L.A. Auto Show: Porsche 718 GT4 Packs Flat-Six Power

Porsche’s factory-prepped weekend track toy has us grinning ear to ear — maybe it’s the color.

We’re live at the L.A. Auto Show, checking out the most exciting new cars for 2020 and beyond. There’s been a lot of buzz about concept cars making their debut at the show.

However, we’re most excited about a car we can buy next year: the Porsche 718 GT4. This one has been on our radar for quite a while. In fact, Porsche started taking orders for the limited-production model back in June. This was our first time seeing it up close, and we got photos.

The big draw of the 718 is what lies underneath its happy yellow exterior. The GT4 drops the standard turbo flat-four for a normally aspirated, 4.0 liter flat-six. The new powerplant is good for 414 horsepower and 309 lb/ft of torque with an 8,000 RPM redline.

That potent powerplant is backed up by a six-speed manual transmission, equipped with Porsche’s “Auto Blip” rev-matching feature. Buyers are also treated to a mechanical limited-slip differential equipped with Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV).

Porsche claims a zero to 60 time of just 4.2 seconds, as well as a 188 mile per hour top speed. As you can imagine, the suspension and brake upgrades are equally impressive.

The bodywork of the GT4 isn’t the only part of this car inspired by the 911 GT3. The GT3 lends its brakes and front axle to the 718 GT4. Porsche Carbon Ceramic Brakes (PCCB) are an option as well for owners who plan on heavy track use.

The rear axle is unique to the 718 GT4, and the car is equipped with Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM). This lends the car a lower ride height (30mm lower, to be exact) than its 718 stablemates.

Camber, toe, ride height, and sway bar settings are all manually adjustable. It’s clear that Porsche fully intends the 718 GT4 to be a weekend track toy.

Pricing for the 718 GT4 starts at $99,200. Porsche has been taking orders since late June, so you should probably act fast — like, zero to sixty in 4.2 seconds fast. If you want to see it in person, the L.A. Auto Show is open until Sunday, December 1.

Photos by Derin Richardson for 6 Speed Online

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Cameron VanDerHorst

Cam VanDerHorst has been a contributor to Internet Brands' Auto Group sites for over three years, with his byline appearing on Ford Truck Enthusiasts, Corvette Forum, JK Forum, and Harley-Davidson Forums, among others. In that time, he's also contributed to Autoweek, The Drive, and Scale Auto Magazine.
He bought his first car at age 14 -- a 1978 Ford Mustang II -- and since then he’s amassed an impressive and diverse collection of cars, trucks, and motorcycles, including a 1996 Ford Mustang SVT Mystic Cobra (#683) and a classic air-cooled Porsche 911.
In addition to writing about cars and wrenching on them in his spare time, he enjoys playing music (drums and ukulele), building model cars, and tending to his chickens.
You can follow Cam, his cars, his bikes, and his chickens at @camvanderhorst on Instagram.

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