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Ever since the Porsche came and first came out there were rumors flying around that Porsche would never let it truly flourish in case it outshone it's bigger more expensive brother, the 9 11.
Porsche says this isn't true, it was simply too busy making things like the GT3, GT3RS, RSR racecars and fast things like that.
They said they didn't have the manpower to make the Cayman truly sing.
They found the manpower now though.
Meet the Cayman GT4.
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Well they say this won't have the manpower but anyway this is the hardcoriest Cayman money can buy.
It's got a 3.8 liter, 380 horsepower, 310 pound foot motor from a 911 Carrera S in its middle And the option to have [UNKNOWN]
brakes and even the seats from the 918 Spider.
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[UNKNOWN] reckons 80% of the people that buy its GT cars take them out as circuit.
As such, the GP [UNKNOWN] is ready for Spanking.
For example, its brakes and adjustable suspension are borrowed from the 911 GT3.
Its [INAUDIBLE] lower than a standard Cayman and its front track is 13 [INAUDIBLE] wider.
There's also a very expensive optional club sport package.
And that gets you six point harnesses, a fire extinguisher, and a rear Essentially, even though this is based on the lowly, lowly, Cayman, Porsche's not cocking about.
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It weighs in at 1,340 kilos, the same as a Cayman GTS.
That's down to the 500 different components used to beef up the GT4 to GT levels of silliness.
Interestingly Porsche is currently only offering the GT4 with three pedals and a stick shift.
The gearbox is the same one you get in a normal Cayman, but the levers been ever so slightly shortened for a better shift, and that's a good thing.
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Unlike the GTS which is very very good, but is essentially a bit more Power and a few trim bit, the GT4 is, well, it's the hardcore Cayman.
It's the one that people have been asking for since the Cayman first came out.
And hopefully, Porsche learned a bit of a lesson because when this car was announced they were pretty much all salt.
You can't buy one of these now, for love nor money.
So, fingers crossed, in time for the next generation Cayman, they'll let a few more out of the gate from the off.
Headline figures on the Cayman GT4 are understandably very pleasant.
Not to 62 takes 4.4 seconds, and it tops out at 183 miles an hour, so it's not slow.
In fact, it's quick enough to trouble a 911.
Something I never thought Porsche would allow to happen.
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So then what is the greatest Porsche Cayman in the world ever like to drive?
First off, here are a few standouts.
The gear box makes perfect sense in this car.
Not only to add the overall experience, you feel so much more in Control.
I never really get on with Porsche's manual clutches because they're a little bit too high.
And it is a touch heavy.
So in traffic it can be hard work.
However, while I respect the person that drives one of these in town.
In traffic on a daily basis.
Because, it's a bit heavy going.
Still, doesn't matter, when you're flying along the road.
[INAUDIBLE] You just feel so in sync with the car.
You feel in sync with the machine.
It makes perfect sense.
The ratios, however, are a little bit long.
I think it's more for autobahn purposes than, say, Welsh mountain road purposes because, yeah, by the time you're in third Europe motorway speeds.
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[SOUND] It is amazingly fast, this thing.
And there's that glorious three point eight liter engine set just behind your head, your chest, and your stomach.
We already knew that because the standard And the GTS so bloody good?
But you knew there was always that little bit extra in there.
That little bit extra that could unlock so much more.
And in this, you have it.
The suspension is a little bit hard [INAUDIBLE] but if you buy a GT car, you're probably not going for super soft and super comfy.
You get so much feedback through every facet of this thing.
And the throttle response, again, beautiful.
Just plant your foot, and off you go.
No delay, and of course, you get the noise.
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The brakes are beautiful.
They're stunning to work Cuz they're so easy to modulate.
Such a smooth action.
There's so much there.
They're not grabby, they're not overservoed.
Handling is where this car really does excel though.
It's one of those cars again where you have to work so hard to make it do anything stupid.
And driving this on public roads as we are now by the time we get to that kind of speed.
Well we should probably be in prison or something.
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Press the sport button, the whole car comes alive just that one step further.
The steering feels a little heavier, throttle sharper.
And you even get a little bit of The downshift will blip for you so you don't go down and muck it up yourself.
So we're in fourth now, drop it down to third and it blips for you.
It wants you to be perfect, it wants you to be fast and it wants you to feel involved in the process.
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People saying about the GT3 that you could live with it on a daily basis.
I disagree fervently.
It was too much space, and it was too boom.
And you couldn't have a conversation with someone driving along the road, it just gets lost in the big expanse in the back.
Whereas in this, take it out of sport, stick the shutter back into normal, Could even turn the noise button off, and it becomes not much louder than a normal Cayman.
This may actually be my perfect car.
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There are a couple of things that really do irk me about it, though.
These seats, carbon fiber buckets like what you get in the 918 Hyper car.
I'm not really looking forward to the drive back to London.
Cuz I think my spine might fall out.
Rear visibility, because of the enormous wing which works as a proper down forcey thing, well, you can't really see out the back.
And this car doesn't have parking sensors.
Other than that, I love this thing.
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Having spent a bit of time with it and other Caymans, the first generation and now this one, and the Lotus 911, I can safely say They say this is one of the best cars Porsche has made.
It's so good because it's hardcore, but it's not too hardcore.
It's not difficult to drive, but it's a bugger to master.
But when you get all the bits right, when everything happens as you want it to, fewer cars make me feel as happy and smiley as this one It's not the fastest car in the world, but it's got just the right amount of interesting to make it one of the best.
I'm so pleased that Porsche finally bit the bullet and made a proper Cayman because they did it right.
It's not too much, it's not too little.
It's not soft and squidgy and it's not gonna hurt you if you wanna go over a speed bump or a slightly bumpy road.
The noises bang on.
The acceleration is [UNKNOWN] as well.
It's quick man.
But it doesn't go too quickly, so it's not overwhelming.
Like you get in, say, a super car or a GT3.
It's sports car, and it's a properly engaging one.
All the elements are there to make it perfect.
What the G24 shows isn't just that Porsche now lets its babies be faster than fast, but that it listens.
For every purist who's had a pop at the Cayenne or the Panamera, there's a person at Porsche that knows that for some, a shielded [UNKNOWN] or SUV isn't what cuts it.
They know what the people want, and now they know the people are gonna buy it.
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It's the details that make the GT-40 what it is.
The manual gearbox, obviously, that incredible engine, the pull-cord door Handles, red seatbelts, the racing details, all those little things that add up to create a truly spectacular package.
There's a sporting purity to this thing that's becoming increasingly rare.
In reality it is probably not as fast as it could be.
Realistically a PDK would make it quicker to 62, more efficient and all that.
Yes it is the fastest Cayman you can but but it is not the fastest ever and there is a reason for that.
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Because what's the point?
If you want a really quick Porsche, there's plenty to choose from.
There's Turbos, Turbo Ss, GT3RS, and 918 if you can get your hands on one.
And they're all incredibly fast cars, ruthlessly so, but the GT4, while it is Very quick indeed.
It's also designed to appeal to the driver in you.
Not the one that wants necessarily to be the fastest, but the one that wants to be more involved, to feel every part of the drive.
The saying goes ask and you shall receive.
And guess what?
We are and now we've received.
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