CAYMAN 718 GT4 RS POWERS UP

Scorching 368kW GT4 RS model unleashed

- ANDY ENRIGHT

FOR ALMOST AS long as we can remember, Porsche has somewhat crippled the Cayman. That’s not to say that the mid-engined coupe isn’t a great car, it’s just that Zuffenhausen is fully aware of the position of the iconic 911 within its sports car firmament and has long ensured that the Cayman doesn’t encroach unduly onto its patch. With the impending release of the first RS-badged Cayman, the gap between the two models has undoubtedly closed. That an RS-badged Cayman was on its way has been one of the worst-kept secrets in the performance car world, with relatively undisguised prototypes being a regular fixture at the Nordschleife. We even had a Porsche dealer in Brisbane take to Instagram in 2017 canvassing for deposits, somewhat letting that particular cat out of the bag.

The full details of the new car have yet to be revealed but the car has been officially announced and we have a jaw-dropping Nürburgring lap time to chew on. With Jörg Bergmeister at the wheel, it did a full 20.832-kilometre lap in 7m09.3s, and the old 20.6km industry benchmark (minus the short straight at T13) in 7m04.511s, a massive 23.6 seconds faster than the 718 Cayman GT4.