Even hotter Porsche Cayman GT4 RS mooted

The new six-cylinder Porsche Cayman GT4 borrows a number of suspension components from the Porsche 911 GT3 to sharpen up its chassis – but what if the mid-engine sports coupe got its engine mods too?

Well, you'd probably be looking at the Porsche Cayman GT4 RS, that's what.

Porsche executives confirmed to carsales.com.au at the global launch of the Cayman GT4 that several of the engine technologies developed for Porsche 911 GT3, such as the use of titanium connecting rods, could "easily" be adapted to the Cayman flagship’s new naturally aspirated 4.0-litre flat six-cylinder (9A2) boxer engine.

The existence of the oft-discussed Cayman GT4 RS seems almost certain as the brand looks to fend off a renewed mid-engine assault from a revitalised Lotus, which has received billions of dollars of investment from its Chinese owner Geely.

Boxer engine development manager, Markus Baumann, told carsales.com.au that Porsche’s new-generation 4.0-litre boxer six could generate significantly more power, even without the use of turbocharging.

Porsche Cayman GT4 video review

"Yes. We could of course get more power. When we take the technologies from the GT3, like the titanium con-rods, or the dry sump … when you apply those technologies to this 9A2 engine it can create much more horsepower than 420hp [309kW]."

"We have those technologies already developed and we could easily bring them together [in 9A2]," he said.

The Porsche Cayman GT4 and its Boxster Spyder drop-top sibling both generate peak power at 7600rpm and have a screaming 8000rpm rev-limit, but Baumann said they could rev even higher.

"You have two possibilities. Either decrease the friction, the ventilation losses in the crankcase -- that's what a dry sump does -- or go to higher engine speeds to create more power.

"Both are possible and it's possible with the [turbocharged] 9A1 engine family and the 9A2 engine family," said Baumann, hinting that massaged 3.0-litre twin-turbo boxer-six (9A1) engines are in the offing.

The question for the new Porsche Cayman GT4 RS – or whatever name it gets – is how high can you go?

Baumann explained that gaining the extra 200rpm over the previous 3.8-litre Cayman GT4 was one of the toughest challenges in developing the new engine, so is a 450hp or 335kW power peak possible?

The boxer engine development boss parried the question and instead argued that if Porsche throws enough engineers at a problem, it can be solved.

"I would say everything is possible, it's just a matter of effort.

"It’s a question of model strategy. With a lot of investment into development you can achieve a lot of things with the cars.

"For now I think for this car 420hp is enough power. Right now, for strategy reasons, we need to keep a little bit of distance to the 911 GT3 of course."

As Porsche's most extreme road-going Cayman ever, the GT4 is the most expensive mid-engined coupe, priced at just under $220,000 in Australia.

Available exclusively with a manual gearbox, it's understood a dual-clutch automatic (PDK) transmission will be offered in the Cayman GT4 and Spyder models later in 2020. To keep interest in the model line fresh, the Cayman GT4 RS could lob a year after that, in mid-2021.

Baumann understandably refused to be drawn on the possibility of Porsche’s new 4.0-litre atmo boxer six powering other models such as the new 911 GTS, but left us with this morsel:

"We can take that engine to other cars of course, but these are future projects and I don't want to talk about them."