2024 Porsche 718 Spyder RS is sports car maker's most powerful Boxster

Porsche is launching the most powerful version of the midengine Boxster roadster — a 493-hp two-seater powered by a race car engine.

The 2024 Porsche 718 Spyder RS arrives in the U.S. next spring and starts at $162,150, including shipping.

The new variant debuts in June at an event in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, Germany, to mark 75 years of Porsche sports cars. It will also make a cameo in July at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England.

The 718 Spyder RS is a last hurrah for combustion engine loyalists as Porsche steers toward a mostly electric future. An electric Boxster should arrive mid-decade.

"With the wave of electric models coming in the next few years, Porsche traditionalists will stop at nothing for just one more high-powered sports car," said Sam Fiorani, vice president at AutoForecast Solutions. "Upping the power on the Boxster gives us that one last growl of a high-revving flat six as it shrieks around the corners."

The souped-up Boxster variant carries the same lightweight powertrain and six-cylinder that powers the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racing car.

"The 718 Spyder RS offers a driving experience like no other," Porsche Cars North America CEO Kjell Gruner said in a statement.

The four-liter boxer engine revs to 9,000 rpm, generating 331 pound-feet of torque. Combined with a short-ratio seven-speed PDK transmission, the six-cylinder engine propels the 718 Spyder RS from 0 to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds.

Compared with the 2023 414-hp 718 Spyder without the RS designation, the new RS version boasts an additional 79 hp, accelerating to 60 mph 0.5 seconds quicker.

The front of the Porsche 718 Spyder RS features a carbon fiber-reinforced plastic hood and a wide air outlet above the bumper to channel airflow. Two low-drag air inlet ducts improve brake cooling without affecting aerodynamics.

Side blades on the outer ends of the bumper add downforce, while the front spoiler lip is slightly shorter than on the 718 Cayman GT4 RS.

The 718 Spyder RS sports a ducktail spoiler that is larger and reshaped compared with the 718 Spyder.

The Spyder RS weighs 59 pounds less than the current Porsche 718 Spyder with the optional PDK transmission.

A manually operated soft top, which includes a sun shield and weather protector, weighs a little more than 40 pounds.

The chassis of the 718 Spyder RS borrows components from the 718 Cayman GT4 RS and the 718 Spyder.

Porsche said that compared with the 718 Cayman GT4 RS, spring and damper rates are reduced to achieve a more relaxed, characteristically convertible-style setup.

An optional front axle lift system raises the front end by 1.1 inches while driving up to 37 mph.