Porsche 981 Cayman GT4 Gets Wrung Out in the Rain
A GT4 in the twisty English countryside? Yes, please.
Yes, the 911 is the Porsche benchmark. But it’s impossible to ignore that the Cayman keeps getting better every year. Like, in leaps and bounds. The 911 continues to march further into six-figure territory. So Porsche’s mid-engined entry-level coupe is beginning to fill a niche for budget-minded enthusiasts. And no model represents that better than the laser-focused Cayman GT4.
In this video, Vehicle Villains takes a beautiful yellow 2016 GT4 for a drive in the English countryside. As a 2016, this is a late-model 981, not the damn-near perfect current 982. Still, you won’t hear the driver or us complaining. This GT4 is a serious dream car.
The Cayman GT4 Does Everything Very, Very Well
At the outset, the driver says that he’s never driven “anything as focused and as track worthy as the GT4.” He points out that the car has massive brakes and Michelin Cup 2 tires. He loves the engine noise and says the shifter is “brilliant,” and loves the steering feel. With his camera placed between the front seats, it is jarring to our American eyes to see the right-hand drive car driven hard the “wrong way” down such a narrow, blind road.
Within a few seconds of driving, he marvels that “it just has this level of confidence and ability that you just don’t get [with other cars.]” He praises how intuitive it is to drive, and while he does ding that car’s lack of torque(310 pound-feet from the factory), he loves that “everything is very, very tight.”
After taking a quick break, he compliments the “extremely compliant” suspension, and says that the steering is “heavy, but feels natural.” Then, he turns traction control off and makes another run.
“There’s a real shove of torque that comes on at about 5,000 revs.” Even with electronic steering, he loves that “this car feels so mechanical,” and praises it for its “lovely sense of control,” its “very manageable power,” and that it does everything “very, very well.”
For such a quick drive, this reviewer sure has the Cayman GT4’s number. You won’t find an in-depth discussion on Porsche’s mid-engined corner-carver here. But if you love the Cayman and want to see a gorgeous yellow one getting flogged in the misty English countryside, then this is your chance.
Join the 6SpeedOnline forums now!
