For its final act, Porsche removes the muzzle from the 718 Cayman, using the 911 GT3’s engine to incredible effect
Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS gets the engine it always deserved
Though you can’t see the engine, you can certainly hear it. You hear every part of it, in fact. You hear it gulping in air behind you and you can feel the resonance of the intake sound in your shoulder blades. The 4.0L flat six is a stone-cold killer of an engine. It idles with the same nervous energy as a race car. The engineers seemingly care as much about NVH as Trump cares about his blood sugar. The RS makes 79 hp more than a GT4 for a grand total of 493. I repeat, just shy of 500 naturally-aspirated horsepower in a lightweight 718. That peak power arrives at a spine-tingling 8,400 rpm! Peak torque is a less-impressive 331 lb-ft, which comes in at a lofty 6,750 rpm. The RS hits peak torque before most engines have hit peak horsepower. The engine is the undisputed star of the show but there’s more to the RS than the loud lump in the middle.
718 Cayman GT4 RS aerodynamics and chassis
The bodywork of the car front front to back has been altered for better aerodynamic performance. The front wheel wells are ventilated on the top and the trailing edges of the wheel wells are chamfered to aid in exhausting high pressure air. The massive rear wing uses a swan-neck design to allow the active surface of the wing (the underside) to be unmarred by supports which would have reduced its aero effect. And though you can’t really see them from the outside, there are massive diffusers front and rear underneath the car to stick it to the ground at high speed.
The chassis is also heavily reworked for the RS variant. The RS uses unique dampers and sway bars, both of which are much more firm than you’d find on a cooking-grade Cayman. Topping it off you get 20-inch centre-lock wheels. The RS model is the only one in the 718 lineup where you can pair centre lock wheels with the 718.
Our test model was equipped with the Weissach Package, which is a hardcore performance package on an already hardcore performance car. The Weissach pack costs an additional $15k on top of the $188,800 MSRP for the RS (which does not include the $2,850 delivery fee). The Weissach package trims many of the car’s external pieces like mirror caps and rear wing in carbon fibre for further weight savings. Our car was also equipped with the optional magnesium lightweight wheels for an extraordinary $17,840! Don’t curb them.
European exclusive features of the 718 Cayman GT4 RS
This European test car has a few differences from the GT4 RS that you can (still) buy in Canada. In Europe, ordering the Weissach pack gets you a super cool rear roll bar that ties into the chassis behind your head. In North America adding safety items like this is pretty much impossible so our cars go without. Another interesting feature we can’t get is the radio delete package this car had! Up front, you won’t find a touchscreen, just an empty cubby. This saves a few pounds and adds to the no-nonsense vibe in the interior, but here in Canada, all cars must be sold with a rearview camera which necessitates a screen. Thus, you can’t NOT have a radio in Canada. But even if this car had a radio, you wouldn’t be able to hear it.
Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS is a complete sensory experience
On the road, the sound is completely enveloping. At low speeds you can hear gear whine from the PDK double-clutch transaxle and as speeds rise, you hear more and more of that glorious engine. Like most Porsche models, the RS has a selectable two-mode exhaust but on this car the two settings you can choose from are: incredibly loud and another one which is somehow even louder. The “loud”setting is so raucous that it’s fairly antisocial to use it anywhere but a racetrack. You will be heard for miles in any direction at 9,000 rpm.
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