Description
This lot will be auctioned via Iconic Auctioneers, The Iconic Sale at Race Retro 2025 - Collectors' Cars on Saturday the 22nd of February, Stoneleigh Park, Stoneleigh Rd, Coventry, CV8 2LG. In 2015, Porsche announced the car that many thought they would never build; it was the first time Porsche allowed its Porsche Motorsport division in Weissach to ‘sprinkle some magic’ on a production Cayman since the mid-engine sportscar’s introduction ten years previously. With components sourced from the 911 GT3, an engine carried over from a Carrera S and a tweaked and tuned chassis, brakes and aerodynamics, Porsche’s engineers did their best to produce the perfect mid-engine sports car for road and track use.
The GT4’s 3. 8-litre flat-six engine (replacing the 3. 4-litre unit of the GTS) produces 385bhp and is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox with dynamic gearbox mounts - these contain a magnetic fluid that can be manipulated by use of an electromagnetic field to harden or soften to compensate for movements in the gearbox when under load, which in soft settings can improve ride comfort, while harder settings optimize the handling of the Cayman for a more dynamic driving experience.
The GT4 takes the standard car’s already purposeful stance and design and adds aggression; it has a vented front bumper to improve cooling for an additional radiator, larger side intakes to feed more air into the 3. 8-litre power plant, a lower lip spoiler, as well as a fixed rear wing for providing downforce. Compared to the standard Cayman, it features a 30mm lower ride height, upgraded brakes and front axle from the 991 GT3, a limited slip differential combined with Porsche Torque Vectoring, Porsche Active Suspension Management (with dampers derived from the 991 GT3), plus a number of reinforcements throughout the chassis to keep it stiff and well-balanced and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres.
Combined with a lot of effort from Porsche’s engineers to shed a few kilos from its kerb weight, and the GT4 is predictably faster than the previous quickest Cayman offering 0-62mph in 4. 2 seconds and 183mph. A lap time of 7 mins: 40 secs on the North Loop of the Nürburgring clearly shows that this Porsche is serious about performance.
At launch, Porsche offered Cayman GT4 buyers the option of equipping their car with further options geared towards sporty or track use. These options included a Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake (PCCB) system, carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) shell seats, a custom Sport Chrono Package including a unique Track Precision app and a Club Sport Package, that added racing harnesses and fire extinguisher to the Cayman GT4’s track accoutrements.
The above features are traditionally the preserve of track-specials and, in many cases, an extreme focus on track capability can compromise on-road comfort, making a car almost unbearable on regular road surfaces, or overly harsh on less-experienced drivers. Porsche’s Motorsport engineers have managed to strike an impressive balance between technical capability and on-road usability – this is perhaps the most surprising thing about the Cayman GT4 is its compliance on the road as well as its prowess on the track.
The car presented here is a 2016 Porsche Cayman GT4 (981) presented in immaculate, concours-winning condition – it really is, and it really did, winning 1st prize at a PCGB event attended by our vendor. Ordered new by a Porsche employee, hence it was hugely spec’d - costing an extra £22, 000 - with a few exclusive options specially for its first owner, including silver-grey seat-belts. The paintwork (a £9, 000 option) is the uber-cool ‘Paint-to-Sample’ Porsche heritage colour of Mexico Blue, one of the best (and the rarest on a Cayman) ever shades to adorn Stuttgart’s finest. There is the full carbon pack, carbon ceramic brakes (a £9, 000 option) and the incredible carbon sport seats from the 918 Spyder supercar. It really is a specification to covet!
Coming from a small private collection, this really is all-the-Porsche-anyone-should-ever-need, having covered a meagre 12, 758 miles (ATOC) from new, with a full Porsche service history, and, indeed, a Porsche warranty until July 2025. What a car for a very sensible guide price! Iconic Auctioneers welcomes any inspection of this hugely impressive sportscar, you will not be disappointed.
