Sport suspension ~20 mm lower; Porsche Torque Vectoring with a mechanical limited-slip differential standard.
Vented discs sourced from the 991 Carrera, with red calipers.
The Boxster Spyder (2015–2016) is the lightweight, most powerful 981 Boxster and the driver's special of the range. It drops the powered roof for a hand-operated, two-stage fabric top with twin humps behind the seats, and pairs it with the range's biggest engine: a 3.8-liter naturally aspirated flat-six derived from the 991 Carrera S, driving the rear wheels through a 6-speed manual only — no PDK was offered.
The Spyder trades roof convenience and standard comfort for a lighter, more focused car. Beyond the manual top it adds an aluminum rear lid, lightweight bucket seats, a 20 mm-lower sport suspension, larger 991-sourced brakes, and a mechanical limited-slip differential; air conditioning and audio were deletable no-cost options buyers could add back. It shares the direct-injected MA1 flat-six architecture of the rest of the range, so it avoids the older 987's IMS bearing risk.
US NHTSA campaigns for this model. A listed campaign may not apply to a particular car, and may already have been remedied — check a specific car by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
It is the driver's-special of the range: a larger 991 Carrera S-derived flat-six, a lighter curb weight, larger 991-sourced brakes, a 20 mm-lower sport suspension, a mechanical limited-slip differential, and a stripped, manual-only character with a hand-operated top. It is the only 981 Boxster you cannot get with PDK.
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