Since the 550 Spyder of 1953, the iconic Spyder moniker has been applied to several Porsche sports cars culminating with the Boxter Spyder and RS Spyder racer; yet Porsche never took the step to produce a Spyder based on a 911. This glaring oversight has now been corrected thanks to UK-based Porsche specialist Paul Stephens. He decided to rewrite the history books by using his years of experience and superior craftsmanship morphing a 1989 3.2-liter Targa into a 911 Spyder.

There are a few essential ingredients for a Spyder: lightweight, low drag, minimal windscreen and no roof, so basing the car on an earlier coupe than the Targa would seem more logical to keep the weight down. However, the PS 911 Spyder has been crafted to drive properly as well as look the part. Even with the extra 50kg of steel bracing, retained for extra rigidity, and a heavier G50 gearbox for its slicker change and robustness, 350kg of weight has been stripped off by removing the glass front rear screens, the roll hoop and most of the heater, and replacing the heavy impact bumpers with bespoke composite items.

So much care and consideration has gone into this project that the details seem endless; aluminum is used extensively, featuring in the rear luggage cover with twin head fairings that perfectly mimic the original Spyder, and in the doors which are finished with a roll sweeping round and into the dashboard that evokes a style from the fifties cars. The gearbox perfectly recreates the pre-1973 Porsche item, the dials are pure Stuttgart albeit recalibrated so as to be visible through the smaller steering wheel, and the front bumper is shallower and more delicate but with a black spoiler sitting below it to ensure it keeps its feet on the ground at high speeds.

Once seated, drivers will find themselves lower than in a standard 911, as the shallow Perspex windscreen provides little protection from the elements, and closer to the cabin's center with some special features to hand; notably the one-off aluminum-turned starter button that fires up the 250hp air-cooled flat-six. Countless other features are apparent you could write a book about it, and by the end of the year the PS 911 Spyder will be up for sale when Porsche enthusiasts will doubtless be looking to add this unique specimen to their collection.