You know you’re in for a treat whenever Porsche applies the RS (Rennsport) badge on its cars and the upcoming 718 Cayman GT4 RS will definitely be no exception.
Spotted for the first time undergoing cold weather testing in northern Europe, the hardcore Porsche Cayman GT4 RS has undergone several changes since the previous sighting at the Nürburgring back in September 2019.
Chief among the modifications are the centerlock wheels, something we’ve never seen on a Cayman before. Another development is the addition of a regular GT4 rear wing, as opposed to the previous prototype’s bigger provisional GT3-sourced item. It’s unclear which one will prevail in the end but we’d bet on the smaller iteration from the standard 718 Cayman GT4.
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What else is there to see here? Well, the NACA ducts on the front hood have been covered with tape, but don’t worry about them getting canceled. Engineers covered them likely because extra brake cooling is not needed during winter testing – not to mention the fact that the tape prevents snow from entering the cooling system.
Speaking about cooling, the louvers behind the side windows are likely there to provide extra cooling for the mid-mounted engine. The heart of the 718 Cayman GT4 RS will be a 4.0-liter naturally aspirated flat-six engine expected to deliver more power than in the ‘regular’ 718 Cayman GT4.
Since the latter boasts 414 HP (420 PS / 309 kW), it’s possible the RS variant could have around 444 HP (450 PS / 330 kW). That’s our guess and it’s based on the fact that it would differentiate the RS enough from the GT4 while avoiding to give the upcoming 911 GT3 too much trouble.
As for the transmission, the 718 Cayman GT4 RS could be offered exclusively with a PDK dual-clutch automatic, much like the 911 GT3 RS.