Now before you start being rude, understand this – the Cayman GT4 is very nearly as good as a 911 GT3 991. That’s right. A proper hardcore track-centred Porker that’s preternaturally poised. Launched in 2015 and built at Porsche’s Weissach ‘Motorsportzentrum’ racing centre using many GT3 suspension parts, the most powerful Cayman yet is good for sixty in 4.2 seconds and a 182mph top speed. But behind those lightning numbers is a chassis so sublime that some say the GT4 could be one of the best-handling Porsches ever. In 2015 there was so much hoop-la with every car pre-sold and £30k premiums being paid to jump waiting lists. Three years later things are calmer and instead of costing £110k, a modest-miler could now be yours for £75k.
COST NEW £64K
VALUE NOW £72K
The magic of the GT4 is its balance. By cranking the 380bhp 911 3.8 Carrera S 991 engine at an angle amidships the weight distribution is near perfect. Throw in a wider track, lower ride height, adjustable rear spoiler and anti-roll bars you can fine-tune at home, the most perfect electronic power steering system you’ll ever use and you have a machine that displays startling poise and fluency.
What’s also captivating is that there are so few hi-tech gizmos on board that you never suffer mode anxiety. The GT4’s default setting is simply hang on and scream out loud with joy. There are compromises – firm ride, motorway noise, speed bumps that should be taken at walking pace and town driving makes you feel like you’re holding back a caged animal. But get the GT4 on a track and its precision on corners is divine.
At launch, Porsche talked of only building a limited number of the most powerful Cayman in the model range, but according to the DVLA database there are currently 530 GT4s. There are also 30-odd for sale with at least a dozen with reduced asking prices. GC Motors in Harrogate, Yorkshire, has a 2015 in silver with 11,000 miles and FPSH for £74,990 while RPM Technik in Hertfordshire has a 2016 in Racing Yellow with 2000 miles, the Club Sports package (£2670 option), 918 seats (£1907 option) and ceramic brakes (£5000 option) for £89,995. That’s the sort of specification and colour I’d chose for a long-term keeper.
Porsche is now saying it will build another Cayman GT4 981C, so as the first incarnation of the model run, the original version is likely to become increasingly desirable over time.
