Recently, I wrote a test drive article on the current 718 Spyder, but this time, it’s a review of the previous generation 981 Spyder.

I’ve known several people around me who own the 981 Spyder, so I’ve seen it many times and felt familiar with the car. Also, since it’s a sibling model to the 981 Boxster GTS that we have at home, it always felt very close to me.

Perhaps because of that, I never felt the need to feature it on the blog until now, making this my first review article on it.

981 Boxster Spyder

The car I test drove this time was a very beautiful sapphire blue 981 Boxster Spyder. Most 981 Boxster Spyders are overwhelmingly white, with occasional black ones, and other colors are very rare.

A sapphire blue example is quite a rare find.

This color was even featured in Porsche’s official video at the time, where tennis player Maria Sharapova was driving it, leaving a strong impression. So, personally, I love this color so much that I call it ‘Sharapova Blue.’

Engine Sound and Feel

The engine start-up sound is very similar to the 981 Boxster GTS. The engine roars loudly at start, really firing you up. The shift lever has a short stroke, engaging with just a light flick of the wrist, just like recent Porsche manuals.

Once you engage first gear and start moving, it feels more torquey than the 981 GTS, but it’s not as effortless as the manual 718 Spyder. The operation feel is similar to a typical Porsche manual. Even when starting off slowly, you can already hear the thrilling sound from behind.

The naturally aspirated engine’s smooth, lively, singing feel is a hallmark of the 981 and 991.1 era. It’s fun even at 40 km/h. A smile naturally spreads across your face.

Compared to the hard-edged, powerful revving feel of the 718 Spyder’s engine, the 981’s engine spins more softly and smoothly. Increasing speed, switching to Sport Plus mode to maximize engine response, and tightening the PADM engine mounts,

The 981 Spyder originally has no PASM but comes with a dedicated sports suspension, so there’s no damping adjustment by mode, but the whole body feels more taut.

The exhaust note from the sports exhaust grows louder and deeper with revs. Around 3000 rpm, the tone and volume closely resemble the 981 GTS, but the sound pressure is different.

The 400cc larger engine than the GTS squeezes out a more powerful exhaust note from behind. That sound is beyond just pleasant.

I once heard the 981 Spyder’s full-throttle acceleration sound up close in a parking lot with my wife, and she still says, “That sound is the best Porsche sound I know.” I agree completely, and if there were a ranking of regular Porsche models’ best sounds excluding limited editions, this would definitely be top 3, and personally, number 1.

That’s how incredible the sound is.

This engine originally comes from the 911 (991) Carrera S and GTS, with a potential output of 400ps, and up to 430ps in GTS tune. However, in the Spyder, it’s limited to 375ps (276kW) at 6700 rpm.

Because of that, the top-end rev range can feel a bit less eager. This is also true for the 981 GTS with the same engine, but since this car’s character is more about winding roads than circuits, most driving enjoyment comes from mid to high rev ranges, so it’s not much of an issue.

About the Bubbling Sound

I also want to mention the “bobobobo!” bubbling sound on throttle lift-off. There’s often debate about whether the GTS or Spyder has louder bubbling among the 981s, but after careful comparison this time, I want to settle that debate.

Regarding the bubbling sound, the GTS wins. Both are quite loud, but the GTS occasionally produces a firecracker-like pop that makes it slightly louder.

Also, the Spyder frequently bubbles at mid to high revs but rarely at low revs.

This is the difference from the GTS, which freely bubbles even at low revs. So while the volume difference isn’t huge, the frequency and number of bubbling sounds differ.