The Porsche 718 Cayman has finally been given the epic power – and race-track focus – enthusiasts have been asking for.
- Engine screams to 9000rpm and delivers an epic amount of power
- Phenomenal tyre grip, neutral handling, excellent braking performance
- The mid-engined Cayman chassis has been taken to finishing school
- Engine screams to 9000rpm and it’s ear piercing, even in ‘quiet’ mode
- No radar cruise control or AEB, no push-button start, no front parking sensors
- The $300,000 price is high, only hardcore enthusiasts should apply
Introduction
Meet the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS, the fastest, most powerful, and most expensive Porsche Cayman to date.
There have been high-end versions of the Porsche 718 Cayman before, but nothing quite like this.
The GT4 RS is what happens when you put Porsche’s racing engineers in charge of a Cayman.
The GT4 RS was not an official program when it started. A break-away group of engineers built a prototype in secret, with lightweight racing parts and a powerful engine from the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car.
Although the prototype was a bit of a Frankenstein, once it was ready, the engineers handed the keys to management – and they were hooked.
The ingredients are familiar: lightweight components, a race-tuned chassis, and a powerful engine.
In this case, it’s the same engine used in the race-ready Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars.
The hand-built 4.0-litre six-cylinder revs to an epic 9000rpm and makes peak power – 368kW – at 8400rpm.
It’s old school performance using hi-tech internal components, and there’s not a turbocharger in sight.
The engine is paired to a fast-acting seven-speed PDK twin-clutch auto that sends drive to the rear wheels.
Lightweight components include a carbon-fibre bonnet, carbon-fibre front fenders, forged alloy wheels, and lightweight glass.
Much of the noise-deadening material has also been removed.
Also missing: the door handles have been replaced by door straps and there’s no push button start. Even though this car costs north of $300,000.
All up, the Cayman GT4 RS is 35kg lighter than the standard Cayman.
The forged alloy wheels save 2kg, but a switch to optional magnesium wheels trims 10kg.
For perspective, the GT4 RS has the power of a V8 in a car that’s 5kg lighter than a Toyota Corolla hatch.
That’s enough to deliver a supercar-quick claimed 0 to 100kmh time of 3.4 seconds.
To make sure the GT4 RS can handle the heat – and punishment – of a race track, the brakes have been upgraded from 380mm discs up front to 408mm.
They’re the biggest front brakes on such a light car.
The wings and fins are not just for show. They either aid cooling or add downforce at racetrack speeds.
Every vent and bulge on the GT4 RS has a purpose.
But before we were let loose on a race track to sample the changes, we were talked through some of the interior features. It didn’t take long.
| Key details | 2022 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS |
| Price (MSRP) | $300,800 plus on-road costs |
| Rivals | Porsche 911 GT3 | Lamborghini Huracan | Ferrari F8 Tributo |
Inside
The interior door handles are replaced by straps similar to seatbelt material, presumably to save weight.
But we suspect it’s also designed to create a talking point when owners are keen to show-off their new car.
Confession: it took me about 60 seconds to figure out how to fire-up the ignition on the Porsche Cayman GT4 RS. I was looking for a push-button start, like all good race cars – and Toyota Camry hybrids.
Alas, the Porsche Cayman GT4 RS comes with a ‘conventional’ key; at least it’s shaped like a Porsche.
The seats are tight-fitting racing designs intended to keep you pinned in position when driving on a race track.
The optional Clubsport package includes a factory-fitted roll bar, a six-point racing harness for the driver, a fire extinguisher.
The optional Weissach package (named after Porsche’s engineering centre) adds a titanium exhaust system, exposed carbon-fibre bonnet (rather than painted) and forged magnesium wheels.
| 2022 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS | |
| Seats | Two |
| Boot volume | 125L front / 136L rear |
| Length | 4456mm |
| Width | 1822mm |
| Height | 1267mm |
| Wheelbase | 2482mm |
Infotainment and Connectivity
Porsche’s premium audio – Sound Package Plus, with 8 speakers and a 150-watt output via an integrated amplifier – is fitted as standard in the Cayman GT4 RS.
This is a welcome inclusion given the amount of road noise that needs to be drowned out in the daily grind.
Despite the limitations of a small cabin and small doors, Porsche and its audio partner Bose have done an epic job cranking out high-end sound.
It truly is one of the highlights of the car and doesn’t get enough kudos across other Bose-equipped Porsches in my opinion.
We test drive more than 200 vehicles a year; I can’t think of better audio than Bose systems in Porsche cars. I’d love to see how one performs in an audio sound-off contest.
Apple Car Play and digital radio are standard, but “green message” users of Android smartphones must rely on Bluetooth.
Safety & Technology
Six airbags (two front, two in the doors and two in the seats) are standard, as is epic road-holding, and the biggest brakes that can fit behind the wheels.
A rear camera and sensors are standard but front parking sensors are not.
Conspicuous by their absence: radar cruise control and autonomous emergency braking (standard on even the most basic Toyota Yaris or Isuzu D-Max ute).
This doesn’t cut it in 2022, especially from a car costing in excess of $300,000.
The unique bumper apparently presented some challenges to package additional safety aids, but given Porsche’s skill at solving other technical hurdles, surely space for safety sensors is not too much to ask.
| 2022 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS | |
| ANCAP rating | Not rated |
Value for Money
The 718 Cayman GT4 RS is priced from $300,800 plus on-road costs in Australia. And that’s before options are added.
This is Porsche 911 money. Only hardcore enthusiast buyers can determine if this is good value or not.
But it’s worth noting the 718 Cayman GT4 RS is almost triple the price of a standard Porsche 718 Cayman (which starts from $115,900). And not far off a Porsche 911 GT3 ($369,600).
Porsche won’t say how many examples of the Cayman GT4 RS are coming to Australia, but the order books are open and it aims to fill every order.
It is part of the revised Cayman line-up for now, but will have an end date at some point.
| At a glance | 2022 Porsche Cayman GT4 RS |
| Warranty | Three years / unlimited km |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 15,000km |
| Servicing costs | $2995 (3 years), $4495 (4 years), $5495 (5 years) |
Porsche has thrown everything at the Cayman GT4 RS as the model approaches the end of its model cycle.
The fourth-generation Cayman has been around since 2016. Previous model cycles have ranged from eight years (generation one), seven years (generation two), and four years (generation three).
Porsche says there is still plenty of life left in the Cayman and more special editions could follow.
We suspect Porsche could extend the model cycle of the current-generation Cayman while it invests more engineering resources into electrified models.
That means the Cayman GT4 RS could be one of the last of its type. It is yet to be confirmed, but it could also be joined by a Spyder version based on the Boxster.
Fuel Consumption – brought to you by bp
| Fuel Usage | Fuel Stats |
| Fuel cons. (claimed) | 12.3L/100km |
| Fuel cons. (on test) | Not recorded |
| Fuel type | 98 octane premium unleaded |
| Fuel tank size | 54L (90L optional) |
Driving
Porsche put on a fleet of Cayman GT4 RS models at the Estoril race track in Portugal for media to test drive.
As lavish as it sounds – as with most car launches, Porsche covered the cost of travel and accomodation for the fly-in, fly-out trip – we are not obliged to stick with Porsche’s script. We happily – and routinely – point out the pros and cons of each vehicle.
Some GT4 RS models available to test were in standard guise, while others had the optional Weissach pack, a version with even more lightweight parts – named after Porsche’s engineering test centre in Germany.
Among the changes: a titanium exhaust system, but even the standard arrangement is loud.
Porsche read the rulebook on vehicle noise limits and discovered it only applied to outside noise. So engineers plumbed some extra noise into the cabin, right behind the driver.
It was so loud, I was looking for the mute button. As glorious as the engine sounds heading towards its 9000rpm redline, I’m betting some customers will come to the conclusion that sometimes you need to be careful what you wish for.
This is race-car loud. And it’s right behind your ears.
I pressed the switch that supposedly makes the exhaust noisier or quieter. It didn’t make a difference on a race track; it’s more effective at road speeds where there are fewer opportunities to explore the engine’s potential.
Of course, the Porsche Cayman GT4 RS is not just about noise.
What’s staggering is how easy it is to drive on a race track, where many likely owners and weekend warriors will test their (and their car’s) potential.
Even with the PDK gearbox in sport mode and the suspension in sport mode – the more aggressive of the options available – the car takes care of everything, providing you’re not trying to exceed the laws of physics.
While it is neutral and balanced most of the time, as with all performance cars, if the Porsche Cayman is driven too hard on too-hot tyres, it can start to push wide in corners.
The gear-changes are crisp and assertive; the gearbox either takes care of it for you – or you can tap a lever behind the steering wheel.
The most impressive aspect of this car for me was the braking performance: it was fade free despite washing off epic speeds lap after lap.
On the brief road loop – in nearby narrow roads and suburban traffic – the Porsche Cayman GT4 RS started to reveal some of its compromises.
There is a lot of road noise from the wide and sticky tyres (and the lack of sound deadening material).
And the suspension can get caught out by big bumps, delivering a large jolt and a loud thump. At first you’re worried you may have broken something.
Given cars such as the Cayman GT4 RS are likely only taken out for weekend track days, it’s exposure to rough roads will hopefully be somewhat limited.
On smooth sections of freeway the suspension is more bearable, though the novelty of the engine intake noise could wear off after a while.
| Key details | 2022 Porsche Cayman GT4 RS |
| Engine | 4.0-litre six-cylinder petrol |
| Power | 368kW @ 8400rpm |
| Maximum revs | 9000rpm |
| Torque | 450Nm @ 6750rpm |
| Drive type | Rear-wheel drive |
| Transmission | Seven-speed twin-clutch automatic |
| Power to weight ratio | 260kW/t |
| Weight | 1415kg |
| Brakes | 408mm x 36mm discs, six-piston calipers (front) 380mm x 30mm discs, four-piston calipers (rear) |
| Tyres | 8.5 x 20-inch wheels, 245/35 tyres (front) 11.0 x 20-inch wheels, 295/30 tyres (rear) |
| Turning circle | 11.4m |
Conclusion
Amid the buzz over electric vehicles, track-day heroes and performance fans will no doubt be thankful there are still cars like this.
While Porsche is going to continue to invest in and expand its electric car model range, it says there’s still plenty of life left yet in petrol power.
But this is a power of money for a car that will either become a future classic or a forgotten niche model.
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