Porsche Cayman GTS
Porsche’s mid-engine Cayman coupe has nipped at the heels of the 911 in terms of dynamics almost since the day it was created, and now that tiff may be about to break out into al all-out fistfight. A Motor Trend report suggests Porsche is working on a super-high-performance Cayman variant along the lines of the hard-core 911 GT3—and that it’ll likely be called GT4.
While a potential Cayman GT4 makes sense in a vacuum, in the context of Porsche’s current lineup, it’s a bold move. That’s because Porsche has been extremely careful to keep the Cayman’s output figures and performance just beneath those of the 911. We’ve said it before and we’ll said it again: The Cayman can handle much more gusto than it’s been given. And it appears the GT4 would finally tap that potential while breaking through the Porsche’s glass performance ceiling.
While it’s easy to surmise a GT4 would boast more power and higher handling limits than the already hot-to-trot Cayman S and recently revealed Cayman GTS, just how it will reach those metrics is a mystery. MT speculates the GT4 could use a turbo-four/hybrid setup inspired by the 919 race car’s powertrain, but that seems a bit far-fetched to us.
- 2014 Porsche Cayman S PDK Test: What Our Childhood Selves Hoped a 911 Would Be
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- Porsche Cayman Research: Full Pricing, Specs, Reviews, and More
More likely is that the GT4 would retain flat-six-cylinder power, perhaps getting an uprated version of the 3.4-liter unit in the Cayman S, where it currently makes 325 horsepower. (That engine is also in the 350-hp base 911 Carrera, while the Cayman GTS gets a 340-hp version.) Of course, the 400-hp 3.8-liter six from the 911 Carrera S would be nice. Regardless, a potential Cayman GT4 should be an absolute hoot to drive, what with 350 horsepower (or more) onboard. It’s unknown exactly how soon we could see this mightiest of Caymans, although it could be as little as a year away.
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/1ntphOg
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