A brand-new, base-model Porsche 718 Boxster may cost more than $70,000, but the biggest downside isn’t the price. It’s driving one and realizing that it’s absolutely worth the money and that you can no longer tell yourself it’s overhyped and overpriced. The Boxster really is just that good. For the 981 generation of the Boxster, though, Porsche went above and beyond to create one of the most desirable cars possible — the 2016 Porsche Boxster Spyder. And there’s currently one for sale over on Cars & Bids.
If you’re only familiar with the 987-generation Boxster Spyder, it would be understandable if you were confused. That version was cool enough but only came with a small horsepower bump over the Boxster S. For the 981, Porsche did something many people thought would never happen and gave the Boxster Spyder the same engine that you got in the 911 Carrera S.
So in addition to other weight-saving measures bringing things down to about 2,900 pounds, power also jumped up to 375 horsepower and 309 pound-feet of torque. Unlike the mechanically similar Cayman GT4, the 981 Boxster Spyder didn’t get the 911 GT3’s suspension, which means it’s much more usable on public roads. You do still get the steering rack from the 911 Turbo S and upgraded brakes to handle the extra power.
The 981 Boxster Spyder was also only sold with a manual transmission, and only 2,500 were made for the entire world, meaning that this car isn’t just special, but it’s also quite rare. If you can afford it, you’re definitely not going to be disappointed. After all, it’s a Boxster with an engine from a 911. What’s not to love?
Just make sure you either live somewhere that rarely gets rain or have a couple other cars to drive in bad weather because you definitely don’t want to get caught in a thunderstorm with the top down. Let’s just say putting the top up probably isn’t something you want to learn how to do on the fly.