The 380bhp Porsche Cayman GT4 Is The Mid-Engined Spawn Of A 911 GT3

You can’t help but wonder if Porsche’s top brass have been getting sick of all those accusations about how the Cayman is purposefully ‘held back’ to keep it from treading on the toes of the 911. People have been saying it for years, so perhaps this, the Cayman GT4, is Stuttgart’s way of saying ‘stick that in your pipe and smoke it’. And - my word - has Porsche gone to town on its mid-engined sports car.

As the rumours have been suggesting, it’s packing a 3.8-litre flat-six derived from the same lump found in the back of the 911 Carrera S. Here, it’s good for 380bhp at 7400rpm and 310lb ft of torque between 4750 and 6000rpm, a huge increase over the current quickest Cayman - the 335bhp GTS.

It’ll do 0-62mph in just 4.4 seconds, top out at 183mph, and lap the Nurburgring in 7 minutes and 40 seconds. Oh, and forget about dual-clutch gearboxes, the GT4 sticks with a six-speed manual box to send its power rearwards - there’s no PDK ‘box available.

If you were a tad upset about the 911 GT3 going paddle-shift only, this manual-only ethos might pique your interest, and the good news for GT3 lovers doesn’t end there: the GT4’s chassis is festooned in bits from the aforementioned track-focused 911. Porsche states that the GT4 shares “components and genetic spirit” with the 911 GT3.

The aero side of things has received a jolly good fettle, too, with three air inlets in the nose and a big wing at the back. The whole aero package is said to reduce lift while increasing downforce.

Inside, there’s a new steering wheel and a pair of Alcantara-clad chairs, but if that’s not because racecar enough, Porsche will swap them for two super-supportive carbonfibre reinforced plastic seats.

Pricing up your vital organs and want to know the full damage? The GT4 will set you back £64,451. Not cheap, but considering the lowest-priced 911 is over £73k and the GT3 £100k, you could almost call it a bargain…