Porsche Cayman GT4

 What a month it’s been for performance fans. Less than 24 hours after the covers came off Ford’s Focus RS and Ferrari’s 488 GTB, we now have the first details of Porsche’s new Cayman GT4

For years, there’s been a global debate regarding two Porsche products in particular. The debate revolves around which is a better sports car  the 911 or the Cayman? And it seems that there are aficionados supporting both camps with equal zeal. For now, it seems that Cayman fans have something to be really happy about following the announcement of a GT4 derivative of the Cayman.

So, the big question is: what’s the deal and what makes it so significant in the Porsche line-up? To begin with, this is officially the first Porsche GT sports car based on the Cayman whose technical aspects are based on the 911 GT3 and it follows the conceptual tradition of such cars as the 904 GTS, 911 GT1, Carrera GT and 918 Spyder.

From the way the Cayman GT4 has been packaged, it seems that Porsche very much like Ferrari has been toying with the idea of offering dual-purpose stock, track-oriented machines for gentlemen drivers. Performance credentials have already been set with this engineering package. The Cayman GT4 has successfully clocked a lap time of 7min and 40secs on the North Loop of the Nürburgring. This means the Cayman GT4 has clocked the same lap time as the 2011 911 GT3 and therefore is in a comfortable position to project itself as the new benchmark in the market segment it represents.

Technical aspects of this new Cayman GT4 car are based on the 911 GT3 and it follows the conceptual tradition of such cars as the 904 GTS, 911 GT1, Carrera GT and 918 Spyder

And the first cues of these are evident when you look at the exterior treatment of the sheetmetal. The biggest clues are the three pronounced inlet openings at the front and a large fixed rear wing are part of an aerodynamic package which is systematically designed for downforce. Upon request, Porsche says that the performance capabilities of Cayman GT4 can be taken even further. Options include the Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake (PCCB) system, full bucket seats made of carbon fiber composite, and a custom Sport Chrono Package featuring a Track Precision app. Meanwhile, the car sits 30mm lower than the regular Cayman and this arrangement is claimed to GT3 inspired.

The car is powered by a 385hp, 3.8-litre flat-six engine located mid-ship. Unlike the GT3 which can only be had with a dual-clutch transmission, the Cayman GT4 will be offered only with a six-speed manual transmission. So, you can forget Porsche’s faster than manual 7-speed Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) gearbox as of now.The tangible advantage of not having the PDK set-up is twofold. First, it saves around 15kg of mass and thereby offers a better power-to-weight ratio and secondly, it allows the driver to be more in control.  On the performance front, the extra power reduces the Cayman GT4’s 0-to-96km/h sprint to 4.2secs, which means it is a half second quicker than the 340hp Cayman GTS, and bumps top speed up to 183 mph.