Spectacular Porsche Cayman GT4 RS revealed
Fans of Porsche sports cars, best sit down while you read about the brand’s 500hp newcomer
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After years of speculation and no shortage of development spy pictures to go with it, Porsche has finally revealed a Cayman GT4 RS to blow our collective socks off. You don’t need to be a Porsche aficionado to appreciate how spectacular it is; this compact sports car has 500hp from the same flat-six engine as the equally astounding 911 GT3 (more on that shortly), a car that many rate as the best sports car ever. This is a motor that’s as thrilling to experience as it is wonderful to behold.
Obviously, we’re going to start with said engine. As a 4.0-litre with six cylinders arranged horizontally (rather than vertically like most engines), it’s a proper Porsche monster. Essentially, all of the brand’s engineering genius, from several decades-worth of 911 development, have culminated with this flat-six. It revs to 9,000rpm - almost twice that of normal engines - for crying out loud, and it’s easily strong enough to get the Cayman GT4 RS to 62mph in a claimed 3.4 seconds. And special and tuneful enough to have us weak at the knees just at the thought of its high-pitched music.
Elsewhere, and to a matching degree, Porsche’s engineers have significantly evolved the Cayman base into GT4 RS grade. The base is known as the 718 generation platform and widely considered to be a brilliant machine in lower-level tune, but the RS’ changes take the present-generation Cayman to heights none of its predecessors could have dreamed of reaching. Swathes of carbonfibre, exotic suspension components (inspired by racing) and an overall track driving-focused setup promises as much excitement in the bends as that engine does on the straights. Or the corners and motorways most of us can dream of enjoying this car on.
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It looks fabulous, too, with a motorsport-aping makeover that wouldn’t look out of place on a circuit starting grid. That’s only natural for a creation that’s been co-developed by the Porsche Motorsport department. The team there knows nothing other than maximising the performance of whatever they’re given. It’s because of this ‘max attack’ attitude the GT4 RS is automatic only; no human could dream of shifting a manual gearbox as fast as Porsche’s rapid PDK auto gearbox, which comes with paddles behind the steering wheel so you can control the gears like Max Verstappen, if you want.
This is the real deal, then, a Cayman capable of 196mph (bear in mind the Cayman is Porsche’s ‘baby’ coupe model) and the sound and looks to go with it. And, ahem, the price. Porsche is asking £108,370 for each car, with extra cash to upgrade the GT4 RS to an even higher-rank Weissach pack (named after the home of Porsche R&D), which adds further sprinklings of lightweight racing goodness. Sold? Us too. But good luck getting one; Porches as special as this normally have waiting lists as long as the M1. And their used cars often appreciate. But don’t fret; some of that Cayman magic is within reach, with used cars on cinch that could be delivered to your driveway in as little as one week.
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