The Porsche Cayman GT4 is about to be usurped as the range-topping Cayman. Stuttgart is developing an even hotter RS model of its mid-engined sports car, and here are the latest pictures.
Andreas Preuninger, who heads up the GT department at Porsche, admitted there was potential above the GT4 for an even more focused road car. “There’s always room, if you create the room,” he said. “There are lots of ideas that we have at the moment, and the good point is we have a lot more ideas than we can really carry out and realize. But I would say, yes, sure. Stay tuned on this channel.”
The pictures show he’s making good on his promise. YNACA ducts at the front of the mid-engined GT4 RS snatch air for brake cooling, and Porsche engineers are also funneling extra air into the upgraded flat-six with louvers in the side rear windows. It’s a mean-looking thing, and the effect is only multiplied by that huge testing-spec wing on the back.
Porsche’s engine guru Markus Baumann said that pilfering the GT3’s parts bin would liberate tech to take the GT4’s flat six even further. Adding a dry sump, new valvegear and titanium internals would “enable this engine for more power and more revs”, he added. Chassis mods would be likely to include new tires, race-spec suspension components and new aero fixtures to create extra grip in corners.
Preuninger warned that this confection of high-tech parts would considerably raise the price of a potential GT4 RS over the regular car. “To give this engine more RPMs, you give it more components that become really costly,” he said. This alone poses a marketing and ethical conundrum for Porsche. It wouldn't want to push the Cayman too deeply into 911 territory.
Photo credit: Brian Williams, SpiedBilde