This means that the GT4 RS has extreme usable power, not some performance figure that exists on the track but that you’d never come close to reaching on curvy public roads. Its standard Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 N1 tyres stick to mountain roads with tenacity. Offerings from Ferrari and Lamborghini may hit triple digits only a couple of times over that very windy, hilly course, but this Porsche hit 100 mph-plus speeds repeatedly. Against all those quick cars – call it my control group – this one was faster than cars twice its price and horsepower. When testing cars of this calibre, I use a two-lane, mountainous road that gains 6000 feet (1830 metres) in elevation over 20 miles of tarmac that twists like a coiled serpent. (Bragging rights alert!) However, the mid-engine GT4 RS is lighter, nimbler, and more-direct – but less raw and generally more predictable. It’s actually the same inline-six boxer engine used by the far more expensive and arguably more prestigious 911 GT3. At 3227 pounds (1464 kg) – 49 pounds lighter than the 718 Cayman GT4 – the GT4 RS gets to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds and hits a top speed of 196 mph. Under the bonnet, the naturally aspirated engine offers 493 horsepower (362 Kw) with 331 pound-feet (449 Nm) of torque and spews gobs of power for the likes of such a lightweight car. The wing, derived from the Porsche Le Mans RSR race car, adds downforce in the car’s rear it can be manually adjusted to three settings, none of them good enough to mean the thing doesn’t block my sightline whenever I look in the rearview mirror. The ducts, developed by the NASA-precursor, National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, improve brake cooling. The slats, first used in the 991-generation GT3 RS but never on any model in the 718 range until now, reduce excess pressure on the wheel arch at high speeds, preventing lift. The GT4 RS has a particularly athletic look that has less visibility. I’d also suggest that Porsche lose those yellow lines around the tyre rims, but that’s another story.)
(A more grown-up colour than yellow, such as Arctic Grey, would improve its street appeal. The wheel arches on each front fender have vents with slats like a cheese grater two NACA duct air intakes cut up the hood and a fixed wing towers above the rear, with supports shaped like swan necks.īut far from just side-effects of a bad cosmetic kit, those details actually help make this vehicle wickedly fast. It was embarrassing how many wing-dings and gizmos were attached, as if someone in the design studio had thrown in the proverbial kitchen sink. Wild styleĪt first glance, the racing yellow GT4 RS I drove looked way over-styled.
#Gt4 garage editor how to#
And with substantial delays affecting all cars for the next few months, plus white-hot demand for this ultimate version of the 718 Cayman that will make dealership allocations disappear faster than Houdini, the main challenge will be how to get your hands on one. Although Porsche hasn’t limited production, this will be a low-volume car.
The noise of the engine is blasted into the cabin directly at ear height behind the driver’s and passenger’s seats. Even with extras added to the one I tested – things such as $US8000 ceramic composite brakes and $US360 yellow seat belts – the total came to $US162,600, which in this rarefied air is value for money. After the 992 Turbo S that I called the Best Car of 2020, this is the other Porsche I want for myself. On-track and off, the GT4 RS offers a smarter value and more extreme driving thrills than even racier 911 variants such as the $US161,000 GT3. It can be used at speeds of up to 37 mph (60km/h) and raises the ride height of the car by about 30 mm at the front axle, boosting ground clearance at the front spoiler lip by about 40 mm.Īfter driving one recently for three days in Los Angeles, I was drinking the Kool-Aid. That makes it easier for the car to cope with rude things such as speed bumps, garage entrances and ramps. It also adds an optional but all-important front axle lift system for the first time in the 718 series.
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