Currently reading: Porsche primes 718 Cayman GT4 RS and Taycan GTS for LA

Porsche previews its Los Angeles show stars and confirms a third Taycan body style will also be revealed

The new Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS, Porsche Porsche Taycan GTS and Taycan Sport Turismo have now been revealed at the LA motor show.

The hottest Porsche 718 Cayman has been described by its maker as "perfectly irrational", promising quicker laptimes over the existing GT4 courtesy of its lower kerb weight, added power and increased downforce. 

Porsche has all but confirmed, meanwhile, that one of the new Taycan variants will be the long-awaited GTS. It will be positioned between the 4S and Turbo variants – a gap that is filled in the Panamera and Taycan line-ups by the lower, stiffer and black-themed GTS models. Expect a similar treatment for the Taycan. 

Details of the third bodystyle variant are less concrete, but Autocar reported earlier this year that Porsche was considering a lower-slung, less off-road-oriented version of the Taycan Cross Turismo. Removing the 4x4-inspired body cladding and bringing the suspension back down to the saloon's height would provide the manufacturer with a true electric alternative to the Panamera estate. 

Several development mules of the more focused version of the latest 718 Cayman GT4 have already been spied testing on the Nürburgring. A late-stage test run saw a prototype lap the 12.9-mile Nordschleife in 7min 9.300sec. On the shorter, 12.8-mile version of the circuit that Porsche has previously used for development, the model achieved a claimed 7min 4.511sec lap, which, the firm says, is 23.6sec faster than the regular 718 Cayman GT4.

A large, bespoke rear wing – significantly larger than that of the standard GT4 - appears to be mounted higher and to use a new mounting design. Also changed over the standard GT4 are the wheels, which forego the traditional five-lug pattern in favour of a motorsport-inspired centre-lock mechanism that hints at the car's track potential. 

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The man in charge of the 718 and 911, Frank-Steffen Walliser, told Autocar at the Frankfurt motor show in 2019 that he would “definitely” like to see a faster and even more focused RS version of the new 718 Cayman GT4 but that the decision hinged on prioritising development resources within Porsche. 

“Everybody’s asking for the RS,” Walliser told Autocar. “Can I imagine a GT4 RS? Sure I can. That’s not to say we will make a decision on it yet, as it is a challenge. Would I like such a car? Yes, definitely! Would I like more horses? Yes. But we need to put the resources where the market is; it would be a lot more expensive than the normal one.”

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Porsche has never made a GT4 RS before, previously suggesting such a model would be too close in price and performance to 911 GT models. But the new 4.0-litre flat six found in the latest GT4 forms part of an all-new engine family, and it's expected that Porsche will spin off further variants of that unit to justify the investment.

It's understood that the brand is looking to reintroduce the flat six to more mainstream Cayman and Boxster variants as part of a facelift. Although Walliser would only confirm that Porsche has “started the thinking process” on this, he acknowledged that the US market has been less welcoming of the current four-cylinder models than hoped. “American customers aren’t asking for four cylinders, they're asking for four litres,” he said.

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Although Porsche is working on a new electric equivalent to the Boxster, speaking in 2019 Walliser downplayed speculation that it would join the glut of newly launched electric hypercars with its own take on the formula - for the time being, at least.

Pouring water on the claims made by manufacturers such as Rimac and Lotus, Walliser said: “We've seen a lot of studies of electric hypercars. For me, the proof is when it’s on the street with a licence plate. Does an EV hypercar work? It’s like saying to me that a drag racer is a suitable sports car. For sure it’s perfect from 0-100, but to make it usable and do several laps of the Nürburgring wouldn't work with the technology at its current state.”

Walliser did welcome the idea of using hybrid technology to extend the life of Porsche’s widely celebrated naturally aspirated GT engines. “A hybrid for sure with a normally aspirated engine works well together," he said. "The low-rev electric motor torque and high-revving normally aspirated engines fit perfectly. It could help to keep a normally aspirated engine to survive, and we're very motivated to do so.”

James Attwood

James Attwood, digital editor
Title: Acting magazine editor

James is Autocar's acting magazine editor. Having served in that role since June 2023, he is in charge of the day-to-day running of the world's oldest car magazine, and regularly interviews some of the biggest names in the industry to secure news and features, such as his world exclusive look into production of Volkswagen currywurst. Really.

Before first joining Autocar in 2017, James spent more than a decade in motorsport journalist, working on Autosport, autosport.com, F1 Racing and Motorsport News, covering everything from club rallying to top-level international events. He also spent 18 months running Move Electric, Haymarket's e-mobility title, where he developed knowledge of the e-bike and e-scooter markets. 

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Peter Cavellini 12 November 2021

Boris9119@, sorry for the late response ( only a year,) , my thought was that, if you make two models in your brand, the 911/718 , have similar performance and the lesser model handles better,and if you ve been driving Porsche for years, wouldn't you like the better handling?, also, if your paying for the privilege for what physically looks a smaller vehicle, does size matter?, but I guess, it's the old boring mantra I always trot out, your money, your choice, if your happy, that's all that matters.

BlahBlah43 21 October 2021
Such a shame it won't have a manual transmission option
567 20 October 2021

Cayman GT4 RS. Nice!