Enlarge / Everybody at all times mentioned Porsche would by no means put its greatest flat-six engine within the Cayman or it will overshadow the 911. Perhaps that is precisely what’s occurred. (credit score: Bradley Iger)
Judging by latest tasks just like the Mission R and 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance, Porsche seems poised to introduce an electrified model of the Cayman within the not-too-distant future. Whereas it is seemingly that such a sports activities automobile will increase the bar for sure measures of efficiency, it is also secure to imagine that the driving expertise will probably be altered considerably. So far, high-performance EVs have struggled to ship the sort of emotional connection that lovers have grown accustomed to from their ICE-motivated counterparts—an element that is undoubtedly prime of thoughts for the designers who’re engaged on the subsequent era of the automaker’s lineup. Within the meantime, although, the oldsters in Porsche’s GT division have ensured that the present period of the Cayman won’t go light into that good night time.
A vocal contingent of the Weissach trustworthy lengthy insisted {that a} mannequin just like the GT4 RS would by no means be produced. Since its introduction in 2005, the Cayman has been positioned as Porsche’s entry-level sports activities coupe relative to the 911, and plenty of posited that this mid-engine platform would by no means notice its full potential as a consequence of considerations that it’d upstage its iconic older brother. Though the debut of the 981-generation Cayman GT4 again in 2016 was arguably the primary piece of proof that successfully refuted this principle, the 718 GT4 RS places the notion to mattress. Not solely is that this probably the most visceral and succesful Cayman ever produced, it additionally makes a powerful case for itself as probably the most compelling sports activities automobile on sale at present, full cease.
The GT4 RS advantages from all kinds of upgrades, however the engine is undoubtedly the star of the present. Whereas it shares the identical displacement because the naturally aspirated 4.zero L flat-six in the usual 718 GT4, it is truly a wholly totally different engine that is borrowed from the newest 911 GT3. Output is down barely from that rear-engine utility because of the backpressure created by the Cayman’s longer exhaust system, however peak figures of 493 hp (368 kW) and 331 lb-ft (449 Nm) of torque nonetheless make this probably the most highly effective factory-produced Cayman ever provided by a large margin and bestow it with a searing 9,000 rpm redline.
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