CAYMAN GT4 IS A GO

Porsche drops a 385hp 3.8-litre flat-six engine into its baby sports car

Isn’t the GTS good enough?

The GTS version of the Cayman is certainly one of the best sports cars you can buy on a 10 million baht budget.

But apparently Porsche isn’t content with that, and has gone the extra mile by making an even madder version — the GT4, as seen here in official pictures before its world premiere in Geneva next month.

Porsche believes customers want to take their Caymans onto the racetrack and has thus made the GT4. But it’s also usable for the daily grind, explaining why carbonceramic brakes or bucket seats made with carbon-fibre-reinforced plastics are available options.

Design features distinguishing the GT4 from other Caymans include more pronounced air vents up front, a fixed rear wing and bespoke wheels.

While the ride height in the GTS has dropped by 20mm over the regular Cayman, it is 30mm lower in the GT4.

It surely must have a wonderful engine to match ...

You bet. Courtesy of the 911 Carrera S, the GT4 gets the 3.8-litre naturally aspirated flat-six engine but tweaked to 385hp achieved at 7,400rpm. Some chassis components have also been carried over into the GT4 from the 911 GT3 to cope with such power. As a result, the GT4 sprints from 0-100kph in 4.4sec before topping out at 293kph. The GTS, equipped with a 340hp 3.4-litre flat-six, has credentials of 4.6sec and 285kph.

Hope there’s a PDK auto available ...

Sorry mate, the GT4 only comes with a sixspeed manual gearbox. Porsche simply says the PDK seven-speed dual-clutch automatic isn’t available.

That’s quite ironic because Porsche refuses to offer a manual gearbox in either the 911 Turbo road rocket or the 911 GT3 purist sports car, both of which come with just the PDK auto.

It would probably make more sense to let buyers make the decision themselves by offering both the manual and automatic gearboxes.

True. How much will the GT4 cost?

Porsche hasn’t announced Thai pricing yet. But in the UK, the GT4 commands a premium of some 10% over the GTS.

That means if you’ve managed to obtain a GTS in Thailand at 9 million baht, expect to pay 1 million more for the GT4.