Targa High Country via Porsche Cayman GT4 RS

Targa events are highlights on the calendars of many a keen motoring enthusiast, thanks to the promise of fantastic closed roads, gorgeous scenery and time away with mates.

Targa High Country is among the best of them; a three-day motorsport extravaganza for both competitors and spectators on some of Victoria’s best roads.

It begins at the southern state’s most popular ski resort in Mount Buller (around three hours out of Melbourne) and extends up to the picturesque town of Whitfield, then out to the challenging (and glorious) roads of Eildon.

When Porsche Cars Australia gave us the keys to a 2023 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS – its most powerful (and expensive) mid-engined model yet – we couldn’t think of a better place to test its capabilities legally, at least outside of a racetrack.

While the iconic seven-day Targa Tassie – one of the world’s best tarmac rallies – remains the jewel in the Targa crown for most, plenty return to Mt Buller every year to wet their whistles before heading to the Apple Isle event, which is usually held just weeks later.

Not this year, however, with Targa Tasmania recently postponed until October.

It’s no secret the future of the tarmac rallies remains uncertain Down Under until the conclusion of a Motorsport Australia investigation into the conduct of Targa events following several deaths in Tasmania over recent years.

But despite the last-minute switch to a Rallysprint-type format, which saw competitors contest 130 competitive kilometres across three 8km stages on the Mt Buller Road each day, the 2023 Targa High Country event was judged a success by all involved.

Meantime the non-competitive Targa High Country Tour in which we ‘competed’ traversed the entire three-day course announced last September, and despite an 11th-hour speed limit change that saw a handful of entrants pull out, all participants came away with mile-wide smiles.

For this year’s Tour event we joined 16 other couples – some married, some lovers, some best mates and some brothers – split into three categories depending on experience, each led by a tour leader.

The speed limit for Targa Tour participants (including the Porsche group) was reduced from an already lowered 120km/h down to a mere 100km/h at the direction of Motorsport Australia.

That was a concern for more than a few participants – including us, given it might mean we’d spend most of our time exploring just two of the 500hp boxer-powered Cayman’s seven gears.

For reference, the hard-core Cayman GT4 RS packs the same naturally-aspirated 368kW 4.0-litre flat-six from the track-bred Porsche 911 GT3, sending the mid-engined coupe from standstill to the Targa Tour speed limit in just 3.4 seconds.

Or the pointy end of second gear.

Truth be told, it was less of a problem than first anticipated, as the number of straight, open sections of road where it was actually safe to exceed 100km/h are few and far between, giving us plenty of time to test the hottest Cayman’s performance in the tight and twisty stuff.

And boy, did it perform.

In a word, the Cayman GT4 RS is incredible, with flat-as-a-tack cornering dynamics and so much top-end speed. It begs to be revved and rewards you with a delightfully ear-piercing soundtrack before you hit its 9000rpm redline.

Making even us Targa amateurs look good, it’s difficult to come unstuck with such high grip levels on offer from the top-shelf Cayman’s wide and sticky Pirelli P Zero rubber.

In short, the GT4 RS does all the hard work for you, making it simply a matter of point, shoot and hold on for dear life. And then wonder how fast you really need to corner before the Cayman’s brilliantly adjustable chassis balance begins to get flustered.

Parked up at our Breathtaker Hotel accommodation, the GT4 RS truly was the star of the show, and not just because it was the newest and shiniest toy there.

It was even more of a star during the Touring stages, giving a 911 GT3 a run for its money through the Jamieson-Eildon Road stage and easily gapping any Caymans behind it.

Of course, ride quality is best described as firm, but the race-ready suspension is forgiving enough to make it a proper open-road tourer, as we experienced on the backroads between Melbourne and Mount Buller.

It’s not the ideal daily by any means, thanks to plenty of road tyre roar on coarse-chip surfaces and noisy air intakes behind you, requiring you to raise your voice to converse with the person next to you.

And you’ll need to be flexible enough to fold yourself into and out of its low-slung, rollcage-equipped cabin, although few that can afford its circa-$350,000 admission price (by the time it’s on the road and optioned like our test) will be driving the GT4 to work every day.

Fact is the Porsche’s latest RS model is best experienced in its element, which will inevitably be tarmac rallies like this, or track days.

And if it’s Targa events you choose, there’s no better crew to experience them with than Porsche, which takes care of every last detail to ensure the weekend runs like clockwork.

Information like when and where you need to be – including, most importantly, where to find morning tea – is at your fingertips via a smartphone app.

If you’ve got the money, an appropriate Porsche and a basic MA licence, all you need to do is pack your briefs and prepare for plenty of fun.

2023 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS at a glance:
Price: $311,900 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 4.0-litre flat 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