Drive - School Of Fast

The knob on the Cayman GTS’ steering is set to Sport+, and despite being a mid-engined sportscar, its electronic aids feel sufficiently curtailed to allow for a bit of mischief.

- Parth Charan

The 2.5-litre in-line-four engine behind me sizzles with volcanic heat, having run on full chat for the better part of the day, while the ambient cabin temperature serves as a total contrast to the cold winter evening outside. Watching the sun set while on a racetrack is a particularly gratifying view, one that confirms that the day has been spent performing the best form of labour known to man: driving a fast car on a fast track.

Porsche’s 718 series isn’t exactly the fastest range in its fleet. Viewed from the cocktail-glass-shaped tower at the official Porsche Test Track in Leipzig, Germany, the pit lane appears to be littered with Skittles shaped like some of the most pedigreed sportscars on the planet. But it takes a particularly skilled hand to complete a maiden lap on this track behind a rear-engined 911 GT3 RS; so, for the uninitiated, a few 718s seem to be the best way forward. Porsche’s popular Boxster and Cayman models recently downsized their engines from a flat-six to a more economical 2.0-litre one, while the S and GTS variants of both were bored out to 2.5-litres. Much brouhaha ensued among pitchfork-wielding purists, but the fact remains that with power figures ranging from 296 to 345bhp (the S and GTS boast the latter) the 718s are still pretty quick cars.