What's the news?
Porsche has taken the covers off the ultimate version of its 718 Cayman model, the GT4 RS, at the LA Auto Show. It's the first 718 to wear the fabled RS badge, and with its upgrades over the existing GT4 model, the RS is both the fastest and most extreme rendition of the Cayman yet.
What are the figures?
Get set for a numbers dump: 500hp, 4.0-litre flat six, 9,000rpm, 450Nm of torque, 1,415kg, 0-62mph in 3.4 seconds, 196mph top speed and a seven minute and nine second lap time around the 13-mile Nürburgring Nordschleife.
Compared to the standard GT4 - itself no slouch - the RS has an additional 80hp, is 35kg lighter, has 20Nm more torque, the ride height is lower and it's 23 seconds faster around the Nürburgring in the hands of test driver Jorg Bergmeister.
In short: it's pretty brisk.
How has it been done?
The first thing is the engine. The RS gets a version of the normally-aspirated 4.0-litre flat-six from the 992 GT3 coupled to a seven-speed dual-clutch PDK gearbox. That's mounted low-down in the centre of the car, driving the rear wheels.
More visible are the aerodynamic upgrades that provide the RS with, in some cases, as much as 25 per cent more downforce than a normal GT4. Starting from the rear, the big, fixed wing is the most noticeable with its air-flow optimised swan-neck attachments. A rear diffuser meets the underbody panelling that runs underneath the car, too. Though not for aerodynamics per se, ducts in place of rear quarterlight windows provide airflow to the engine while, at the same time making that screaming engine more audible inside the cabin. At the front, the diffuser is adjustable to the driver's downforce preferences and the front lip spoiler is new, as are the flow-around side blades.
Keeping the car and chassis stiff are ball-jointed parts, adjustable dampers, modified springs and tweaked anti-roll bars.
While the GT4 wasn't exactly portly, the 35kg weight saving comes as a result of the use of carbon-fibre reinforced plastic for the bonnet and wings. The rear window is lighter and inside, so are the door panels. Insulation has been stripped out too, and the use of netting and textile loops throughout the interior also help to eliminate excess weight.
So, what's the Weissach package?
If the RS didn't look and feel fast enough, the Weissach package adds a carbon-fibre weave to the bonnet, air intakes, mirrors and rear wing. There are titanium exhaust pipes and a titanium roll cage, too. The dashboard is upholstered in Race-Tex synthetic material, and 20-inch forged magnesium wheels are an option instead of the standard aluminium ones. Not a cheap one, though.
When can I have one?
According to Porsche, the first deliveries for the Cayman GT4 RS will begin in December with prices starting from £108,370.
David Mullen - 17 Nov 2021
