An article in the most recent issue of the Porsche customer magazine Christophorus features Porsche GT Project Director Andreas Preuninger, whose tangible passion for the intricacies of the Cayman GT4 street-legal race car is nothing short of infectious.
Not one part of the all-new Porsche Cayman GT4 managed to escape the relentless examination of the Porsche GT team. The side blades found on the air intakes, for example, not only look aggressive, but they’re designed to promote faster airflow into the intake tract to help feed the 3.8-liter’s larger demand for air. The wheel bearings contain unibal joints to reduce any elasticity, adjustable track control arms lend the customer extra alignment setup latitude, and lightweight bucket seats and other weight-saving measures help remove some of the base Cayman’s heft.
Preuninger goes on at one point about the rear wing of this more track-focused Cayman GT4: “Anyone can stick a huge board back there, but it’s an art to achieve the perfect aerodynamic balance between the drag coefficient and the downforce, a balance between aerodynamic and mechanical grip,” says the GT Project Director. The Cayman GT4 even has loops in place of traditional door handles, despite that “they’re not any lighter than the handles in standard-series cars, but they pick up on the great Porsche tradition of showing uncompromising sportiness.”.
Yet despite everything, the Cayman GT4 is more “hobbyist” racer than professional machine. Let the Porsche 911 GT3 and GT3 RS cater to a more utilitarian audience; the Porsche Cayman GT4 is more “a car that places a premium on emotion and the experience of driving,” as Andreas Preuninger puts it.
“This car is our message to a circle of Porsche fans who are particularly dear to our hearts—the hobby racers. The Cayman GT4 says, ‘We’ve heard you!’”
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