2022 Porsche Cayman GT4 RS Features 911 GT3 Power in Amazing Package
The 2022 Porsche Cayman GT4 RS features its big brother’s powerplant and a big price tag, but breathtaking performance.
The 718 Porsche Cayman GT4 has been around for a while now, performing well enough on the road and on the track to make a lot of people question whether or not they need to spend more money for a 911. Now, the long-awaited RS variant has finally arrived, and it’s going to make a lot of people question whether or not they really need a 911 GT3, mainly because the 2022 Porsche Cayman GT4 RS utilizes the very same powerplant as it’s big brother. And Rennlist was on hand to check out this amazing new machine at the 2021 L.A. AutoMobility show.
Yes, that powerplant – Porsche’s glorious naturally-aspirated, 4.0-liter flat-six, which cranks out 493 horsepower in this guise – 10 less than the 911 GT3 – due to a longer exhaust system that results in more back pressure – but 79 more than the Cayman GT4. Revving to a lofty 9,000 rpm, we already know that this powerplant sounds as amazing as anything else out there in the world today, but Porsche promises that the GT4 RS will present “the most intense sound ever in a GT car.”
While this is great news for purists, there is some bad news – the 2022 Porsche Cayman GT4 RS won’t be available with a manual transmission, like the regular GT4. There is a reason for this – Porsche says that it doesn’t currently have a manual gearbox in its parts bin that can be mounted mid-ship that will also handle the power of the 4.0-liter flat-six.
On the bright side, the seven-speed PDK dual-clutch provides blazing performance – a Porsche-estimated 3.2 seconds to reach 60 miles-per-hour (0.5 seconds faster than the PDK-equipped GT4), with a top speed of 196 miles-per-hour. Those numbers are also aided by a 49-pound weight loss down to 3,227 pounds, which is achieved by using carbon fiber reinforced plastic fenders and cooling ducts. The optional Weissach Pack, as seen here, adds a carbon fiber front hood, door mirror caps, upper and lower side air intakes, and rear wing element.
The new Cayman GT4 RS rides 1.2 inches lower than the regular GT4 and features a host of suspension revisions including new Bilstein dampers, revised spring and anti-roll bar rates, ball-jointed suspension mountings, and standard cast iron brakes or optional PCCB carbon-ceramic discs. The whole thing rolls on a set of 20-inch forged aluminum wheels with center locks.
On the outside, the RS features a host of additional aero elements including a large rear wing, adjustable front diffuser, a new front spoiler, NACA ducts in the hood, and louvered vents on the fenders, all of which contributes to 25 percent more downforce than the regular GT4, or around 220 pounds at 120 mph.
The ultimate Cayman won’t come cheap, as one might imagine, with a base price of $141,700. But that’s still a bit cheaper than a comparable 911 GT3, which should make it a hot commodity when the car launches in the U.S. next summer.
Photos for Rennlist by Derin Richardson
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