GT4 – The Porsche Cayman Unleashed
Since its first generation was launched back in 2006, many people look at the Porsche Cayman as it being the entry level “poor man’s 911”. However, there is no reason to be comparing the Cayman with the 911.
True Porsche and car fans buy a car for what it really is and not just for its price tag. Both cars might share the same badge on the bonnet, however the mechanical setup of these two Porsches is completely different. Mid-engined (rear-while drive) sports cars like the Cayman have the heaviest part of the car, which is clearly the engine, more to the center of the vehicle which creates lots of “stick to the road” stability and balance when cornering. These handling characteristics are of course different from the 911’s typical rear-engined, rear wheel drive setup. Bottom-line, the Cayman is an extremely well-engineered sports car.
Needless to say, of course the 911 has a much longer history and heritage which is an important reason for some people to buy one.
The GT4
The second generation (981) Cayman has been available for about two years now and Porsche’s Motorsport division – the same people who brought us 911 GT3 and GT2 – have finally created the first GT-car on their Cayman platform. It is called, the Cayman GT4.
Cayman and Porsche fans, you’ll get a smile on your face in less than two minutes, so don’t stop reading!
The newly developed car is more than just a regular Cayman with a more aggressive bodywork. Exclusively for the Cayman GT4, Porsche decided to swap the 3.4 liter engine used in the Cayman S and GTS for a modded version of the 3.8 liter engine currently used in the 911 (991) Carrera S featuring a different air intake and crankcase.
The engine’s specs: 385 HP with 310 FL/LB (420Nm) of torque making a 0-60 sprint of 4.2 seconds possible.
Besides the modified engine and a wide selection of 911 GT3 components like the suspension (PASM dampers) and the brakes, it uses a tweaked version of the 6-speed manual transmission from the Cayman GTS. There is no PDK option on the GT4. Porsche claims that they have a lot of customers out there who want to be involved in the shifting and care less about that tenth of a second they lose with a manual transmission. It’s about emotion and involvement, the communication between the driver and its car.
This whole package makes it a very good track car as well. Porsche is looking at a new customer group that will buy this car. For example, people who are looking for a used 911 GT3 would rather buy a new Cayman GT4 instead. Another potential customer is the current Cayman owner who wants to start participating in regular track-days. This car is made for that purpose.
Porsche Motorsport division confirms that they will keep on producing naturally-aspirated GT cars for the coming years, which is great news for all Porsche GT fans. Given that turbocharged Porsches will be the way of the future, seeing the motorsport division continuing with naturally-aspirated engines is a very good thing. The future looks bright.
Porsche Cayman GT4 Gallery
All photos are official Porsche press photos.
