Spyder RS

[sleazius]

1 hour ago, DJM said:

Maybe the dealer reads your posts on PFA 😂

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.

3 minutes ago, Ian718 said:

I'm sorry to hear that you are missing out Sleazius  Out of interest, which 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. 

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.

[DJM]

1 hour ago, Ian718 said:

I'm sorry to hear that you are missing out Sleazius  Out of interest, which 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. 

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.  

[sleazius]

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.

[DJM]

8 hours ago, sleazius said:

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.

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…..🤔😂   

 

[911rox]

1 hour ago, DJM said:

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…..🤔😂   

 

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 🙄

[sleazius]

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.

37 minutes ago, 911rox said:

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 🙄

Sorry to hear this, previously Vic was definitely an easier time to get the GT models.

[Ian718]

2 hours ago, sleazius said:

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.

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.

[911rox]

3 hours ago, Ian718 said:

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.

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. 

[sleazius]

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

[HWY]

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. 

[Shookie]

On 27/12/2023 at 19:21, Ian718 said:

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  

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 😕

21 hours ago, HWY said:

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. 

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!

On 30/12/2023 at 08:10, sleazius said:

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.

Why would u go an SRS if u can afford a 296? The GTS is surely an instant classic? 

On 29/12/2023 at 21:32, DJM said:

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.  

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?

 

[Ian718]

44 minutes ago, Shookie said:

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?

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).

 

46 minutes ago, Shookie said:

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 😕

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.

[sleazius]

23 hours ago, HWY said:

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. 

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.

[sleazius]

2 hours ago, Shookie said:

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?

Why would u go an SRS if u can afford a 296? The GTS is surely an instant classic?

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.

[Shookie]

4 hours ago, sleazius said:

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.

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  My 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. 

6 hours ago, Ian718 said:

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.

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….

 

[DJM]

8 hours ago, Shookie said:

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?

 

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.

 

[Ian718]

1 hour ago, Shookie said:

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….

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.

[Shookie]

33 minutes ago, DJM said:

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.

 

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?

 

 

30 minutes ago, Ian718 said:

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 having racing/track gloves which I will just wear when driving the car, so I'm not fussed about a racetex steering wheel. I'm pretty clean 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 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 non-WP 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.

 

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, 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.

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?

[Ian718]

6 hours ago, sleazius said:

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.

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!

 

11 minutes ago, Shookie said:

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?

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!

[DJM]

3 hours ago, Shookie said:

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?

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.

[sleazius]

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.

[Sabotage]

On 27/12/2023 at 19:21, Ian718 said:

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  

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!

[HWY]

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.

[Shookie]

19 hours ago, DJM said:

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.

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  

[Shookie]

23 hours ago, Ian718 said:

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!

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!

 

 

 

3 hours ago, HWY said:

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.

Why leather as opposed to racetex ? What sort of seats are you getting?