Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 PDK | Spotted
No more new GT4s is a shame - plenty of lovely used ones makes it easier
It’s almost a decade now since the first Porsche Cayman GT4 was shown to the world - yes, really. The excitement of February 2015 remains all too easy to recount as well, because it seemed unbelievable right until the press release landed. A Cayman was going to get a 911 engine, some GT3 suspension bits, a six-speed manual… and look the absolute business doing so. It seemed to have been more than worth the wait, especially at £64,451.
Then we all know what happened. The GT4 was worth the wait, just as good to drive as hoped for given the spec, and Planet Porsche went a bit mad for a while. The 981 wasn’t made for very long, crazy overs were asked, and we still live in a world where £60k is needed to get into a GT4. Seminal car for a whole host of reasons. You have to wonder if the GT3 would have got its manual back if the ‘4 hadn’t been quite so well received.
Whatever, that’s not the GT4 we’re talking about today, instead the follow-up 718 that arrived in 2019. Having experienced such wild demand, there was no way Porsche wasn’t going to replace the Cayman GT4. And though it could never have the impact of the original for a few reasons, the 718 boasted some useful improvements over its predecessor: more power and torque, extra downforce, quicker lap times (including a 12-second advantage around the Nordschleife) plus a chiselled new look. It had always seemed like the 981 GT4 was beyond much meaningful improvement, then Porsche did what it tends to do and made the brilliant even better still. Less appealing sound aside, it was hard to suggest the 718 wasn’t yet another step on from the 981.
With that era now wrapped up also, including the truly unforgettable RS 718s - and definitely not returning this time around - it seemed a good opportunity to see what the world of secondhand GT4s is doing. Certainly it seems a bit less frenzied than it once was, and those going for a 718 will have more choice with the longer production run and a greater number of cars made: more than 60 come up on PH right now, as opposed to 20 or so 981s.
They all look pretty great, really, because they’re GT4s, from early 2019 manual cars to PTS RSes crammed full of Weissach roll cages. This one stood out in Shark Blue, the 992 GT3 launch colour that’s made it to a few 718s and looks just as smart on the mid-engined car. It’s a great spec for those buying with track days in mind, boasting the PDK dual-clutch, PCCB ceramic brakes, the Clubsport cage, bucket seats with harnesses, loadsa Race-Tex and just the right amount of contrast stitching to make you even faster. Probably. Or at least look good doing it: yellow embroidery and door pulls that match the brake calipers really is a very strong 718 look.
This one is showing 6,383 miles currently, so pretty modest use for a couple of years driving. You might argue it looks even fresher than that; even with the circuit-focused spec, it’s hard to imagine many miles on track days given the condition. Probably those who know more about these cars will point to additional options it should have, though from here it looks very well stocked for whatever adventures the next owner has lined up. And there should be plenty, as that was always the joy of a GT4: it improved any and every drive. The asking price is £83,950, around the middle ground for 718s with the very final ones near £100k and the earliest private examples at £65,000. Nobody will go far wrong with any of them, of course, because the GT4 was one of Porsche’s modern greats, but you wouldn’t be alone in finding Shark Blue and all the goodies very attractive indeed.
SPECIFICATION | PORSCHE 718 CAYMAN GT4
Engine: 3,995cc, flat-six
Transmission: 7-speed PDK dual-clutch auto, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 420@7,600rpm
Torque (lb ft): 317@5,500rpm
0-62mph: 3.9 secs
Top speed: 188mph
MPG: 26.4 (WLTP)
CO2: 242g/km (WLTP)
Year registered: 2022
Recorded mileage: 6,383
Price new: £75,780 (before options)
Yours for: £83,950
For road driving I'd take the 718 Spyder which has the GT4 engine but no roof for the noise of that engine and wind in your hair, and for track I'd take the GT4 RS.
The Spyder RS seems to be the really odd pick, because its too much for the road and therefore probably not as much fun and probably too stiff for uk roads too. On the other hand it doesn't have a roof for the rollover protection you'd want for the track. Most of the ones in the UK seem to be in collections or up for sale with next to no miles on them.
A few journos have said that the GT4 RS is too loud inside for a road car and becomes tiresome quite quickly.
Generally I really like the looks of Porsches and like the designs.
A few journos have said that the GT4 RS is too loud inside for a road car and becomes tiresome quite quickly.
I hope you enjoy and please post some photos of it.
Generally I really like the looks of Porsches and like the designs.
Carfection / Henry Catchpole did a really good video and described the differences.
I know it's pitched as a road-legal track-car, but I think it's more a sporty-grand-tourer. It's comfy and relaxed on a long motorway cruise then comes alive when you wring it out on a twisty road. You have to get the revs up to get the most out of it - the car really wakes up above 4k rpm. At full tilt down a narrow, quiet, road it is an electrifying and utterly absorbing experience.
There's been a lot said about long gear ratios but in reality it's a non-issue. Your favourite third and fourth gear B-roads are now second and third gear B-roads. That's it. Once you adjust the gearing is just fine. Second gear (in the dry) is much more usable than in other powerful RWD cars. The PDK gearbox has slightly shorter 1-6 gearing than the manual and a long seventh.
I'm not completely convinced by the sound. It has a nice induction noise at part throttle and howls away at high revs, but at lower revs it sounds a bit like a washing machine and I always wonder if it's broken. My last grand-tourer was a Maserati Gransport so perhaps I've been aurally spoilt!
In the wet it's a somewhat scarier experience. I suspect much of the twitchiness is down to the tyres. Mine has a pretty worn set of the original Dunlop Maxx Race 2 tyres. In the dry they are great so I'm torn as to whether I replace them with the same again or go for something more sensible like Michelin Pilot Sports.
Pics from my last run round the NC500 a few weeks ago:
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