Porsche 718 Cayman GTS

90 percent of a GT4 for $35K less? Yes please

- Alexin Wood

ENGINE 3995cc flat-6, DOHC, 32v

POWER 294kW @ 7000rpm

TORQUE 420Nm @ 5000-6500rpm

0-100KM/H 4.5sec (claimed)

WEIGHT 1405kg

PRICE $172,400 4.5 Rating

LIKE: Fizzy atmo six; sweet-shifting ‘box; chassis balance; perfect ergonomics

DISLIKE: Gear ratios still too long; heavier than old GTS; scabby warranty

RARELY HAVE ADMISSIONS of wrongdoing been so emphatic. Or sounded so good. Three years after controversially dumping the Cayman’s aspirated six pots in favour of turbocharged flat-fours, Porsche has unashamedly raised its hand and reverted to its original recipe.

Welcome, dear readers, to the new Cayman GTS, a near-perfect sports car that takes the howling 4.0-litre flat-six first seen in the Cayman GT4 and plonks it into a package that’s more comfortable, almost as capable and costs close to 20 per cent less.

The centrepiece of this car is, as you’d expect, the engine. It’s mechanically identical to the unit found in the Cayman GT4, meaning it’s a stroked and bored development of the 911 Carrera’s 9A2 3.0-litre with the turbos removed. Peak torque is the same as the GT4, at a healthy 420Nm between 5000-6500rpm, with the GTS’s only powertrain concession coming via a slightly different ECU tune that sees it produce 15kW less than the GT4. Still, a peak power figure of 294kW at 7000rpm is hardly limp-wristed in a car weighing 1405kg. Porsche claims 0-100km/h in 4.5sec – a tenth quicker than the outgoing model – and a 293km/h top speed.

Completing the refreshingly old school recipe is a sweet-shifting six-speed manual, which is currently the only transmission available. A version with a seven-speed dual-clutch will start production at the end of 2020.