My friends at Autocar magazine have a noise meter. It measures in decibels the level of racket inside the car that they’re testing, and with most family motors at full throttle that’ll be around 74 decibels (dB).
A typical high performance car at its noisiest registers around 90dB on the meter.
But the car that we’re testing this week scored 109dB on Autocar’s gizmo when its engine is at the 9,000rpm redline in third gear. And that is loud.
It’s the new Porsche Cayman GT4 RS and it’s one of the most extreme and exciting cars that I’ve ever driven. In fact, the last time I drove a car that gave my ears such a bashing was in the 1990s when testing a Lamborghini Diablo SV.
The next generation of Cayman (and its soft-top brother, the Boxster) is likely to be electric and it seems that Porsche has decided to go out with a bang – a final flurry of the internal combustion engine that so many of us worship.
At the back of the GT4 RS is the same 4.0-litre flat-six engine that powers the 911 GT3, albeit with 10 less horsepower due to extra back pressure in the longer exhaust system. That’s what Porsche says but I suspect the real reason is that they want the more expensive 911 GT3 to be more powerful. The engine still produces a mighty 493bhp at 8,400rpm.
This super Cayman will do 196mph and hit 62mph from rest in 3.4sec. But forget the numbers because this car is all about sensation.
Next to your right ear is the opening of the carbon fibre induction system that sucks in air to feed the greedy engine. It’s so loud that you can hardly hear the exhaust.
Porsche already makes a GT4 version of the Cayman, but this is the first time that an RS version has been built.
Porsche fans have been waiting for this for a long time. It’s also what Porsche said it would never do when it launched the Cayman way back in 2005.
So, what turns a regular Cayman GT4 into an RS? Most obvious is the bodywork which is covered with extra fins and vents, including those on the bonnet that feed cool air to the front brakes. Add to that a front splitter and rear wing that are both adjustable.
The suspension has ball joints in places where rubber bushes are used and the car’s ride height is 30mm lower than the standard Cayman’s.
Finally, the 7-speed PDK automatic gearbox has ratios specific to the RS. A manual gearbox isn’t available.
There was a time when I’d have considered this car too extreme, its induction roar irritating and its ride too harsh. But that was then, and today cars with real soul are becoming rare.
Porsche asks £108,370 for this car which is a lot for a Cayman, even one this special. But, of course, test cars rarely arrive on our doorstep without options and this RS has a long list of them – enough to bring the price to £133,549.
As is often the case with Porsche’s most special cars (like the GT3 RS, for example) getting your name onto the order list is almost as big a challenge as finding the dough in the first place. Word is that the Cayman GT4 RS is already changing hands for nearly £200,000.
A friend owns a new 911 GT3 and I have recommended that he try this Cayman.
On paper his car is faster around a circuit, but he would find the Cayman RS easier to drive in his amateur (but skilled) hands and he’d be quicker in it.
As with the 911 GT3, the Cayman GT4 RS needs to be taken onto a track to be enjoyed properly. To unleash its potential on the public road would not only be asking for a driving licence covered in points, but it would also be a waste of a fantastic sports car.
The facts
Porsche Cayman GT4 RS
Price: £108,370
Engine: 4.0-litre, six-cylinder, 493bhp
0-62mph: 3.4sec
Fuel consumption: 21.4mpg
Co2 emissions: 299g/km
