LENSPEED

Take a 3.8-litre 911 Carrera S engine, plonk it into a mid-engine, RWD layout of the Cayman. Who would have thought that Porsche’s management would give this lethal combination the green light? It was “supposed” to be an open secret, that Stuttgart engineers did not want to beef up the potential of the Cayman’s impressive dynamics for fear of overlaps with the 911’s customer base. We’re wrong. And we’re not complaining.

We’re huge fans of the Cayman. Even with a base-spec 2.7-litre engine punching not more than modern day, 300bhp+ turbocharged hot hatches, it manages to show the world that big numbers does not always equate to big fun. Now, it seems that we can enjoy the Cayman’s dynamic ability in a more potent, urgent package.

We’re not expecting the GT4 to generate smiles per mile like our former 997.1 GT3 staff car, but bringing it into context at launch date reveals plenty of promises as far as Porsche’s direction is concerned. The stick-shift only (no news on the PDK version, yet) GT4 was revealed alongside the PDK-only 991 GT3 RS, and it seems that the keen drivers over at Porsche has managed to convince their business-minded colleagues to carve out a niche product for an obsessed bunch of enthusiasts – Lenspeed included.

380bhp sounds like proper performance for a driver’s car, and with only 1340kg to shift, it should also be one that dances through switchbacks effortlessly just like its “lesser” siblings, albeit in a faster, more vigourous manner.

How close of an experience will it be to the GT3? We can only fathom a guess that it might come pretty close. Components are developed by Porsche Motorsport, the same minds behind the unrivaled line of GT3s and RSR race cars.

Right now, we can finally marvel at the prospect of getting behind the wheel of a proper modern driving machine. Let’s hope that the GT4 won’t disappoint. And by the looks of it, we’re pretty certain it won’t.