The enthusiast crowd rejoiced when Porsche finally took the wraps off of its highly anticipated Cayman 718 GT4 RS in November last year. This was a car that Porsche fans had been lusting after for years - a Cayman with a 911 engine. Now, within the Porsche universe, the Cayman has always sat in the shadow of the 911, but the folks over at Weissach have finally given the 718 the performance and chassis upgrades that it has always deserved. The biggest upgrade, by far, has to be the mid-mounted flat-six engine from the 911 GT3 that revs to a colossal 9000 rpm. Now, this might sound like a cliché, but the Cayman GT4 RS is genuinely a track weapon for the road, and you're about to find out why. Let's dig in.

2022 Porsche Cayman GT4 RS Performance And Capability

The pièce de résistance is the naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six boxer engine that produces 493 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque. To put that into context, that is 79 horsepower and 14 pound-feet more than the standard GT4. This same engine also does duty in the 911 GT3 Cup car. Speaking of the 911, the Cayman GT4 has the same power-to-weight ratio as a PDK GT3.

Now while many of you would have yearned for a proper stick shift, Porsche has chosen to equip the GT4 RS with its bulletproof 7-speed PDK instead, albeit with even shorter gearing for lightning-quick shifts. With a mechanical limited-slip differential and a proper rear-wheel-drive setup, getting the tail out should be no problem whatsoever. 0-60 mph takes just 3.2 seconds and you'll be able to do a top speed of 196 mph.

Underneath, you also get a flat floor, an adjustable front diffuser, and an aggressive rear diffuser, which all account for 25% more downforce as opposed to the 718 Cayman GT4. Porsche test driver, Jörg Bergmeister, was able to take the GT4 RS around the Nördschleife in 7:09.300 minutes, 23.6 seconds quicker than the standard GT4.

Exterior Design

The main emphasis of the 718 Cayman GT4 RS' design was obviously Aerodynamics. Porsche has gone to great lengths to make sure that the GT4 RS handles better than ever before, which is why you see the addition of functional aero elements.

They include bigger RS-specific side air intakes for the engine, an additional air intake in place of the rear quarter window, a cooling duct on the hood, heat extraction vents on the front fender, and the fixed giant swan-neck wing in the back comes from the Porsche 911 RSR race car.

Standard Colors Include

- White

- Black

- Guards Red

- Racing Yellow

Special colors are a $3540 option while paint to sample will set you back a cool $12,830. As for the rims, 20-inch Forged aluminum wheels come as standard. A set of Forged Magnesium wheels with center locks are a pricey optional extra at $15,640 (only available if you upgrade to the Weissach package). Since the GT4 RS sits 30mm lower than the GT4, you might want to consider the $3040 axle lift system to prevent scraping the low-hanging front splitter.

Slotted steel discs with 6-piston calipers up front and 4-piston calipers at the rear come as standard. Want more? Check the Porsche Ceramic Carbon brakes (PCCB) -$8,000 while speccing your GT4 RS on the Porsche Configurator.

Go for the $13,250 Weissach package and you get a lot of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) bits to help shave off those extra pounds, about 49 pounds less than the standard GT4. Here's what the optional Weissach package adds to the exterior:

- Exposed carbon fiber front trunk lid

- Exposed carbon fiber air intakes and air blades behind the driver and passenger windows

- Exposed carbon-fiber exterior mirrors

- Exposed carbon fiber rear wing

- "PORSCHE" logo on top of the rear windshield in Dark Silver

- Titanium tailpipes in 935 look

Interior Quality and Technology

The cabin of the Cayman GT4 RS is far from what you'd call spartan. It features a nice blend of analog and digital technology, thanks to the giant tach in the instrument binnacle and good old-fashioned buttons.

As standard, you get a sporty Race-tex interior. But if you want to add leather to the mix, that will be another $2,160. If the standard seats don't cut the mustard, you can add the $3,380 body-hugging 3D printed bucket seats. Premium Bose audio will be just shy of under a grand, but I doubt you'd need that with the epic soundtrack that the flat-six puts out at 9000 rpm.

The weight-saving measures have continued into the cockpit too. The rear window is made of lightweight glass, and you've got fabric door opening loops and storage nets that emphasize this aspect. Apart from that, one of the Cayman's biggest strengths of having a fantastic cargo room both front and back, continues.

Here's what the optional Weissach package gets you on the inside:

- Exposed carbon fiber airbox and air intakes with "GT4 RS" logo in silver

- Upper section of the dashboard in Race-Tex

- Dashboard trim with "Weissach Package" logo

- Headrests embroidered with "Weissach Package" logo

GTs of yore never had anything like a touchscreen, but the GT4 RS has one with smartphone connect and NAV. Heck, it's even got cruise control. A bunch of electronic driver aids including traction control, ABS, and ESP should allow the GT4 to behave out on track.

2022 Porsche Cayman GT4 RS Price and Availability

Now considering that this is the most extreme iteration of 718 Cayman, prices are pretty steep. The Cayman range starts at $63,400, but you'll have to pay more than double that for the 718 GT4 RS coming in at an MSRP of $141,700. That optional Weissach package will set you back a cool $13,250.

I for one went pretty berserk with it and was able to add over $50,000 in options, taking the price north of $200,000 and encroaching into 911 GT3 territory. See what I mean? And for the record, I'd barely scratched the surface, and don't even get me started on the dealer markups.

Main Competition

There really isn't much in terms of direct competition for the Porsche Cayman GT4 RS. Maybe based on horsepower numbers, you can pit it against stuff like the BMW M2 CS or a Lotus Evora GT which roughly pack about 400 horsepower as well.} If you're shopping for something in the $150,000 price range, you've also got cars like the Aston Martin Vantage, the Audi R8, and the Acura NSX.

However, the GT4 RS with its top-rated hardware makes a strong case for itself, and is essentially a race car for the road. The mid-engined chassis on the GT4 RS should truly live up to that big time, and there is enough appeal here to even pull folks who might be looking at something like a 911 GT3. Now that wouldn't really be a bad idea as you'll end up saving around $50,000 in the process and the GT4 RS will be far more exclusive.