Dealing with a midlife crisis? Just get a Porsche 718 Spyder

My recent weekend behind the wheel of a Porsche 718 Boxster Spyder taught me a valuable life lesson; never poke fun at the tell-tale signs of someone going through a midlife crisis.

Being in the middle of the “37 to early 50s” age range most commonly associated with a midlife crisis, this writer has made a concerted effort to cut back on the banter over the years. Although the condition is no laughing matter, it does warrant some oddities you can’t help chuckle at.

Like the middle-aged man with a boep parading in public with a hip T-shirt two sizes too small, the one getting an earring for the first time in his life for his 50th birthday, or the guy who dumps his long-standing partner for a bokkie half his age.

The perfect foil

But there is another classic reaction to getting lost during middle age and that entails buying a sports car. This alternative instantly guarantees that banter will be replaced by either/or envy and respect, even if you drive it around with your freshly pierced nipple rings on display through a mesh vest with your mullet flapping in the wind.

Enter the 718 Boxster Spyder. The two-seater, two-door, mid-engine, convertible sports car that joined the fourth generation 718 line-up in 2019.

That is a sexy rear.

What was significant about the Spyder’s introduction was the fact that it marked the return, alongside the Boxster and Cayman 4.0 GTS derivatives, of the flat-six naturally aspirated engine. The original line-up featured flat-four turbocharged engines which took a fair bit of flak for not sounding the way a Porsche sports car “should”.

No substitute for cubic inches

The Spyder’s 4.0-litre powerplant is based on the same engine family as the turbo engines in the 911 Carrera. It produces 309 kW of power at 7 600 rpm and 430 Nm of torque from 5 000 to 6 800 rpm. This power is sent to the rear wheels via in the case of our test car, Porsche’s seven-speed PDK transmission.

Spyder’s 20-inch alloy wheels

While the mere existence of automatic transmission will always be frowned upon by purists, the PDK’s superior performance over its three-pedal sibling speaks for itself. With no interruptions in acceleration during gear changes, Porsche claims the Spyder in PDK guise can sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.9 sec whereas the manual version is half a second slower at 4.4 sec. It is also four tenths of a second quicker in reaching 200 km/h in 13.4 sec, while the top speed of 301 km/remains the same for both variants.

Should you prefer taking full control of the transmission at any time, paddle shifters at the back of the steering wheel are on standby.

The automatic choice

Not that anyone piloting a high-revving naturally aspirated engine of these dimensions will be too concerned about its fuel consumption, but it’s noteworthy that the PDK is rated to be more frugal than the manual. Porsche claims the PDK derivative can achieve a number of 10.2L/100 km compared to the manual’s 10.9L/100 km.

Contributing to these numbers, which are very much on par with a modern day family sedan or SUV, is the adaptive cylinder control. This ground-breaking technology ensures that the injection process in one of the two cylinder banks are interrupted at lower speeds, resulting in the engine functioning on only three cylinders. This process results in the car producing less carbon emissions and burning less fuel.

The interior isn’t too shabby either.

But once you experience the intoxicating sound of all six cylinders in harmony nearing the maximum engine speed of 8 000 rpm, environmental affairs slides down your priority list. And the  soundtrack is just the start of an overall exhilarating driving experience which, despite being enhanced by a whole host of modern day technologies, allows the driver to have an emotional connection with both his machine and the road. Especially with the top down and the wind in your hair.

Don’t flip your top

In their efforts of keeping the car’s weight to 1 420 kg, the designers opted for a lighter, mostly manual soft top which easily folds away under the boot lid. And the best part is that top speeds are still possible even with the top down.

The Spyder features the high-performance GT chassis from the 718 Cayman GT4, resulting in superior cornering dynamics, with the added benefit of aerodynamic downforce at the rear axle by means of a rear spoiler which is automatically activated at speeds over 120 km/h.

Further enhancing the Spyder’s supreme handling are refined lightweight spring-strut front and rear axles making use of racing technologies, the Porsche Active Suspension Management damping system with 30mm lower suspension, Porsche Stability Management  and Porsche Torque Vectoring with mechanical rear differential lock.

Sticks like glue

The track ready Spyder features ultra-high-performance tyres clad around 20-inch rims, 245/35 at the front and 295/30 at the rear, while stopping power comes from large aluminium monobloc fixed-calliper brakes.

Spyder logo

There is a choice of four driving modes: Normal, Sport, Sport Plus and Individual, each featuring its unique gear shift characteristics.  Launch Control is integrated within Sport Plus, which activates an automatic race start.

Classy cabin

The cabin is finished in high quality Race-Tec materials and perfectly combines comfort with traditional sports car values. According to the brochure the Spyder also features a high-end Bose sound system, but there was no need for sounds not being generated by the engine.

You don’t need a midlife crisis to justify the Spyder’s R1 736 000 price tag. But should you go through the familiar wobble in your middle ages, then this superb ride might just be the perfect remedy. What a pity I can only afford a freakin’ earring.