Spyder RS revealed

718's final fling with internal combustion is a roadster equivalent to the hardcore Cayman GT4 RS

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JUST AS WE RECOVER FROM THE HYPE around the Cayman GT4 RS, the RS badge is back again - and for the first time it's on a Boxster. Revealed 30 years after the original Boxster concept made its debut, the 718 Spyder RS is a convertible counterpart to the hardcore Cayman, pairing Stuttgart's finest flat-six with a pint-sized, lightweight roadster. Not only is it the most powerful iteration of Porsche's mid-engined drop-top so far, it's also said to be the very last 718 model that will feature a combustion engine.

At its core is the 4-litre naturally aspirated flat-six found in the Cayman GT4 RS (and all 992 GT3 models for that matter). Spinning to the same spectacular 9000rpm red line, 1000rpm higher than the regular, £80,200 718 Spyder, it produces 493bhp at a heady 8400rpm- an additional 79bhp over the standard Spyder - with 332lb ft torque at 6750rpm.

Alongside a spine-tingling soundtrack from its lightweight stainless steel exhaust system and bespoke air intakes, the latter relocated to sit just behind the occupants' outer shoulders, the big flatsix makes for some impressive performance stats. The Spyder RS reaches 62mph from standstill in the same 3.4sec as the Cayman GT4 RS (half a second quicker than the standard 718 Spyder) and goes on to a 191mph top speed - 5mph down on the coupe version but 5mph up on the non-RS Spyder.