Lee Sibley By Lee Sibley 2 years ago

10 Cayman GT4 RS facts you may have missed

Porsche has plenty to talk about at this week’s Los Angeles Auto Show, including world debuts of the Taycan GTS Sport Turismo and Panamera Platinum Edition. Still, it’s the new 718 Cayman GT4 RS that has hogged the headlines. 9WERKS brings you ten facts about the latest Rennsport you might have missed…

1) Power-to-weight matches a 992 GT3
The GT4 RS has a token 10hp deficit to a 992 GT3, but it is also 20kg lighter, so the two cars’ power-to-weight ratios are virtually identical. The Cayman musters one horsepower for every 2.83kg, while the 911 has 1hp per 2.81kg. How close will they feel on the road? We can’t wait to find out.

2) It will sound better than a GT3
The GT4 RS packs the same 3,996cc naturally aspirated flat-six as the 992 GT3 (“a pure race engine”, according to head of the 911 line, Dr Frank-Steffen Walliser). However, it promises to sound even more ferocious, thanks to ear-level intakes that replace the rear side windows. Inducted air is piped through the cabin to a custom airbox.

3) It revs 1,000rpm higher than a 718 GT4
Speaking of noise, the RS engine is redlined at a frenetic 9,000rpm – a full 1,000rpm higher than a Cayman GT4. The turbocharged four-cylinder 718 Cayman and Boxster models, by contrast, call time at 7,500rpm. Like all recent Rennsports, the Cayman is only available with a seven-speed PDK transmission. “It’s our best and fastest gearbox,” says Walliser.

4) It’s the first Cayman with a Weissach package
Walliser’s 918 Spyder was the first Porsche available with a track-focused Weissach package (named after the company’s famous R&D centre, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year). It then filtered down to the 991.2 GT3 RS, and now to the Cayman. For the GT4 RS, the £11,186 Weissach package includes unpainted carbon finish on the bonnet and rear wing, 935-style titanium tailpipes, a rear roll cage and Race-Tex trim on the dashboard.

5) Magnesium wheels are a £10,521 option
Feeling flush? If you choose the Weissach package, 20-inch forged magnesium wheels are an additional £10,521 option. They reduce unsprung weight by 10kg and come in various colours: Indigo Blue, Satin Neodyme (‘gold’ to most of us) or Satin Black with Racing Yellow rims.

6) The RS has 25 per cent more downforce than a 718 GT4
For all its visual chutzpah, Walliser insists the flagship Cayman’s design is “all about functionality”. A swan-neck rear spoiler, developed for the 911 RSR GT racer, allows for a larger surface area on the underside of the wing. Other aero mods include an adjustable splitter, front wheelarch vents and 30mm lower suspension (with a corresponding 30mm drop in the car’s centre of gravity). Find a racetrack, switch to Performance mode, and you have 25 percent more downforce than a GT4.

7) The badges are stickers to save weight
Porsche’s original road-going Rennsport was the 911 Carrera 2.7 RS of 1973. The first 200 cars were stripped-out Sport spec (factory code M471), with the Porsche crest on the bonnet substituted for a lightweight sticker. It’s a trick repeated by the Cayman GT4 RS, which uses stickers instead of enamel badges. Kerb weight is 1,415kg – 35kg less than a GT4 with PDK.

8) Porsche has also released the GT4 RS Clubsport
The GT4 RS is also offered in race-ready Clubsport guise. Porsche CEO Oliver Blume calls the Clubsport “a perfect playground for developing new technologies”, such as the renewable, flax-based fibres in its body panels. The cars may also be used to trial synthetic e-fuels, following the lead of 911 GT3 Cup racers in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.

9) It’s 992 Carrera GTS money
Dr Walliser describes the new GT4 RS as “a real action hero”. The big numbers (in case you've not yet heard) are 500hp, 450Nm, 0-62mph in 3.4 seconds, 195mph and a Nordschleife lap-time of 7min 4.5sec – 23.6sec swifter than a standard GT4. The final big number is £108,370, roughly speaking the same as a 992 Carrera GTS.

10) Owners can buy the matching GT4 RS watch
It seems no modern supercar is complete without a matching timepiece. Available exclusively to GT4 RS customers, the (deep breath) Porsche Design Chronograph 718 Cayman GT4 RS is yours for £9,290. Described as ‘the track tool for your wrist’, it’s also available in Weissach Package spec for £9,890. Whether the Weissach version weighs any less isn’t specified...

Article written by Tim Pitt for 9WERKS.