In its range-topping GT4 guise, the Porsche 718 Cayman packs a naturally aspirated four-liter I6 engine coupled with a six-speed manual transmission. The nominal output of 420 hp (313 kW) and 420 Nm (310 lb-ft) of torque enables it to accelerate from standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.4 seconds before maxing out at 304 km/h (189 mph).
In this configuration, the Cayman actually comes precariously close to its senior sibling – the 911 – in terms of both dynamics and price. It even runs the Nürburgring lap in 7m 30s (2s faster than the 2007 Porsche 911 GT2 997). The newest-gen 911 Carrera S 992 finishes the lap in 7m 25s. And now it looks like the situation may change again, since car spotters have discovered what looks like the new Cayman GT4 RS.
Insofar as we can judge based on the photos, the newcomer sports gill-like air intakes instead of the rear side windows, even more intakes on the engine lid, and a large rear wing.
The technical specs remain a mystery at the moment. For one thing, we don’t know whether the alleged GT4 RS will ship with manual transmission (like the normal GT4) or take advantage of the PDK robotic gear. Since all RS models are primarily optimized for racetrack performance, semi-automatic transmission makes perfect sense because it switches faster than any pro driver does. And, if we are to believe the witnesses of the test drive, the car did sound like it had the PDK transmission when it shifted into higher gears.
We take it for granted that the new Cayman will also benefit from numerous chassis and drivetrain improvements.
On a related note, the Porsche Cayman and Boxster will soon be getting Touring versions based on a trimmed-down variant of the GT4 powertrain.