov Fetching info...

Just saw piccies of a mate's car that he picked up last week.  Says it's got a really good heater, only his ears got cold during a weekend drive in our -4 temps.... 🙂

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No issue with getting it wet. I got caught in a storm when my 718 Spyder was only a few weeks old. The heater in the 718 with heated seats and heated steering wheel makes it comfortable driving with the top down even on cool mornings

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The heated seats seem to do a lot of the heavy lifting in the Spyder.

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They are very good as is the heated steering wheel. They heat up so fast!

I've got a 987 Boxster S without heated seats and you don't even need them. Completely unnecessary. The heater in the old Boxster works better than in my 2023 Tucson and I swear some of the heat from the engine leaks into the cabin from the rear wall. To be fair, I don't live in Tassie, though.

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I use the heated seats in my Macan every day of winter, but the 'feels like' temp this morning was -6

Yeah maybe no one “needs” them but I’m loving the heated seats and steering wheel in my daily at the moment!

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Yep once you have the bum warmers your hooked ☺️

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I always thought heated seats were a bit naff...until I hopped it the missus' new Kluger on a cold morning 👍 Have often thought how I can adapt an electric blanket to run off the ciggy lighter in the air cooled and my Hiace, as it'd be bloody handy this time of year at 6am

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Used the heated seats in my MU-X daily on Friday night for the first time.  Not sure if it'll be an everyday thing, but Friday was a shitty, rainy night, so they weren't too bad 🙂

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Electric blanket idea could be a thing, might try your idea in the work ute 👍

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$45 at Autobarn! Might need to head there tomorrow 👍 😁

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I was going to say, you can get the heated seat pads to fit inside your seats for around $25 off ebay. I have a set to fit to my 911 if I ever get around to it

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Was going to grab one today, but the couch was too comfortable as I watched some podcasts and your cab onto chassis video 😁

Are you blokes a bunch of soft-skinned tushes or tough as nails RennSport heroes? This thread has been hijacked by dudes I no longer relate to....  or perhaps this winter really is chillier than years past. Stay warm gents.

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It's a known physical condition as you age, where the pores on the cutaneous (a.k.a skin) of the gluteus maximus (a.k.a bum) become enlarged which reduces the temperature of both the red and white blood cells, so basically the older you get, the less you enjoy being a hypothermic Rennsport hardnut. Of course that is complete bollocks, yet I'd have heated seats over freezing me nadgers off any day of the week 👍 😁

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Wonder if they make ‘‘em for buckets 😉

Wow the SPyder RS is getting some great reviews. Well done to those who got one.

This guy probably not on as many watch lists as the regular channels.  I think he does a good review. And I always like seeing someone else's funky coloured GT car. Not brave enough to get one for myself.

Just quietly, I think the Spyder RS really shines in comparison to the Cayman GT4RS. For track duties a GT4RS always going to be compared to a GT3 and subsequent iterations. Spyder RS on it's own, I think it's a great standalone car with no real peer in the 911 convertible lineup. I'll even go further to say that at it's price point, it's a bloody nice prospect in it's position against rivals from other marques. I'm not a convertible guy, nor do I scrape the financial stratosphere to afford one, but holy hell, it's a winner as a weekender.

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I'd love one. In a cool, funky colour though. If I had the money, I'd get an awesome colour for it. The funny thing is, I'm quite introverted. I like colours for how they make me feel.

First I’ve seen on Carsales… https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/2024-porsche-718-spyder-rs-982-auto-my24/SSE-AD-18114141

I like 😍