Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS 2023 Track Review

Wind back the clock 10 or even five years and the prospect of a Porsche Cayman costing $350,000-plus would have caused either laughter or a coughing fit, but here we are with the 2023 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS.

The standard ask of $336,800 plus on-road costs is swollen considerably by the addition of the Weissach Package ($33,210), front-axle lift system ($4900) and various other small-ticket items that lift the as-tested price to $377,230 plus ORCs.

As such, the Cayman GT4 RS doesn’t really have any competitors. The closest rival in terms of price and performance is its 911 GT3 ($388,600 plus ORCs) sibling, though actually securing one of those could prove problematic. The Chevrolet C8 Corvette (from $159,990) is similarly mid-engined and naturally aspirated, though nothing like as focused.

Porsche’s warranty covers you for three years or unlimited kilometres and services are due every 12 months or 15,000km.

If you’re interested in the gadgets and doo-dads that the 2023 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS includes, check out Ali Lawrence’s road review where this is covered in great detail. In this context we’re much more interested in the Cayman’s mechanical specification.

Weight is 1415kg, just 5kg less than the regular Cayman GT4, though the optional Weissach Package drops further kilograms thanks to greater use of carbon-fibre, magnesium wheels and a titanium roll cage. Sadly, supply issues robbed our test car of both its magnesium wheels and standard-fit Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres, but more on that later.

Rolling stock is as per the Cayman GT4, with 20x8.5-inch wheels and 245/35 tyres up front and 20x11.0-inch wheels and 295/30 tyres at the rear. Behind those wheels, however, sit bigger front brakes nicked from the 911 GT3 with 408mm discs and six-piston callipers, while the rears remain 380mm discs and four-piston callipers.

Where the GT4 RS really differs from a standard Cayman is the suspension. It’s still MacPherson strut at both ends, but it sits 30mm lower, the spring rates are RS-specific and include helper springs, the adaptive dampers have two modes, all the suspension bushes have been replaced by ball joints for better response, and toe, camber and anti-roll bar settings are all adjustable. The steering is also different with a variable ratio.

Downforce is also increased by 25 per cent above the Cayman GT4 thanks to the swan-neck rear wing, larger rear diffuser, front lip spoiler and guard vents.

Tucked away behind the rear seats is the other great differentiator in the 2023 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS, the screaming 4.0-litre flat-six shared with the current 911 GT3.

It’s down slightly on power (-7kW) and torque (-20Nm), but 368kW and 450Nm are still sufficient to match its bigger brother to 100km/h at 3.4sec, trail it by 0.1sec to 200km/h at 10.9sec and come within 3km/h at the top end with a 315km/h v-max. Fast.

A seven-speed dual-clutch is the only gearbox option and the relatively short overall gearing (top speed is reached in seventh gear) means fuel consumption isn’t great. The combined claim is 12.7L/100km but at full noise you can expect to triple that.

RS models are designed and built for the racetrack so it only seemed right to exercise the 2023 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS in its preferred habitat. In this case, the fast, smooth swoops of the picturesque Phillip Island circuit.

Immediately it’s clear the GT4 RS is like no Cayman before it. At full throttle it rockets forward accompanied by a primal scream that vibrates your organs.

Frustrated by noise regulations that limited the GT4 RS’s external volume, Porsche’s engineers redirected the sound inside to remarkable effect.

With a sound-muffling helmet on it’s spine-tinglingly awesome, though it’s causing issues for Porsche’s advanced driving instructors the world over as they’re unable to communicate with students. On the road it might be a little much.

There’s actually a sports exhaust button to make it even louder, which must surely be one of the most redundant buttons ever installed in a car.

With the engine being essentially a straight lift from the 911 GT3 it unsurprisingly feels very similar and that’s a very good thing indeed. It’s incredible, an absolute love letter to internal combustion that becomes more and more feral as the revs build and build.

Your brain automatically assumes another gear is needed at around 7000rpm and really feels like you’re pushing the friendship at 7500rpm, but there is still another 1500rpm to go.

Lacking the turbocharged torque of so many other modern cars means the GT4 RS doesn’t necessarily provide instant gratification. But make no mistake, this is an extremely fast car, topping 260km/h on Phillip Island’s main straight.

There isn’t much to say about the gearbox as it just works. Up or downshifts are answered the instant you flick a paddle. Some purists may bemoan the lack of a manual, but I’m not sure it’s a lesser car for it, to be honest.

One caveat to our track experience is that supplied issues robbed our GT4 RS test car of the Weissach Package’s lightweight magnesium wheels and, more importantly, the car’s standard-fit Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres.

A road-oriented Pirelli P Zero is a fine tyre for the public highway, but sticking it on a GT4 RS around Phillip Island is a bit like putting Usain Bolt in Kmart sneakers, it can’t really keep up with the pace.

It introduces a degree of imprecision into the Cayman as the car has capabilities beyond the tyre. Hammer the brakes and the ABS intrudes earlier, the nose takes a fraction to settle on turn-in and then gently slides wide and the car feels more lively than expected, especially through turn two and over Lukey Heights where there is a lot of weight transition happening.

On the plus side this relative lack of grip showed the GT4 RS has lost none of the Cayman’s inherent balance and friendliness. It may look like a racing car but it’s not at all intimidating. The mid-engined layout needs respect in terms of mid-corner lifts and the like but it’s easily corrected should a slide occur.

Another benefit, and a characteristic alien to virtually every other Cayman ever built, is the ability to powerslide the GT4 RS on corner exit using power alone, those 368kW easily overcoming the available traction. Cue enormous smile.

Even with the tyre handicap the GT4 RS is an immensely potent machine. The steering is beautiful, relatively light in its weighting – no ‘Sport’ mode here – and constantly updating your hands on the status of the front tyres, so if they do start to slide wide, even at high speed, if feels eminently correctable.

The brakes are apparently unkillable, the mechanicals don’t show the slightest sign of stress from repeated hot-lapping and the GT4 RS manages the neat trick of being exploitable enough to give you confidence to push the limits, while having such a high ceiling – again, even with non-track tyres – that you can continually find areas to stretch your own ability.

It’s this characteristic that gives the Cayman the nod over the 911 GT3, though it’s a complex issue.

The 911 GT3 is a better car, with more downforce, more grip, more traction, more… everything, as evidenced by the fact it’s 7.5sec quicker around the Nurburgring Nordschleife than the GT4 RS.

But while the GT3’s ceiling is higher, if you don’t write ‘racing driver’ under occupation on your tax return then you’ll likely go just as quick in the Cayman. It feels friendlier and doesn’t require the same manipulation as the 911 and its unique rear-engine configuration.

The question isn’t so much if you should buy a 2023 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS as can you buy one?

Porsche’s GT models, especially those with an RS badge, tend to be heavily oversubscribed, but on the basis that you’re on extremely good terms with your dealer and secure an allocation, should you take the plunge?

On one level, absolutely. It’s a special car and will only feel more so in years to come as it houses one of the greatest internal combustion engines of all time.

It’s a shame we weren’t able to sample the GT4 RS’s full Cup 2-shod potential, but even so it’s an incredible performance car.

The one question mark surrounding the GT4 RS is its incredibly closely-related sibling, the GT4 RS Clubsport. While it lacks number plates, if you want track day thrills there is no substitution for a proper race car, yet its production base means it doesn’t have the associated running costs.

Still, not everyone wants to stuff around with tow cars and trailers in which case the GT4 RS is essentially a race car for the road.

2023 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS at a glance:
Price: $336,800 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 4.0-litre six-cylinder petrol
Output: 368kW/450Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 12.7L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 289g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested