Porsche Cayman 718 GT4RS road test: In-cabin engine makes for heady ride

There’s no glass cover or divider to keep the 500hp, flat six-cylinder engine's sound out, either

The Porsche Cayman 718 GT4RS goes from 0-100kph in 3.2 seconds. Photo: Damien Reid

Don’t let the cosy confines of Porsche’s smallest coupe fool you. While this Cayman GT4RS lives in the shadows of the 911GT3, its more popular bigger brother, you get nothing less than the full race-car-for-the-road experience.

This is effectively a mid-engined 911GT3 with the same engine that, incidentally, is not related to the one used in the Cayman GT4. Like the 911GT3, it also screams to 9,000rpm, but unlike the 911 (that has the engine hanging out behind the rear axle), the Cayman places this outrageous 500hp, flat six-cylinder engine inside the cabin where the rear seat normally resides, only a few inches from your head.

There’s no glass cover or divider to keep the sound out, it’s just lumped in the backseat area. If you throw a bag or jacket over your shoulder, know that it will land not on a leather-lined parcel shelf, but will be sitting on top of a thin, plastic cover affixed to the actual engine.

Opening the rear hatch gives you access to both the carpeted boot and the water and oil reservoirs which, like the 911, are the only serviceable components you can add to a Porsche engine these days.

For a car that’s priced “as tested” with a healthy list of dealer-fitted options for Dh530,300, the interior verges on sparse, with only driver-focused equipment and not one button on the steering wheel other than the paddle shifts for the seven-speed PDK transmission.

Despite being the stripped-out version of the Cayman GT4 and made to meet the regulations of GT4 racing, the RS interior remains well appointed, although not as comprehensive as a luxury car. The one concession is a 150 watt Bose surround sound system with eight speakers and an amplifier as part of the Porsche Communication Management system. PCM also incorporates Apple CarPlay, digital radio, mobile phone interface and navigation through a centre screen.

While the instrument binnacle features traditional analogue tacho and speedo gauges, it also houses a 4.6-inch high-res colour display for vital information including temperature warnings, tyre pressures, radio presets and navigation.

Jump into the lightweight, Alcantara leather-covered seats and you quickly find there’s no gimmicky start button, but an actual housing to place the key that you turn to fire up this Cayman.

It’s another old-school element along with the analogue dials that gives a real connection between driver and car compared to many new wheels. While the feeling is minimalist inside, nothing seems missing, either.

The GT4RS is almost as niche as you can get with a car that’s built for just two purposes, to win in GT4 racing and be the ultimate road car for windy back roads and switchback mountain passes.

Turn the key and the engine erupts with an aural explosion literally inches behind your head. Given the engine’s positioning, Porsche has repurposed the small quarter windows next to the ear to be air vents for the RS that directs air behind the head and into the engine inches away from the headrest. It’s absolutely intoxicating when you open the throttle.

Along with the bespoke 450Nm engine, the GT4RS also differs from the Cayman GT4 with a wider front and track, and a more aggressive shift pattern for the transmission that helps get it to 100kph in 3.2 seconds and on to 315kph.

Spinning to its 9,000rpm provides a glorious engine note that sounds not unlike the classic Ferrari flat 12-cylinder engines from the 1960s. This is understandable as the company uses the same cylinder configuration, but it puts goosebumps on the back of your neck in a way modern Ferraris have forgotten.

Perhaps that’s because, like the 911GT3 and unlike today’s Ferraris, this one hasn’t been diluted with turbochargers, electric hybrid power trains or all-wheel drive assistance, making it as raw and emotional in terms of performance as anything on the road today.

The Cayman GT4RS talks to the driver through the touchpoints of hands on the wheel and feet on the pedals. The amount of feel and feedback through the powered steering is exactly what you need when pushing hard, yet it’s delicate for city parking (thankfully, The National’s test car came with the optional lift system for the front axle).

This is not a car for everyone, because it requires your attention to get the most from it. Did I want to give it back? My heart said no, my brain said maybe … yet after a week without it, I want it back again.