Behold: The N/A Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 And 718 Spyder
Here they are, the foremost petrolhead lust objects for 2019. Porsche has created the two cars we’ve all been expecting - the 718 Cayman GT4 and the 718 Spyder.
The most important thing to note? Three years after the Cayman and Boxster siblings switched to flat-four turbo engines, naturally-aspirated flat-sixes are back on the agenda.
Both cars share the same 4.0-litre unit. Interestingly, it’s not - as previously anticipated - a detuned version of the 911 Speedster’s engine, which is also expected to power the 992 911 GT3. Instead, it’s an enlarged adaptation of the 3.0-litre engine used in the 911 Carrera range, minus the turbochargers.
It revs to 8000rpm and develops 414bhp plus 310lb ft of torque, sending each of the cars from 0-62mph in 4.4 seconds. The GT4 tops out at 188mph, while the Spyder is all out of ideas at 187mph.
The acceleration figures may sound a little pedestrian compared to a lot of the sports cars that are kicking around right now, but there’s a good reason: Porsche GT’s latest creations - like the old Spyder and GT4 - each use six-speed manual gearboxes. Happy days.
In the suspension department, though, there’s a bit of a departure from the previous recipe. This time, the cars share the same chassis. The new, more focused setup involves standard-fit Porsche Active Suspension Management dampers and a hefty ride height drop of 30mm. The electronic aids have been rejigged to be less intrusive, and there’s also a torque vectoring system which works in tandem with a mechanical limited-slip differential.
The aero package on the 718 Cayman GT4 - which includes a new front splitter, rear diffuser and rear wing - increases downforce by 50 per cent. The Spyder inevitably does without the rear wing, but thanks to its own rear diffuser, it’s “the first model in the Boxster family to generate aerodynamic downforce at the rear axle,” Porsche says.
Should the heavens open, the Spyder has a manually-retracting roof which can be raised or lowered in “just a few steps.”
The brakes on both cars are beefier, but if you want, you can up the ante with a fade-resistant carbon ceramic option. Also on the menu (for the GT4 only) is a Clubsport package, which adds a half cage, fire extinguisher and a six-point harness for the driver.
We suspect you probably want one of these. That being the case, you’ll need to lay down £73,405 for the 718 Spyder, or £75,348 if you’d prefer the 718 Cayman GT4.
Comments
Not too sure about this but, i swear i’ve seen a post like this years ago.. maybe it’s just deja vu or the fact that they all look the same. HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
Finally a new Cayman GT4
That’s a dream car for sure!
Wow. Looks awesome.
So they took the 3.0 turbo, removed the turbos and added 1 litre of displacement? I wonder why they thought its easier to do than just stick in a detuned 4.0 from the GT3/Speedster…
It’s a shame the redline is “just” 8k rpm, not the 9k, but I just hope it still sounds as good as the GT3
Because if they used the GT3 motor it would’ve been more difficult to package since it was designed for rear engine cars and it would’ve driven the cost way up (forgot the specific reason but something to do with using the motor in the cup cars)
It might be worth considering the fact that if someone “retuned” their engine back to GT3 levels, the resulting mid-engined car would probably be quicker around a track than the actual GT3. Slightly cynical here but I don’t think Porsche would want that.
The GT4 is back
put the cayman’s wing over the spyder’s lip on the Boxster and I want one real bad
Gt4 has always been for me one of the most beautiful cars ever, but the new one looks EVEN BETTER!!!
Just imagine : With a remap, complete exhaust, sport cats, new filter and ipd plenum…around 500hp-470nm <3 It could give some cold sweat to 991 GT3/GT3-RS on tracks.
The rear of that 718 spyder is very nice
my goodness porsche just does wheels right. Is there a bad set out there?
I mean, I love boxer engines rumble on Subarus, but on a Porsche is very weird.
Those turbo 4 are awesome engines, but their sound doesn’t belong to a Porsche.
This new flat 6 should calm down Cayman/Boxster aficionados, since it’s a glorious return to an awesome sounding engine