By Lee Sibley
2 years ago
Wednesday Want: Porsche 981 GT4
Remember when used 981 Caymans were knocking on the door of £100k? The same, brilliant car can now be had for £25k less, as Max Newman demonstrates…
The 981 Cayman GT4 was a huge hit with enthusiasts and journalists at launch, when it welcomed the return of the manual gearbox to Porsche’s GT range, and saw the mid-engined Porsche road car finally come of age.
Yet amongst the praise there was often a caveat around the lack of a motor with genuine GT pedigree. Unless you’re trading down from a GT3 I’d suggest that the 3.8 flat six DFI motor also seen in the 991.1 Carrera S is actually pretty fantastic and will deliver all the excitement you need, and more. Some would even say it's a more exciting and enjoyable companion than the four litre in the 718 GT4 which followed. The 981 is better looking than the 718 too.
Remember also – if it had a GT3 motor it would be GT3 money, so don’t feel short changed.
This example, spotted for sale at Paragon Porsche in the 9WERKS Classifieds this week, is a real showstopper. Sapphire Blue isn’t a natural choice for a GT car perhaps, but it looks stunning, especially with the Platinum Silver rather than more common black wheels. It shouts 'NC500', and road trip rather than track rat. Inside there’s a pleasing mix of alcantara and leather, the stunning 918 buckets, and brilliant PDLS.
Perfectly packaged for UK roads, with just under 10k miles on the clock this example is a car to be enjoyed and admired – especially if you missed out first time round when these same cars, unbelievably were pushing six figures.