The forthcoming Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS
has been spotted running tests once again, this time at the venerable
Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit in Germany. This will build upon the
specification and as a result, performance of the 718 Cayman GT4, which arrived
with a 4.0 litre, naturally aspirated flat-six engine producing 420 PS at 7,600
rpm and 420 Nm of torque between 5,000 rpm and 6,800 rpm.
Drive will go to the rear wheels, as is
typical for a GT department Porsche, though here the GT4 RS can be seen through
the windscreen to sport shift paddles behind its steering wheel – this will be
for a dual-clutch PDK transmission in place of the six-speed manual in the
‘standard’ GT4.
The engine in the GT4 RS is expected to
output in the region of 450 PS, which is a comfortable middle ground between
the GT4 and the 911 GT3 which sports 500 PS from a similarly-sized engine. This
should be a development of the 9A2 Evo engine, as head of Porsche GT car
Andreas Preuninger has said before that the 911 GT3 engine would not fit into
the mid-engined Cayman.
Chassis revisions will likely be uprated
springs and dampers relative to the Cayman GT4 in order to handle higher-speed
track driving, with the larger rear wing offering greater downforce on the GT4
RS. Further aero revisions feature on the bonnet with NACA ducts, while the
rear side windows have been replaced with additional intakes on top of the existing
side scoops.
Though the Cayman GT4 and its open-topped
sibling, the Boxster Spyder has been offered from launch exclusively with
manual transmission, the duo will have the PDK dual-clutch gearbox available to
buyers as well by the end of this year, with the Cayman GT4 RS debut likely to
be around the same time.
