Porsche 718 Spyder Production Numbers
The Porsche 718 Spyder is an incredibly popular sports car that combines open-top driving with powerful performance. Its punchy engine, precise handling, and classic Porsche design delivers an exhilarating driving experience combined with the look and luxury you expect from all Porsches.
The 718 Spyder’s aerodynamic body, including a distinctive rear spoiler, all adds to its visual appeal, adding to a strong consumer demand.
This blog post will cover a little bit of background information about the much beloved and much-in-demand Porsche 718 Spyder.
Including its history, the 718 Spyder production numbers, how rare the 718 Spyder actually is, and interestingly whether or not the production numbers for the 718 Spyder accurately reflect its demand now and when it was first released. Let’s dive into it together.
Highlights
- The Porsche 718 Spyder is a popular sports car known for open-top driving, powerful performance, and classic Porsche design.
- The 718 Spyder is part of the Porsche 718 lineup, which includes the Boxster, Cayman, Cayman GT4, and Boxster Spyder.
- Production numbers for the 718 Spyder are not officially disclosed by Porsche, making it challenging to determine exact figures.
- Estimations suggest production volumes may vary, with numbers ranging from a few hundred units a year to around 1,000 units.
- The 718 Spyder is considered rare due to limited production and high demand, leading to strong secondary market prices.
- Porsche planned to discontinue the 718 Spyder in 2024, possibly as part of a shift toward electrification and greener models.
- The production numbers may not accurately reflect demand, as Porsche values rarity and exclusivity as part of its brand identity.
The Porsche 718 Model Line
The Porsche 718 lineup consists of several models, including the Boxster, Cayman, and special variants like the Cayman GT4, GTS, S, Boxster Spyder, and 718 Spyder. Let’s also not forget the top tier models such as the GT4 RS and Spyder RS.
The Boxster and Cayman are convertible and coupe versions of the same mid-engine car. The Cayman GT4 is a high-performance variant with track-focused enhancements as we have spoken about on this site many times in the past.
The Boxster Spyder and 718 Spyder are standalone models designed and therefore known for their enhanced performance and driving experience. Each model offers unique features and characteristics.
Therefore there are far more Porsche 718s than there are 718 Spyders. While the Spyder is arguably one of, if not the, most recognizable and beloved versions of the 718 along side the GT4 RS and Spyder RS, that doesn’t mean that all 718s are Spyders.
For that reason, breaking down the Porsche 718 Spyder production numbers is a little tricky. And, given Porsche simply does not like to release those numbers if they can help it, the puzzle becomes even trickier. But we will give it a go.
The Porsche 718 Spyder Production Numbers
We don’t actually have a firm answer for you on that, we are pretty much going off of tiny tidbits of information here and there and piecing it together to try and come out with a reasonable answer. So here it goes.
The first thing we can do is look at another type of 718, the Boxster, and apply similar kinds of production volume from the Boxster to the Spyder. The Boxster did about 2000 units a year (up until 2018). If we work our way backward from 2018 to 2006, we see a slight increase in volume up to about 4000 units a year.
If we go even further back it peaks at about 12000 units a year for three years between 99 and 01. We could also look at shipping numbers. But that gives a really different picture. For 2022 only about 70 new Spyders were produced and shipped.
Which is a lot less than the 500-700 from 2019-2021. This shows a pretty steep decline in production numbers over the years which could correlate with a lack of demand and popularity. But we don’t quite think that is the case. We will get into that later. First, let’s talk a little bit about the rarity of this car in relation to its production numbers.
Are Porsche 718 Spyders Rare?
Yes, Porsche 718 Spyders are considered to be relatively rare sports cars for a number of reasons. Primarily, there just really aren’t that many of them. The 718 Spyder is a limited-production variant within the greater Porsche 718 lineup; sure, the 718 lineup as a whole isn’t exactly few and far between.
If you lump them all together there are a fair few of them, to say the least! However, the 718 Spyder, known for its high-performance characteristics and exclusivity, should certainly be considered rarer than most, if not all, other members of the 718 family aside from the RS models.
Porsche typically produces the 718 Spyder in smaller numbers than other models, adding to its desirability among enthusiasts and collectors and driving up the secondary market prices. This feeds back to our estimations for the Spyder in the section above, a few hundred units a year at most is far more likely than even as many as 1000.
Since these cars are so rare and in demand, and since Porsche isn’t keen to up their production capacity any time soon, it is no surprise that the prices for new, used, and even poor condition 718 Spyders is pretty damn high. If you can get your hands on one, hold on tight. These babies hold their value pretty damn well and could even turn a hefty profit 5, 10, or 15 years down the line.
Why Did They Stop Making The 718 Spyder?
Automakers regularly update their product lineups to introduce new models, refresh or upgrade existing ones, or discontinue certain variants when they aren’t really living up to expectations. Now the latter doesn’t apply to the 718, so what gives?
In case you hadn’t heard Porsche was planning to stop manufacturing the 718 Spyder for good sometime in 2024. Why?
Probably because it’s time to move on. There is a feeling in the community that Porsche is preparing to lean a lot more heavily into the electronic market with more hybrids and better, greener models.
Does 718 Spyder Production Numbers Reflect Demand?
Honestly, in my opinion, no. They don’t. There are so few 718 Spyders running off the line compared to the number of people who would willingly snap one up.
But that doesn’t matter to Porsche. They have always had the ability to make more cars and make more money, they could even bump their prices up and people would keep paying them for the same product. But they don’t care because rarity and exclusivity are part of their brand identity.
Our Verdict On 718 Spyder Production Numbers
As you can tell, this blog post was a little all over the place in terms of hard, definitive facts. There is a lot of guesswork and a lot of opinion-based analysis involved. That is not to say that it isn’t correct, it is probably pretty close in fact. But we can’t know for sure.
