Wild Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS emerges

Fresh footage and pictures of the hard-core 2022 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS have been officially released ahead of its unveiling next month.

Shown as a prototype undergoing final evaluation at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, the German sports car-maker used its development driver Jörg Bergmeister to set a 7:04.511 lap, making the lightly disguised baby RS an incredible 23.6 seconds faster than a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4.

For the fast lap, Bergmeister drove a car fitted with a full race seat on the optional Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tyres.

No technical details have been released, but the Naca bonnet vents, rear windows delete, introduction of slatted cooling vents and larger rear wing suggest huge amounts of engineering work has gone into making the GT4 RS perfectly at home.

Look closely, and there's even 911 GT3-style centre-lock wheels.

Under the rear boot lid, expect to find an upgraded version of the 309kW/420Nm 4.0-litre naturally-aspirated flat-six engine that should produce fractionally more power and rev harder than the GT4's 7800rpm cut-out.

Channelling all its might to its rear wheels is a seven-speed dual-clutch PDK transmission.

There's no word on how much quicker the GT4 RS will be compared to the 3.9 seconds it takes for the current PDK-equipped GT4 to reach 100km/h from standstill.

Factor in some weight-saving measures and an adjustable track-focused chassis and it's thought the Cayman GT4 RS will touch down in Australia with a potential price tag close to $300,000 – just $70,000 shy of what Porsche charges for the 911 GT3.

Bergmeister, who has spent more than 500 hours behind the wheel honing its handling, said: “The 718 Cayman GT4 RS is an uncompromising driving machine. It feels as nimble as a go-kart on mountain roads, yet is impressively stable and well-balanced on the racetrack.

"It is one of the sharpest cars Porsche has ever developed.”