![]() We appreciate the mindset behind saving as much weight as possible, but the spindly decklid and fiddly process of putting the top up and down cuts into time that would be better spent driving. Take a picture, then tuck it all away and never bother to raise it again-partially because it's such a bother to raise it again. Those are elegant arches Christo would be jealous of. Really, though, the only reason the top should ever be up on the Spyder is to admire the way the rear fabric connects to the body. ![]() There's nothing surprising in the way the Spyder reacts-its guitar strings are all in tune. Back in the canyons, the binders never faltered and were responsive but not grabby. The whoa-down is easy too, as the Spyder came to a stop from 70 mph in just 141 feet. In a straight line, the Spyder's extra horses nudge it ahead of the 394-hp Boxster GTS 4.0 with a zero-to-60 time of 3.4 seconds, and a quarter-mile pass in 11.8 seconds at 119 mph. In our non-tunnel testing, we recorded 1.03 g on the skidpad. The Spyder has been doing more yoga than we have, it turns and twists like a Cirque du Soleil acrobat. Apologize to your clutch leg, then give it the new job of bracing you in the seat while you test the limits of your abdominal strength during cornering. Fuss if you must, but it's an automatic transmission that will win over all but the most die-hard manual fans, especially when placed in the Spyder's firm but forgiving chassis. Porsche's six-speed manual is a snickity-clickity joy, but there's plenty of driving left to do if you opt instead for the seven-speed PDK (a $3210 option in the car we tested). There's no wrong transmission choice for the 718, except maybe philosophically. It's a smooth, revvy engine, powerful enough to cause trouble but too well behaved to go looking for it. We've declared our love for the 4.0-liter flat-six on multiple occasions since it took the top spot in the lineup, and the Spyder's tune gives us no reason to cease our adulation. The 718 Spyder and its hardtop sibling, the Cayman GT4, are high-horse, lightweight versions of Porsche's mid-engine sports cars.
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