Porsche has confirmed under no uncertain terms that there will be a 718 Cayman GT4 RS model. This comes after many months of testing camouflaged mule cars (with accompanied spy shots) which had long hinted that the GT4 RS was going to be a real thing – we finally know that this will indeed be the case. Porsche has stated that they are in the process of wrapping up the final stages of testing.
As part of the first phase of this official news, Porsche has released the first sans-camo photographs of the car. Beyond that, not much is really known about the GT4 RS – that information will be revealed in November, when the car is scheduled to have its full unveiling ceremony. However, we do know one very important thing for sure: it set a blistering lap time of 7:04.511 at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. This is some 23.6 seconds quicker than the 718 Cayman GT4, suggesting that virtually no part of the car was spared the ‘RS’ treatment.
The GT4 RS will come equipped with a 4.0L naturally-aspirated flat-6, though Porsche has not yet provided any horsepower figures. Besides being obviously more than that of the GT4, many media outlets are predicting that it could make as much as 500 hp, especially considering the measurable gap in their ‘Green Hell’ lap times. Other telling differences can be spotted visually, with the GT4 RS being subject to the customary aerodynamic transformation. This includes a more aggressive front splitter, front fender vents, and a swan-neck rear wing (similar to that of the 992 GT3).
As the ultimate performance model in the 718 range, the GT4 RS will likely follow suit with other existing ‘RS’ models and come exclusively with the PDK transmission. Those who would prefer to opt for a manual transmission will probably have to look at the regular GT4, or wait for Porsche to release some sort of 911R-equivalency for the GT4 RS. On similar grounds, the possibility of a Boxster Spyder RS is also highly unlikely.
Lastly, pricing; yes, we’re still waiting for more details on this subject as well, and it could be a particularly tricky one to predict in the meantime. Needless to say, the GT4 RS is not only well within 911 territory, but it is also just steps away from infringing on the latest GT3. It’s obviously not going to be priced the same as the latter – that would be marketing suicide – but it may as well come pretty close. It’ll be somewhere between the price of a GT4 ($100,200 USD) and GT3 ($161,100 USD), likely on the higher end. Our guess would be a base price of around $140,000 USD. We look forward to providing more details as they become available.
