718 Cayman GT4 RS quicker around Nürburgring than outgoing GT3 RS
There’s plenty of excitement brewing around Porsche’s upcoming 718 Cayman GT4 RS, and for good reason.
Building on the sensational GT4,a sports car that already comes stock full of Porsche’s best go-fast components, such as a high-revving 4.0-litre,naturally aspirated version of its famed horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine that already produces an amazing 414 horsepower and 309 lb-ft of torque,anda race-proven six-speed manual transmission,both of which are shared with the fabulous 911 GT3, the new 718 Cayman GT4 RS ups the ante with an estimated 500 horsepower (we’ll now more when the car is officially launched).
While shown here on a racetrack, it will of course be street-legal and available from Porsche Centre Vancouver, just like the rest of the 718 Cayman, Boxster and Spyder range. The new 718 Cayman GT4 RS, however, appears to make the most possible from the model’s optimal mid-engine,rear-wheel drive layout, and as part of its final testing and evaluation process, plus to tease us all with its potential, Porsche released some photos and a video showing a “lightly disguised”version of the sensational new “production car”attacking the “Green Hell”, otherwise known as the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
Amazing 718 Cayman GT4 R Slaps Nürburgring Nordschleife in just 7:04.511minutes
Verified with an in-car video(the engine sound and rush of blurred scenery is fabulous),as well as a notary, the new 718 Cayman GT4 RS, which was only upgraded with a racing seat, plus a set of track-optimized Michelin Pilot Cup 2R performance tires that are optionally available from Porsche, as well as the automaker’s optional PCCB carbon-ceramic brakes, and an available aerodynamic package that features an extended front splitter, a special sculpted hood,plusa massive rear wing,laid down a blistering official single lap of 7:04.511 minutes on the slightly shorter 20.6-km version of the track (the official portion used for all comparative laps), beating the current 718 Cayman GT4 by a whopping 23.6 seconds; the new model’s lap time over the fractionally longer 20.832-kilometre Nürburgring-Nordschleife circuit was 7:09.300 minutes.
This means the new 718 Cayman GT4 RS, in the hands of someone as skilled as Porsche development driver Jörg Bergmeister,is also quicker than the Mercedes-AMG GT R Pro, McLaren 720S, and, ahem, outgoing 991.2 version of the 911 GT3 RS, which “only”managed a 7:05.41-minute lap around the same arduous 20.6km(short) circuit.
"The 718 Cayman GT4 RS is an uncompromising driving machine,”said Bergmeister, who has logged more than 500 hours of 718 Cayman GT4 RS testing and tuning drives.“It feels as nimble as a go-kart on mountain roads, yet is impressively stable and well-balanced on the racetrack. Otherwise, such a lap time wouldn’t even be possible. The GT4 RS is one of the sharpest cars Porsche has ever developed. And you really have had to experience the breathtaking noise it makes for yourself.”
New 718 Cayman GT4 RS makes “a thrilling driving experience an absolute priority”
At least the world’s current fastest production car to lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife, Porsche’s 911 GT2 RS (991.2), remains substantively faster at 6:38.835 minutes, but at what is expected to be considerably less than half the price (the previous 991.2-era 2019 911 GT2 RS started at $334,000,compared to $116,000 for the current 718 Cayman GT4), the new 718 Cayman GT4 RS appears like a very compelling package.
“During development, we gave the 718 Cayman GT4 RS everything that characterises a genuine RS: lightweight construction, more downforce, more power and,of course, an even higher level of responsiveness and feedback to driver inputs,” said Directors GT Model Line, Andreas Preuninger. “The fantastic lap time of the Nordschleife is impressive proof of how clearly noticeable these improvements in driving dynamics are.Our customers can look forward to a pure driver's car that makes a thrilling driving experience an absolute priority.”
Story credits: Trevor Hofmann
Photo credits: Porsche