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The latest Cayman GT4 RS is the new flagship model in the 718 range. With 368kW, there's so much downforce, and it's so incredibly loud, you'll be transported to a universe of nirvana. News24 Motoring editor Janine Van der Post takes it for the ride of a lifetime.
Have you ever wondered what it's like being inside the belly of a beast? It probably feels like driving this new Cayman GT4 RS. Although, it's perhaps a more raucous version of the GT3 RS – if that's even possible since it's the exact same engine, the GT4 has a personality and characteristics that set it completely apart. It's also the first time the GT4 gets an RS badge, making it the most powerful 718 yet.
If you don't know too much about cars, the most important thing to know here is that this machine is powered by a naturally aspirated flat-six engine which revs as high as 9000rpm. It also makes a ridiculous 59kW more than its GT4 sibling.
Porsche is a brand that knows exactly what they're doing. When they were the first luxury brand to launch an SUV, the world thought they were barking mad. Now, the Cayenne is one of its most popular models all over the world.
Or what about when they created the four-door Panamera, and purists wanted to slit their wrists with a plastic spoon as they thought, "what are the honchos at the mothership trying to do?" Yet, it too, is still a massive success.
The automaker knows how to build timeless classics and create a better version of its existing models every single time. I could waffle on about the legacy of the 911 forever, too, but let's get back to this beautiful monster at hand.
As Andreas Preuninger, director of the GT model range, says about the GT4 RS: "It's so much fun on the street, and it's very capable on the race track." It's not a word of a lie.
When I drove the Cayman GT4 in 2020, I wrote: "You have no choice but to be involved with this car; it pulls you in and meshes into your soul, uniting you as one with the machine that it is. The resonant, continuous drone of the engine becomes your own heartbeat and makes you want to keep driving on an endless road."
REVIEW | The Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 is a car for the purists
How, then, do I put into words that the GT4 RS is, in a way, even better? I am always objective, even when it's very difficult to point out any flaws in a new car. But something just happens to your soul when you slide behind the steering wheel, but let me stop waxing lyrical and tell you about the vehicle.
There's a heck of a lot more downforce in this GT4 RS compared to its sibling, the GT4, and possibly even the GT3 RS too. And with more downforce, the car feels much more planted on the road – giving you more confidence to push it to its limits on some of the Cape's best mountain passes.
Downforce allows a vehicle to travel faster by increasing the vertical force on the tyres and, in essence, creating more grip, which makes cars like this feel so comfortable on the road when you're giving it horns. Porsche had given the vehicle to News24 Motoring for the day to drive on a route less travelled. Perfect conditions for a perfectly irrational car with wide open roads. If heaven had a feeling, it would be this.
There are a few things to know about this car before you drive it. And they are the kind of things that get a purist as excited as a little child at Christmas. It's a race car built to excel on track but also road-legal enough for the most exhilarating and fun you can have.
Known as the king of the compact mid-engine range, the GT4 RS makes 368kW and 450Nm. It has a claimed fuel consumption of 13.2 litres per 100km. During my test drive, my figures reached about 13.7 litres per 100km on the more spirited driven part.
On the more relaxed drive back to the Porsche Centre in Cape Town after a few hours behind the wheel, I managed to bring the reading down to 10.1 litres per 100km, which is quite good. But fuel consumption never really matters to sports car owners anyway. On the Nürburgring Nordschleife, it outperforms its sibling, the 718 Cayman GT4, by more than 23 seconds. If you're a Formula One fan, you'll know exactly just how much seconds matter when it comes to speed, and just how much faster 23 seconds actually is.
Bigger brakes and ceramic disks, spherical ball joints, magnesium wheels for the Weissach model and forged steel wheels for the standard mode are all significant enhancements. There are also tighter springs and new dampers. The adjustable suspension also allows you to change things like the camber and the ride height, to mention a few, to get the best cornering performance.
It has a highly improved drivetrain and dry sump lubrication, a front wing that protrudes a bit more, and new front fenders made of carbon fibre that extract the air out of the massive wheel wells. The latter is just part of the extensive aerodynamic enhancements made for this model. Then there's also the new rear wing, which uses the "swan-neck" support, which creates better balance and helps with more downforce.
While this car is easy enough for anyone to drive, those who really know their stuff can opt to turn off the electronic stability control and the traction control buttons. However, you really need to have a good driving skill set because with these functions turned off, you're more than likely to let the tail out and go for a spin.
You also need to ensure you know what every button around the gear lever is for. When you hit the PDK sport button, up- and downshifts are optimised for the racetrack, which means you don't even need to use the gear lever or paddle shifts. You point and drive, or instead give foot and steer. The car does all the rest, which means you can go flat out without worrying about changing gears.
For those who don't know, PDK means Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe, which directly translates to Porsche dual-clutch transmission – in layperson's terms, the car already gets the next gear ready before you even have to do it yourself, making for absolutely seamless gear shifts.
Even if you're not going to drive on the racetrack, South Africa has many incredible driving routes with vast open roads where the suspension button could come into play. Hit the button when in Sport mode, and the dampers will stiffen, allowing for more extraordinary cornering performance by maintaining the tyres' contact with the road – best for mountain passes and roads with lots of twisty S-bends.
The last time I was in a Porsche Renn Sport (RS) model, my driving partner and I were screaming at each other in conversation over the sonorous melody of the engine. I thought I would have difficulty hearing my passenger this time since the GT4 RS is so much louder. But I didn't hear my partner, only because we weren't really talking much. All we wanted to do was listen to that thunderous symphony as my right foot stayed on the throttle. Gosh darn it, it's simply magnificent.
Pressing the exhaust button opens the valve flaps in the exhaust, making the car even louder. Accompanied by a new diffuser underneath, the car and a new underbody, which helps the stream velocity to be faster and also helps with downforce.
The most fascinating highlight and addition to this car – and a first in the 718 range – is the air intake, which now replaces the little rear windows. These air intakes for the GT3 engine is supported in the middle of the car. The processed air enters through these intakes and goes through ducts to a visible intake system which blows out right behind the driver's ear. Talk about sweet rumblings serenading your heart through a megaphone. This system naturally amplifies the incredible sound of the car.
There's a lot more to say about the GT4 RS, and while on paper it seems better than the GT3 RS and sounds louder, too, it somehow seems a lot more refined than its sibling. I can't decide which one I'd prefer. If I had the means to buy a little piece of heaven on earth, the GT4 RS pricing starts from R2 556 000. But if I had that kind of money, I'd probably have enough to buy both versions – the GT3 for the daily commute (yes, I know, ridiculous), and the GT4 RS when you want to let your hair down, and well, give it horns.
