2022 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Dismisses the Cayman Complex

James LipmanCar and Driver

The 2022 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS launched to 30 mph in 1.1 seconds, tying the 911 GT3 and Chevy C8 Corvette as the quickest rear-wheel-drive cars to that mark in Car and Driver testing. It reached 60 mph in 2.8 seconds, quicker than any non-Turbo or GT 911, and hit the quarter mile in 11.0 seconds at 126 mph. The GT4 RS shares its naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six in with the 911 GT3, and it makes 493 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque, 9 horsepower and 15 pound-feet less than the GT3.

Welcome to Car and Driver’s Testing Hub, where we zoom in on the test numbers. We’ve been pushing vehicles to their limits since 1956 to provide objective data to bolster our subjective impressions (you can see how we test here). A more comprehensive review of the 2022 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS can be found here.

The Porsche Cayman has long been overshadowed by the 911 to keep the brand’s hierarchy in check. But with the new Cayman GT4 RS, Porsche has finally installed the 911 GT3’s engine in the 718 and created the best sendoff to internal combustion we’ve seen yet.

James LipmanCar and Driver

In Car and Driver testing, the GT4 RS got to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds. The only 911 models quicker than that were the 911 Turbo, Turbo S, GT3, and GT2 RS. The GT4 RS’s result is also half a second quicker than the standard GT4 with the PDK dual-clutch automatic. Using launch control, the GT4 RS hooks up hard and requires only 1.1 second to reach 30 mph, matching the GT3 and C8 Corvette’s performance. It races through the quarter mile in 11.0 seconds at 126 mph, but by then a 911 GT3 has caught up and passed through 0.1 second sooner. Stay in it, and 150 mph arrives 5.8 seconds later, a second behind the GT3.

In the GT4 RS, the naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six makes 493 horsepower at 8400 rpm and 331 pound-feet of torque at 6750 rpm. The engine redlines at the same 9000 rpm as the 911 GT3, but it’s turned 180 degrees and makes 9 less horsepower and 15 less pound-feet due to exhaust packaging in its mid-engine application—or it could be simply to keep the 911 on top. Porsche’s 4.0-liter flat-six at 9000 rpm is one of the best internal-combustion concerts, and in the GT4 RS, you have a front row seat. The engine has two air intakes mounted where other Caymans’ rear quarter windows are located, and they feed air to an intake plenum directly behind the seats. We recorded 102 decibels at wide-open throttle in the GT4 RS compared to 99 in the GT3.

Like the GT3, the GT4 RS was equipped with ultra-sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires. On a 300-foot skidpad, the Cayman cornered at a maximum of 1.11 g, matching the GT3, but less than the previous-generation GT3 RS. At 1.24 g, that car delivered the most grip we’ve measured in our testing. The GT4 RS was also fitted with carbon ceramic brakes, an $8000 option, and helped the GT4 RS stop from 70 mph in just 132 feet. That’s a foot shorter than the GT3, despite being 20 pounds heavier at 3242 pounds, and better than both the Ferrari SF90 Stradale and McLaren Senna. Even more impressive, the stop from 100 mph required just 242 feet, a new record.

At $143,050, the 718 Cayman GT4 RS undercuts the 911 GT3 by $19,400, but it’s PDK-only so you can’t help #SavetheManuals like the GT3. However, given its performance in our testing, we ask: which one would you rather own?