2016 Porsche Cayman GT4: Holy Mother of Awesome

2016 Porsche Cayman GT4: Holy Mother of Awesome

Porsche’s mid-engined sports car is 18 years old. Having reached the age of majority, it is finally being allowed to strike out on its own this July. Back in 1996, the first Boxster was a cute, cheery, and relatively cheap addition to a stagnant product line. It and other bright ideas, including the Cayenne SUV, saved the company. Today the Boxster and its Cayman sibling have evolved beyond mere lineup entry points and that, plus Porsche’s enviable profitability, allows the brand to reconsider its long-running decree that the 911 must overpower the small mid-engined cars. So while the 911 further matures into a GT, Porsche gifts us with the ultimate Cayman, the GT4.

 thrilled that Porsche is loosening the Cayman’s reins so it can take full advantage of the mid-engine layout’s excellent balance and low polar moment of inertia, which give it a fundamental handling advantage over the rump-heavy 911. Porsche raided the 911 GT3’s closet for both the standard iron and optional carbon-ceramic brakes, as well as the electrically assisted steering hardware. Adaptive dampers from the GT3 are retuned to collaborate with the GT4’s softer rear springs. As in other streetable racers, the GT4’s giant rear wing cuts the view aft into hemispheres, but the slab is functional. Normal Caymans make lift at top speed, but the GT4 makes as much downforce as a GT3.

The 400-hp 3.8-liter flat-six from the 911 Carrera S gets a modified intake and block to accommodate the shoehorn installation in the middle of the Cayman. This more restricted airway, we’re told, limits the GT4 to 385 horsepower at 7400 rpm and 310 pound-feet of torque at 4750 rpm. But this, significantly, represents a 35-hp advantage over a base 911 Carrera. Dynamic mounts suspend the whole powertrain and can, in a fraction of a second, go from nearly rigid for improved handling to a looser, more comfortable setting while cruising. Like the GT3, the Cayman GT4 is available with only one transmission. Unlike the PDK-only GT3, though, the GT4 carries a six-speed manual from the Cayman GTS, but with an upgraded clutch and a lightweight, dual-mass flywheel.

A strut front suspension uses forged aluminum links with firmer connections than in base Caymans to improve chassis communication. At the rear, there’s an adjustable anti-roll bar. Sticky 20-inch Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires are wrapped around forged aluminum wheels.

Porsche claims that the car weighs no more than a 325-hp Cayman S, despite the larger engine and beefier suspension. Zero to 60 mph should take about four seconds, and the GT4 has the potential to cover a quarter-mile in 12.0 seconds. In other words, this $85,595 GT4 will be quicker than any 911 without a turbo or GT badge. Not bad for a teenager.