Photo: SB-Medien
The now-retired Porsche Cayman GT4 (you can no longer order one) has set a naturally aspirated, manual gearbox standard that means Zuffenhausen has to be extremely careful when planning the tech package of the next GT4. And, with the 2018 GT3 keeping these two elements under the spotlights, it looks like we have a base for a future transplant.
Talking to Car and Driver, Andreas Preuninger, the man who helms Porsche's GT Division, has recently added fuel the fire mentioned above.
“Natural aspiration is one of our main selling propositions,” Preuninger said. “We offer a car for people who want to feel something special, who want to have as much emotion as possible, as much throttle response and immediacy from a sports-car engine. And at Motorsport we think that can be achieved a little bit better with a [naturally aspirated] high-revving engine than any kind of turbo,”
With the atmospheric 3.8-liter found in now-out GT4 having retired (the Carrera S donor car has switched to a turbocharged mill, remember?), the new 4.0-liter flat-six at the rear of the 991.2 GT3 appears to be a likely mill for the next GT4. And this is where the rumors talking about the development landing as the GT4 RS come into play.
Of course, the powerplant, which is derived from the heart of the 911 GT3 Cup racecar, would have to be downtuned to ensure the uber-Cayman doesn't go too deep into Neunelfer territory.
We'll remind you that a now-deleted Instagram post coming from an Australian Porsche dealer talks about a GT4 RS animated by a 4.0-liter boxer. You can find a screenshot of the post at the top of the image gallery to your right.
As for the expected stick shift nature of the future mid-engined hero, Preuninger delivered further clues on the matter.
“That’s the aim, to always have the choice. Now we’ve started with that strategy [in the GT3] and it pays off. I think it’s the right thing to do—who are we to tell people what’s best for them? Depending what you want to do with the car it can be perfectly understandable to go for a manual if you’re not chasing times on the track. Giving the choice is definitely our intention for the future,”
If you happen to be among those who can afford to adorn their garages with such a Zuffenhausen delight, we suggest a chat with your dealer as soon as possible.
“Natural aspiration is one of our main selling propositions,” Preuninger said. “We offer a car for people who want to feel something special, who want to have as much emotion as possible, as much throttle response and immediacy from a sports-car engine. And at Motorsport we think that can be achieved a little bit better with a [naturally aspirated] high-revving engine than any kind of turbo,”
With the atmospheric 3.8-liter found in now-out GT4 having retired (the Carrera S donor car has switched to a turbocharged mill, remember?), the new 4.0-liter flat-six at the rear of the 991.2 GT3 appears to be a likely mill for the next GT4. And this is where the rumors talking about the development landing as the GT4 RS come into play.
Of course, the powerplant, which is derived from the heart of the 911 GT3 Cup racecar, would have to be downtuned to ensure the uber-Cayman doesn't go too deep into Neunelfer territory.
We'll remind you that a now-deleted Instagram post coming from an Australian Porsche dealer talks about a GT4 RS animated by a 4.0-liter boxer. You can find a screenshot of the post at the top of the image gallery to your right.
As for the expected stick shift nature of the future mid-engined hero, Preuninger delivered further clues on the matter.
“That’s the aim, to always have the choice. Now we’ve started with that strategy [in the GT3] and it pays off. I think it’s the right thing to do—who are we to tell people what’s best for them? Depending what you want to do with the car it can be perfectly understandable to go for a manual if you’re not chasing times on the track. Giving the choice is definitely our intention for the future,”
If you happen to be among those who can afford to adorn their garages with such a Zuffenhausen delight, we suggest a chat with your dealer as soon as possible.
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